Car hire prices at San Jose Airport, United States

San Jose Airport car hire starts at around £39 a day for an Economy car in October 2026, with a Compact car like a Nissan Versa typically £41 and an Intermediate £44. A Fullsize car, the Chevrolet Malibu size, is about £50 a day. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Compact to £38. Across the year, the cheapest month is November 2026 at £44 a day for an Economy car, while August 2027 peaks at £80 for a Fullsize. The price checker will show what applies to your exact dates.

For October 2026 at San Jose Airport, holding off until the last 2 weeks saves money, with an Intermediate dropping from £44 a day booked a month out to £39. Booking 9 months before your trip averages £61 a day across the year, compared to £45 around 2 weeks before pickup, so you lose nothing by waiting. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 14 days of travel. If you are travelling in August 2027, expect to pay up to £80 a day for a Fullsize, whereas November 2026 drops to £44 for an Economy.

Thrifty, Budget and Avis are the cheapest companies at San Jose Airport for an Intermediate car, all averaging £41 a day over the last 12 months, though Avis only has 4 recent counter reviews. Enterprise is £42 a day and scores 90/100 from 786 reviews. Budget scores 82/100 from 2,309 reviews with an average 15-minute desk wait, while Thrifty scores 81/100 and takes a debit card for all rentals. Alamo is £47 a day from 4,214 prices and scores 91/100 from 1,450 reviews.

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 Jose Airport, scoring 92/100 from 279 reviews, but its desk wait averages 24 minutes and an Intermediate car averages £53 a day over the last 12 months. Alamo follows closely with 91/100 from 1,450 reviews and a 23-minute wait, averaging £47 a day. By comparison, Budget and Thrifty are cheaper at £41 a day, scoring 82/100 and 81/100 respectively. Europcar 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 Jose Airport, typical deposits held on your card range from £0 with Europcar up to £222 with Avis, and only 1 of the 10 counters takes a debit card unconditionally. 6 counters insist on a credit card, while Hertz, Dollar and Sixt accept a debit card for some cars only. Filter for a debit card before comparing prices so you do not select an ineligible vehicle. Any optional extras charged at the desk appear beneath each car in the results.

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

Strict credit-card deposit rules catch people out at 6 of the 10 desks at San Jose Airport, alongside long queues at the highest-rated counters. All 10 rental desks sit directly at the airport, so you will not need a shuttle bus. Waiting 24 minutes at National or 23 minutes at Alamo is common at those top-rated desks. With only 1 company accepting debit cards freely, arriving without a credit card in the main driver's name risks leaving you without a car.

Only 51% of prices at San Jose Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

An Intermediate car at San Jose Airport, such as a Volkswagen Jetta, costs about £44 a day in October 2026 and fits 5 people with 4 bags. A Compact car like a Nissan Versa costs £41 a day, but taking it saves just £3 a day while losing space for a fourth bag. Every car offered comes with an automatic gearbox, so you will not pay extra to avoid shifting gears in Bay Area traffic.