Car rental prices at Washington DC Reagan Airport

For November 2026, booked about a month ahead, a good price for a rental car at Washington DC Reagan Airport is around $57 a day for an Intermediate (a Volkswagen Jetta-sized car). A Compact is $54 a day. In the last 2 weeks before pickup an Intermediate is nearer $60. If your quote is well over these, the price checker will tell you for your exact dates.

Timing barely changes prices at DCA, but for November 2026 an Intermediate car averages $57 a day around a month before your trip, against $60 in the last 2 weeks, so book rather than wait. Across the year, an Intermediate car averages $70 a day around a month before your trip and $69 in the last 2 weeks, so waiting longer makes little difference on average. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 65% of our customers book within a month of pickup, so booking at that point is common rather than unusually late.

Budget is cheapest at DCA for an Intermediate car, averaging $56 a day over the last 12 months from 1,872 prices, but you need a credit card. Budget has an airport desk, scores 76/100 from 2,209 reviews over the last 5 months and averages a 27-minute desk wait, so allow time after landing. For an Intermediate car over the last 12 months, Sixt averages $67 a day from 1,060 prices, costing you $11 more a day. Sixt scores 92/100 from 516 reviews over the last 5 months and averages a 10-minute desk wait, so compare it if a shorter wait 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 National at DCA if reviews and a short desk wait matter: it scores 99/100 from 268 reviews over the last 5 months, the highest score, with a 4-minute average wait. National is not the cheapest: its Intermediate cars average $101 a day over the last 12 months from 3,883 prices. Budget's Intermediate cars average $56 a day over the same period from 1,872 prices, costing you $45 less a day, but Budget scores 76/100 from 2,209 reviews over the last 5 months. Thrifty and Dollar do not yet have enough reviews for a score, so do not treat their lack of a score as a recommendation.

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 DCA, deposits range from $200 with Budget or Sixt to $300 with Avis, but only 1 of 9 companies accepts a debit card without restricting you to certain cars. Thrifty accepts debit cards; Hertz, Sixt and Dollar accept them for some cars only, while 5 companies require a credit card. If you need to use a debit card, filter for it before comparing prices and 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.

At DCA, check your card eligibility and allow time for collection, because 5 of the 9 companies require a credit card and desk waits vary. Hertz, Sixt and Dollar accept debit cards for some cars only, so confirm that your chosen car qualifies before booking. Budget averages a 27-minute desk wait, compared with 4 minutes at National, so leave room between landing and your first appointment.

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

At DCA, an Intermediate car such as a Volkswagen Jetta costs $57 a day in November 2026 around a month before your trip, so choose it for up to 4 people with a bag each. It seats 5 but takes 4 bags, so a full car cannot accommodate a separate bag for everyone. For November 2026 around a month before your trip, a Compact car such as a Nissan Versa averages $54 a day and takes 3 bags; a Fullsize car such as a Chevrolet Malibu averages $69, seats 6 but still takes only 4 bags, so the step up does not add luggage capacity. Over the last 12 months, 100% of cars offered are automatic, so you do not need to compare manual and automatic prices. Electric and hybrid cars are not offered, so do not plan your booking around either.