Car rental prices at Palm Springs Airport

Palm Springs Airport car hire averages around $63 a day for an Intermediate, a Volkswagen Jetta-sized car, when you book about a month ahead for October 2026. A smaller Compact car like a Nissan Versa costs $61 a day, while a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu runs to $73. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Intermediate to $59. Across the wider calendar, November 2026 is cheapest at $59 for an Economy car, while July 2027 peaks at $108 for a Fullsize car. Check the price checker for your exact dates.

When you book barely moves the price at Palm Springs Airport, where an Intermediate costs $63 a day booked about a month ahead and $59 in the last 2 weeks. Booking 9 months before your trip would have cost $80 a day across the year, so waiting has not cost you money. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 14 days of pickup. If you are travelling during dearer months like July 2027, prices reach $108 a day compared to $59 in November 2026.

Budget is the cheapest company at Palm Springs Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging $54 a day across 1,866 prices over the last 12 months. Budget operates directly at the terminal with an average 16-minute desk wait, though it requires a credit card and holds a $200 deposit. Avis and Thrifty follow closely at $57 a day. Thrifty accepts debit cards and scores 81/100 from 34 customer reviews, while Avis averages a 4-minute wait but does not yet have enough reviews for a score.

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 Palm Springs Airport, scoring 92/100 from 88 reviews, but its desk averages a 24-minute wait. It sits at the pricier end of the airport, averaging $74 a day for an Intermediate car across 4,294 prices over the last 12 months. Alamo offers high ratings with a 90/100 score from 76 reviews, an average 15-minute wait and a lower rate of $67 a day. Budget is the cheapest supplier at $54 a day, scoring 81/100 from 45 reviews.

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 Palm Springs Airport, deposits held on your card range from $200 with Budget and Sixt to $299 with Avis, and only 1 of the 9 companies accepts a debit card. 5 of the 9 counters require a credit card, while 3 take debit cards for some cars only. Filter for a debit card on the price checker before you compare prices rather than after. Any optional extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their prices.

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

Payment rules and counter queues cause the main problems at Palm Springs Airport, where 5 of the 9 desks refuse debit cards outright. Another 3 suppliers only accept debit cards on specific vehicles, leaving Thrifty as the only counter taking them unconditionally. All desks are on-airport, but waiting times range from 4 minutes at Avis up to 24 minutes at National. Pack a credit card in the lead driver's name to make sure you can drive away.

Only 50% of prices at Palm Springs Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

For most trips from Palm Springs Airport, pick an Intermediate like the Volkswagen Jetta, which seats 5 with room for 4 bags at $63 a day in October 2026. Stepping down to a Compact car like the Nissan Versa costs $61 a day, but while it seats 5 it holds only 3 bags, meaning soft bags end up on laps. Upgrading to a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu costs $73 a day for 6 seats and 4 bags. Every car offered is an automatic, so you will not pay more for an automatic gearbox, while electric and hybrid models are not available.