Car hire prices at San Francisco Airport

For November 2026 at San Francisco Airport, budget around £38 a day for an Intermediate car, the Volkswagen Jetta size, booked around a month before your trip. At that lead time, an Economy car such as a Mitsubishi Mirage averages £36 a day, as does a Compact car such as a Nissan Versa. In the last 2 weeks, an Intermediate car averages £45 a day, which costs you £7 more a day. Use the price checker to compare your quote with prices for your exact dates.

For November 2026 at San Francisco Airport, book around a month before your trip: an Intermediate car averages £38 a day then, against £45 in the last 2 weeks. Across the year, an Intermediate car averages £45 a day around 2 weeks before pickup, from 3,506 prices. Across the year, booking around 9 months before your trip averages £61 a day for an Intermediate car, from 3,530 prices, so you have not missed a cheaper early-booking window. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 65% of our customers booked within a month of pickup, so you need not assume everyone books far ahead.

Budget is cheapest at San Francisco Airport for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months, averaging £41 a day from 1,689 prices, but you need a credit card. Budget scores 76/100 from 42 reviews and its desk wait averages 29 minutes, so allow time after landing. Alamo takes debit cards and averages £48 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months, from 3,584 prices, costing you £7 more a day. Alamo scores 100/100 from 62 reviews and its desk wait averages 3 minutes, making it worth comparing if collection time matters to you.

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.

Choose Alamo if reviews and collection time matter to you at San Francisco Airport: it leads with 100/100 from 62 reviews and a desk wait averaging 3 minutes. Alamo is not the cheapest: over the last 12 months, an Intermediate car averages £48 a day from 3,584 prices, while Budget averages £41 a day for an Intermediate car from 1,689 prices. Budget scores 76/100 from 42 reviews and averages a 29-minute desk wait, so weigh its lower price against collection time. If you also compare Enterprise, it does not yet have enough reviews for a 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 Francisco Airport, deposits range from £0 with Europcar to £227 with Avis, and 4 of the 10 desks take debit cards, so check the card rule before choosing. A further 3 desks accept debit cards for some cars only, while 3 require a credit card. Filter for a debit card before comparing prices, then check the deposit and card rule beside your chosen car. Extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their price.

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

Watch out for desk waits and card restrictions at San Francisco Airport: Budget averages a 29-minute wait, and a debit card will not work at every desk. Dollar averages 28 minutes and Thrifty 27 minutes, so allow collection time before arranging anything after pickup. Alamo averages 3 minutes, so compare it if you need to get away promptly. Of the 10 desks, 3 require a credit card and another 3 accept debit cards only for some cars, so check the rule for the car you select.

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

At San Francisco Airport, choose an Intermediate car such as a Volkswagen Jetta for 4 people with a bag each: it averages £38 a day in November 2026 when booked around a month before your trip. It seats 5 but takes 4 bags; a 5th person must share luggage space. Choose a Compact car such as a Nissan Versa at £36 a day on average if 3 bags suffice, saving £2 a day. A Fullsize car such as a Chevrolet Malibu averages £46 a day: it seats 6 but still takes 4 bags, so spending £8 more a day adds no luggage capacity. You need not filter for an automatic because 100% of cars offered are automatic; no electric or hybrid cars are offered, so do not rely on booking one.