Can You Take a Rental Car Out of State? Answers by Company

Person taking a rental car out of state on the highway

Most major car rental companies allow you to drive your rental vehicle out of state, though this policy can vary by location.

Some companies require a one-way reservation when traveling out of state. There is usually an additional fee for one-way reservations; the amount can vary by company, pick-up location, drop-off location, and time of year.[1][2]

Below, we provide policy details and any applicable fees for each car rental company.

What We Recommend

The peer-to-peer car-sharing service Turo is a good option for out-of-state trips, as rentals are available nationwide and there are no restrictions on driving across state borders.[3][4]

While each vehicle owner sets their own terms, some also offer unlimited mileage.[5]

Enterprise is the best option if you’d prefer a traditional car rental agency.

It offers unlimited mileage on most car classes at no additional charge, doesn’t require one-way bookings for out-of-state travel, and has no restrictions on driving out of state.[6][7]

Comparison Table

Use the table below for a quick comparison of each car rental company’s policy on driving out of state.

You can tap the arrows at the top of each column to sort the table or select a company name to see more details in our list below.

Car Rental Company Allows Out of State Driving Requires a One-Way Booking
ACE Rent a CarVaries by location Varies by location
Alamo Rent a CarYes No
Avis Rent a CarYes No
BudgetYes, in most locations No
Dollar Car RentalYes, at some locations Varies by location
Enterprise Rent-A-CarYes No
Fox Rent A CarYes; some states have restrictions No
GetaroundYes No
HertzYes Yes
National Car RentalYes No
Payless Car RentalYes Yes
SIXTYes No, though not doing so may lead to restrictions
Thrifty Car RentalVaries by location No
TuroYes No
ZipcarYes No
Table Plugin

The List

Below, we list out-of-state driving policies for each major car rental company, including whether they require one-way bookings or charge any fees.

The list is in order of the companies with the least restrictions and lowest fees.

We confirmed this information by viewing policy documentation online and contacting company representatives.

Note that if the policy varies by location and your rental agreement doesn’t specify whether out-of-state travel is allowed, it’s best to inform local representatives of your travel plans to avoid any unforeseen fees or other penalties.

Turo logo

Turo

Enterprise logo

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

National Car Rental logo

National Car Rental

Alamo Rent a Car

Avis Rent a Car

Getaround logo

Getaround

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes[13]
  • Requires one-way booking? No; Getaround doesn’t offer one-way bookings.[14][13]
  • Fees: None[13]
  • Find a rental

Zipcar logo

Zipcar

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes[15][16]
  • Requires one-way booking? No; Zipcar doesn’t offer one-way bookings in North America.[17]
  • Fees: None[16]
  • Find a rental

Payless Car Rental logo

Payless Car Rental

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes; you must notify representatives at pick-up.[18][19]
  • Requires one-way booking? Yes[19]
  • Fees: None, unless you take a rental out of state without authorization.[18][19]
  • Find a rental

Budget logo

Budget

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes, at most locations[20][21]
  • Requires one-way booking? No[22]
  • Fees: If you don’t have a one-way booking, Budget charges an Unauthorized Return Location fee of $45 when returning a rental to a different location.[23][20]
  • Find a rental

Hertz logo

Hertz

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes[24]
  • Requires one-way booking? Yes;[24] if a location doesn’t allow one-way bookings, the system won’t permit you to complete the reservation online.[25]
  • Fees: Vary by location and vehicle availability[25]
  • Find a rental

SIXT logo

SIXT

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes;[26] however, there are restrictions on which states you can drive to if the booking isn’t one-way.[27]
  • Requires one-way booking? No[27]
  • Fees: Vary by location and distance traveled;[26] violations incur a fee of $0.50 per mile driven during the rental.[27]
  • Find a rental

Fox Rent A Car Logo

Fox Rent A Car

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Most locations don’t restrict out-of-state travel. However, you can only drive rentals originating in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Washington to designated states.[28][29]
  • Requires one-way booking? No[29]
  • Fees: If you choose a one-way rental or return the vehicle to a different location than in your rental agreement, you’ll pay a drop charge ranging anywhere from $20 to $500.[28][29]
  • Find a rental

Dollar Car Rental logo

Dollar Car Rental

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Yes, at some locations[30][31]
  • Requires one-way booking? Varies by location[30][31]
  • Fees: You may pay an additional intercity fee, which varies by location.[30][31]
  • Find a rental

Thrifty Car Rental logo

Thrifty Car Rental

ACE Rent a Car

  • Allows out-of-state driving? Each location sets its own policy.[34]
  • Requires one-way booking? Each location sets its own policy.[34]
  • Fees: Vary by location; driving outside of the specified boundaries may result in a fine of around $500 to $1,000.[35][36]
  • Find a Rental
  1. https://www.enterprise.com/en/car-rental/one-way.html[]
  2. https://www.alamo.com/en/customer-support/car-rental-faqs/one-way-policy.html[]
  3. https://help.turo.com/en_us/available-cars-HJZZVNgE9[][]
  4. Turo customer support via live chat[][][][]
  5. https://help.turo.com/distance-limits-and-additional-distance-SkWUrEgVc[]
  6. https://www.enterprise.com/en/help/faqs/unlimited-mileage.html[][]
  7. Enterprise Rent-A-Car customer service via live chat[]
  8. Enterprise Rent-A-Car customer service via live chat[][][]
  9. National Car Rental customer service (844) 393-9989[][][]
  10. Alamo Rent a Car customer service (888) 233-8749[][][]
  11. Avis Rent a Car customer service (800) 352-7900[][][]
  12. https://www.avis.com/en/help/usa-faqs/out-of-state-driving[][]
  13. Getaround customer service via Facebook chat[][][]
  14. https://help.getaround.com/hc/en-us/articles/205662774-Returning-a-Car[]
  15. https://support.zipcar.com/hc/en-us/articles/220623207?fbclid=IwAR01eqaVPBNy–Gw7I3gu2EMDOq0W0fjBTdmPRrcGmuC0r-0WLCRcXvZSeo[]
  16. Zipcar customer service via Facebook chat[][]
  17. https://support.zipcar.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033373733-Does-Zipcar-have-a-Flex-or-One-Way-service-[]
  18. https://www.paylesscar.com/en/customer-service/faq/global/locations[][]
  19. Payless Car Rental customer service (800) 729-5377[][][]
  20. https://www.budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs/interstate-travel[][]
  21. https://www.budgetlac.com/faqs.php[]
  22. Budget location customer service representatives[]
  23. https://www.budget.com/en/products-services/services/one-way-car-rental[]
  24. Hertz customer service (800) 654-4173[][]
  25. Hertz customer service via Facebook chat[][]
  26. SIXT customer service via Facebook chat[][]
  27. https://www.sixt.com/rental-information/#/[][][]
  28. https://www.foxrentacar.com/en/faqs.html[][]
  29. Fox Rent A Car customer service via live chat[][][]
  30. Dollar Car Rental customer service (800) 800-5252[][][]
  31. Dollar Car Rental location customer service representatives[][][]
  32. Thrifty Car Rental customer service (800) 847-4389[][][]
  33. Thrifty Car Rental location customer service representatives[][][]
  34. ACE Rent a Car customer service via live chat[][]
  35. https://www.acerentacar.com/Locations/Terms/DFWT01[]
  36. https://www.acerentacar.com/Locations/Terms/PBIO01[]

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