Can you take a rental car out of state?
Yes, in most cases, you can take a rental car out of state without extra charges. Many rental car companies allow it, but it’s important to check your specific rental company’s rules and policies regarding out-of-state travel. Some may have restrictions, mileage limitations, or location-specific rules that could affect your ability to drive a rental car across state lines.
The promise of a getaway might make you assume it’s always fine to drive a rental across state lines. But can you take rental cars out of state?
We explore the ins and outs of driving a rental car out of state in this guide with all the answers – and how you can avoid getting charged for driving your rental outside of the pickup state.
Can You Take Rental Cars Out of State?
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Planning a road trip soon? You might be banking on driving your shiny new rental across state lines, but are you sure it’s allowed? Can you take rental cars out of state?
In most cases, you can take rental cars out of state and drive throughout the United States and Canada without being charged extra fees.
There are some exceptions to the rule, but many rental car companies allow out of state driving with their vehicles because a huge number of their customers rent a car to travel out of state on vacation, for business, etc.
While the general answer to taking rental cars out of state is “yes,” it’s important to know the current rules and policies your rental car company has for crossing state lines and borders in a rental vehicle.
Some companies prohibit you from driving a rental car out of the pickup state, some apply mileage limitations, and others have strict geographic restrictions that may send a GPS alert if you leave the allowed region.
The last thing you want is to make your merry way across state lines, only to be hit with expensive fees or denied insurance coverage due to your mistake!
Let’s take a look at the companies that let you drive out of state, restrictions and fees that might prevent you from doing so, and how you can make sure it’s okay to take your rental car across state lines.
What Rental Car Companies Let You Drive Out of State?
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Most well-known rental car companies will let you drive out of state without issue, but there may be different restrictions, exclusions for certain types of rental cars, and fees for driving out of state.
Some rental car companies are fine with you driving the rental car anywhere in the United States and even crossing the border into Canada or Mexico. Of course, this will come with increased premiums. But it’s often possible nonetheless.
Others are a bit more strict about their geographic rules and limitations for rentals, requiring you to stick within a certain region or agree not to drive across state lines.
We’ve checked the current policies for the most popular rental car companies to bring you a list of the ones that do allow you to take a rental car across state lines.
The rental car companies that allow you to drive out of state are:
- Alamo: Book a one-way rental to avoid some fees for returning the car to a different location
- Avis: Book a one-way rental to avoid some fees for dropping the car off at a different location
- Budget: Book a one-way rental to avoid some fees for returning the car to a different location
- Enterprise: No mileage restrictions on smaller vehicle classes; out of state driving allowed
- Hertz: Book a one-way rental to avoid some fees for dropping the car off at a different location
- National: Most rentals can be driven throughout the US and Canada, but restrictions apply
- Sixt: Rental cars may be used in the pick-up state and selected region nearby only
- Thrifty: Most locations limit rental car driving to the continental US and Canada
As you can see, Sixt is one of the only rental car companies that applies a strict geographic limitation to rental cars at some of their locations.
Even then, you’re typically allowed to drive the rental out of state – but not beyond the region listed in their Terms and Conditions.
Please note that policies can change at any time, so it’s worth calling the location you’ll be renting from to double-check that driving out of state is allowed!
Most of the best rental car companies don’t have an issue with you driving a rental vehicle across state lines. You just might need to book a one-way rental to do it by the book.
What Is a One-Way Rental?
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One-way rentals refer to picking a rental car up in one location, then returning (or “dropping”) it to another location, sometimes in another state.
One-way rentals are often charged a drop fee, drop charge, or mileage fee upon return that gets added to your base rental rate. The fee covers the company’s transportation of the vehicle back to the original location.
Some rental car companies or locations may charge a drop fee if you return the car to the same city, but a different rental location!
In most cases, the drop fee is due upon return of the rental car, so come prepared with a valid payment method. A drop fee doesn’t always apply, so be sure to read the fine print or ask a customer service associate when you’re arranging pickup.
Most of the well-known car rental companies offer one-way rentals, but they’re not always available with every vehicle class or during your rental period.
That’s why it’s a good idea to check online or by calling your location to make sure!
When You Can’t Take Rental Cars Out of State
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In general, there are 3 scenarios you may run into when you can’t take a rental car out of state. Thankfully, these scenarios are pretty rare and only apply in certain circumstances.
Geographic restrictions, mileage limitations, and location-specific rules can all prohibit you from driving a rental car out of state in some cases.
Let’s take a closer look at the reasons you may not be able to take a rental car outside of the pickup state.
1. Geographic Restrictions
Some rental car companies or individual locations may prohibit taking the car beyond a specified geographic region. This can be a state, country, or geographic region, depending on the rental car company and your pickup location.
It’s not something you can get away with doing on the sly since rentals are equipped with GPS tracking.
Taking a rental beyond its geographic restrictions may result in hefty fees and lack of insurance or liability coverage in the event of an accident, leaving you responsible for replacing the full cost of the car.
2. Mileage Limitations
If your rental car company has mileage limitations – i.e., doesn’t offer unlimited mileage – you might go over the limitation by taking your rental car outside of the state you picked it up in.
You may still be able to cross state lines and stay under your mileage limitation if the distance isn’t far, but it’s something you’ll want to plan out with round-trip route distance ahead of time.
Companies that offer unlimited mileage, like Enterprise, don’t mind if you take the car across state lines, but companies with limitations on mileage or those offering special weekend promos may charge you an exuberant fee for driving over the limit.
3. Location-Specific Rules
Certain states and locations, like Hawaii and Alaska, tend to have stricter rules on taking rental cars out of state.
Rental locations in states outside of the continental US typically prohibit you from taking the car out of the rental state or off the island the car was rented from.
In other cases, renting a car somewhere like Las Vegas may chain you to additional rental rules that prevent crossing into states that don’t border the pickup state.
Things to Consider
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What else should you keep in mind about taking a rental car across state lines? Here are some important things to consider before you plan to rent and drive a car to another state.
- Be aware of one-way rental drop charges. You might be charged a hefty fee for a one-way rental across state lines where you pick the car up in one location and drop it off in another. Be sure to ask and get written confirmation of the one-way drop off fee before you rent a car.
- Stay open to other vehicle classes. In some cases, a rental car company will prevent you from driving a large vehicle class (like large cargo vans, SUVs, or exotic cars) beyond a set mileage limitation, making it impossible to drive across state lines without incurring major fees. If you’re open to renting a smaller or non-exotic vehicle class, you can avoid this problem.
- Read the fine print. Your rental agreement will have some fine print that you really need to read – even better, look up the Terms and Conditions on the rental car company website before you go forward with the rental process. You’ll find that some, like Sixt and Fox, restrict you from driving the rental car outside of the pickup state or beyond a restricted region that borders the pickup state.
- Don’t sneak off to another state. It can be tempting to ignore the rules and drive across state lines anyway if you discover you can’t take a rental car out of state after you’ve already booked and paid for your rental. But rental cars are equipped with GPS trackers and you may be charged big fees when you leave the pickup state. If you’re in an accident across state lines when you shouldn’t have been, you may be responsible and liable for the cost of damages or a totaled rental car.
Frequently Asked Questions
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For most people, “Can you take a rental car out of state?” isn’t the only question they have about driving a rented vehicle across state lines.
Check out the most frequently asked questions below to learn more and get the information you need to avoid added fees!
What does unlimited mileage mean on a rental car?
Unlimited mileage means you’re not responsible for paying a fee per mile for driving your rental car.
You can drive as many or as few miles as you want without paying an additional mileage fee.
Can you return a rental car to a different location?
If you’ve booked a one-way rental, you can return a rental car to a different location than you picked it up from. There may be an extra “drop fee” payable upon return for one-way rentals.
Some rental car companies, like Hertz, will let you adjust your return location after renting the car. Fees may apply, so check with your customer service representative to be sure.
Can you rent a car and drive to the States?
You may be able to rent a car and drive to the States, but it depends on the country you’re driving to the United States from and the individual policy of the rental car company you’re using.
Some Canadian rental car companies allow you to drive to the United States, like Enterprise, but not all will.
Can rental cars cross the border?
Rental cars can cross the border between the US and Canada in some cases. It’s less common for a rental car company to allow border-crossing between the US and Mexico.
Check with your rental car company and look for a Border-Crossing Policy in their Terms and Conditions to be sure.
Can I rent a car in the US and take it to Mexico?
Some rental car companies, like Budget, will let you rent a car in the US and take it to Mexico. Location policies may vary.
Others, like Enterprise, restrict border crossings to the US/Canada border only unless you purchase additional insurance.
So, Can You Take a Rental Car Out of State?
Yes, it’s fine to take a rental car out of state in most cases! Still, it’s essential to check with your rental company to be sure because restrictions and policy differences can apply.
If there are no geographic restrictions, mileage limitations that would prevent you from reaching another state and driving back, or location-specific rules (like not leaving Alaska or the Hawaiian island you rented the car on), you should be okay to take a rental car out of state.
That’s good news, because you’ve got a fun road trip planned and don’t want state limitations standing in your way!