Car rental prices at San Jose Airport, United States

For November 2026 at San Jose Airport, a good price is around $49 a day for an Intermediate car, such as a Volkswagen Jetta, when you book around a month before your trip. At that lead time, an Economy car, such as a Mitsubishi Mirage, averages $46 a day, while a Compact car, such as a Nissan Versa, averages $45. In the last 2 weeks, the Intermediate car averages $57 a day, which costs you $8 more a day. Use the price checker to compare your quote with prices for your exact dates.

Across the year, an Intermediate car at San Jose Airport averages $60 a day in the last 2 weeks, but for November 2026 you should book around a month before your trip at $49. For November 2026, an Intermediate car averages $57 a day in the last 2 weeks, so waiting costs $8 more a day. Across the year, an Intermediate car averages $81 a day around 9 months before your trip, from 3,816 prices, so you have not missed an early-booking saving. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 65% of our customers book within a month of pickup.

Budget is joint-cheapest at San Jose Airport for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months, averaging $56 a day from 1,867 prices, but you need a credit card. Avis and Thrifty also average $56 a day for an Intermediate car over the same 12 months; Thrifty accepts debit cards. Budget scores 76/100 from 2,209 reviews and averages a 27-minute desk wait, so allow time for collection. For comparison, Enterprise averages $57 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months, from 879 prices, scores 95/100 from 654 reviews and averages a 9-minute wait.

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 San Jose Airport if reviews and collection time matter most to you: it is the best-reviewed company, scoring 99/100 from 268 reviews, with an average desk wait of 4 minutes. National is not the cheapest: an Intermediate car averages $70 a day over the last 12 months, from 4,253 prices. Budget is joint-cheapest for an Intermediate car at $56 a day over the same period, from 1,867 prices, but scores 76/100 from 2,209 reviews. 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, deposits range from $0 with Europcar to $300 with Avis, but only 1 of the 10 companies accepts debit cards without restricting them to some cars. Thrifty accepts debit cards; Hertz, Dollar and Sixt accept them for some cars only, while 6 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 prices.

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

At San Jose Airport, watch out for credit-card requirements and desk waits, because either can delay you before you start driving. 6 of the 10 companies require a credit card, and 3 accept debit cards for some cars only, so check your chosen car's rule before booking. Budget averages a 27-minute desk wait and Thrifty averages 24 minutes, so allow that time if you have plans after landing. National averages a 4-minute wait, making it worth comparing if collection time matters to you.

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.

Choose a Compact car, such as a Nissan Versa, at San Jose Airport for $45 a day in November 2026 around a month before your trip if you have no more than 3 bags. It seats 5 but takes only 3 bags, so check luggage capacity before booking for a full group. At the same lead time, an Economy car, such as a Mitsubishi Mirage, costs $46 a day but takes only 2 bags; an Intermediate car, such as a Volkswagen Jetta, costs $49 and takes 4 bags. 100% of cars offered are automatic, so you can compare prices without filtering out manual cars. Hybrids make up 1% of cars offered and no electric cars are offered, so check availability for your dates before settling on a hybrid.