Car hire prices at Portland Airport

A Compact car like a Nissan Versa at Portland Airport typically costs around £43 a day when booked about a month ahead for October 2026. An Economy model such as a Mitsubishi Mirage is £37 a day, while an Intermediate like a Volkswagen Jetta is £49. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks lifts the Compact to £54 a day. Across the year, prices reach £99 in July 2027 and drop to £45 in November 2026, so check the price checker for your exact dates.

Portland Airport car hire drops to £49 a day for an Intermediate about a month before an October 2026 trip, compared to £57 in the last 2 weeks. Booking 9 months before your trip across the year averages £72 a day compared to £52 at 2 weeks before your trip, saving about 39%, so you have missed nothing if you have waited. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, half of our customers book within 16 days of pickup. 64% of people book within a month of travel.

Budget is the cheapest car hire company at Portland Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £42 a day over the last 12 months from 1,870 prices. Avis and Thrifty follow closely at £43 a day. Budget keeps its counter in the terminal and scores 82/100 from 36 recent customer reviews, but requires a credit card for the deposit. Thrifty is one of the rare desks that accepts a debit card.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

National is the best-reviewed company at Portland Airport, scoring 92/100 from 92 customer reviews, with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. National is not cheap, averaging £71 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months from 5,283 prices. Budget is the cheapest supplier at £42 a day, scoring 82/100 with a 17-minute wait from 36 reviews. Hertz sits in between, scoring 85/100 with a 14-minute wait from 34 reviews, at £54 a day.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At Portland Airport, typical security deposits range from £148 with Budget and Sixt to £222 with Avis, and only 1 of the 8 desks accepts a debit card unconditionally. 5 of the 8 counters refuse debit cards outright, while 2 accept a debit card for certain car classes only. The deposit amount and card rules are displayed beside each vehicle in your results, so filter for debit cards before comparing rates. Any extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their cash price.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

The biggest trap at Portland Airport is assuming you can pay your security deposit with a standard debit card. 5 of the 8 on-airport desks turn debit card holders away, leaving you stranded unless you carry a credit card in the lead driver's name. Long waits can also disrupt your arrival, with National averaging 24 minutes at the counter despite its high customer satisfaction score. All 8 counters sit directly in the terminal, so you will at least avoid waiting in the rain for a shuttle bus.

Only 52% of prices at Portland Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

For comfort on longer drives out of Portland Airport, pick an Intermediate car like a Volkswagen Jetta, which seats 5 with room for 4 bags at £49 a day for October 2026. A Compact car like a Nissan Versa costs £43 a day, but taking 3 bags means luggage ends up on laps if 5 people travel together. A Fullsize car like a Chevrolet Malibu steps up to 6 seats and 4 bags at £56 a day. 100% of cars offered at this airport are automatic, while hybrid models make up just 3% of options, so fuel-efficient hybrids are rarely available at short notice.