Car rental prices at San Jose Airport, United States

A Compact car like a Nissan Versa at San Jose Airport typically costs $55 a day for an October 2026 trip booked about a month ahead. An Economy car like a Mitsubishi Mirage is about $53 a day, while an Intermediate like a Volkswagen Jetta is around $59. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Compact price to $51. November 2026 is the cheapest month across the year at $59 a day for an Economy car, while August 2027 peaks at $108 for a Fullsize. The price checker will show the rates for your exact travel dates.

Booking late saves about 33% at San Jose Airport, where prices across the year drop from $82 a day 9 months before your trip to $61 2 weeks before. For October 2026, an Intermediate car costs $59 a day booked around a month ahead and drops to $53 in the last 2 weeks. If you have not booked yet you have missed nothing, as rates only fall as your travel date nears. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for on our sites, 48% of people book within 2 weeks of pickup.

Thrifty, Budget and Avis are the cheapest companies at San Jose Airport for an Intermediate car, each averaging $55 a day over the last 12 months. Budget and Avis refuse debit cards at the counter, though Budget scores 82/100 from 2,309 reviews and Avis holds 83/100 from 1,249. Thrifty accepts debit cards and scores 81/100 from 702 reviews. All 10 suppliers have desks directly at the airport, so saving money does not mean catching a shuttle bus.

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 with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. National is not cheap, averaging $71 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months. Alamo follows closely with 91/100 from 1,450 reviews, a 23-minute desk wait, and a lower average price of $63 a day. The cheapest options, Thrifty and Budget at $55 a day, score 81/100 and 82/100.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

Security deposits held at San Jose Airport range from $0 with Europcar up to $299 with Avis, and only 1 of the 10 desks accepts a debit card unconditionally. Another 3 desks accept a debit card for certain cars only, while 6 insist on a credit card. Check the card rules for each car before booking, and filter for debit cards in the price checker if you do not carry a credit card. Any optional extras you choose at the desk will appear under each vehicle quote.

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

Payment rules catch people out at San Jose Airport, where 6 of the 10 desks turn down debit cards entirely and 3 accept them only for select models. Desk queues can also steal your first evening, with National and Alamo keeping drivers waiting 24 and 23 minutes on average. All 10 providers operate at the airport rather than off-site, which spares you a shuttle ride after landing only to test your patience in the terminal.

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 like a Volkswagen Jetta is $59 a day at San Jose Airport for October 2026, giving 5 people enough space for 4 bags. It seats 5 passengers and holds 4 bags, avoiding the tight squeeze of a Compact Nissan Versa at $55 a day which seats 5 but carries only 3 bags. A step up to a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu costs $67 a day and offers 6 seats with 4 bags. Every car offered is an automatic, while electric cars are absent and hybrids make up 1% of cars offered, so expect a conventional petrol engine.