Car hire prices at San Diego Airport

San Diego Airport car hire typically costs £43 a day for an Intermediate, the Volkswagen Jetta size, when you book about a month ahead for October 2026. A smaller Compact like the Nissan Versa is £40 a day, while a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu averages £52. Waiting until the last 2 weeks drops the Compact to £36 and the Intermediate to £41. Over the year, prices swing between £46 in January 2027 and £79 in July 2027, so check our price checker for your exact travel dates.

Booking late saves about 27% at San Diego Airport, where prices drop from £60 a day 9 months before your trip to £47 within the last 2 weeks. For October 2026, an Intermediate car costs £43 booked a month ahead and falls to £41 in the final fortnight. Booking 9 months ahead offers no price advantage, so you have missed nothing if your trip is already approaching. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for on our sites, 48% of people book within 14 days of travel.

Budget is the cheapest company at San Diego Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £38 a day over the last 12 months from 1,418 prices. Budget operates directly at the airport but requires a credit card for the deposit, scoring 83/100 from 37 customer reviews. Avis and Thrifty follow at £42 a day, though Avis also bars debit cards. Alamo averages £48 a day from 4,090 prices and accepts debit cards at the counter.

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 San Diego Airport, scoring 92/100 from 92 reviews with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. National costs £52 a day on average for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months. Budget is cheaper at £38 a day and scores 83/100 from 37 reviews with a 17-minute wait. Alamo follows closely on reviews with 86 ratings, but does not yet have enough reviews for an overall score.

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 San Diego Airport, deposits held at the counter range from £0 to £222, and 4 of the 10 desks take a debit card for any vehicle. Another 3 desks take a debit card for some cars only, while 3 companies strictly require a credit card. Filter for a debit card before comparing prices so you only see cars you can collect. Mandatory extras and card rules are listed under each vehicle.

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

The main surprises at San Diego Airport are strict payment rules at the desk and lengthy counter queues after your flight. 3 of the 10 desks refuse debit cards completely, and another 3 only accept them on select models, leaving credit-card holders with an easier arrival. Desk waits also vary considerably, stretching to 26 minutes with Sixt and 24 minutes with National. While you can usually turn right on red in California, doing so without a full stop will prove far more expensive than your rental.

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

An Intermediate car like the Volkswagen Jetta costs around £43 a day at San Diego Airport in October 2026 and fits 5 people with their bags. It seats 5 and holds 4 bags, giving you enough boot space for freeway luggage. A Compact like the Nissan Versa costs £40 a day but takes only 3 bags, while a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu seats 6 with 4 bags for £52. 100% of cars offered are automatic, so you pay nothing extra for an automatic transmission, while electric cars and hybrids are currently absent from prices.