Chicago O'Hare Airport Car Rentals
Chicago O'Hare Airport, or simply O'Hare Airport, is the second largest airport in the state and the fourth largest airport in the world. Every year, up to 57 million passengers land and take off from it, both to take a connecting flight and to spend a few good days in the city. What to do when you arrive at Chicago O'Hare? Rent a car is the best solution to travel the 27 kilometers from the airport to the city center. Much better even if your rental car is waiting for you at the airport if you have previously reserved it. Just pick up your car and start your Chicago adventure.
Rental Car Center O'Hare Airport
Car rental desks at O'Hare International Airport are located at the O'Hare Multimodal Facility in Lot F. To get to Lot F, O'Hare offers a free 24-hour shuttle that stops outside from the Lower Level Baggage Claim area. Be sure to look for the pick up and drop off signs in the bus area and ride the bus until you reach the designated rental car area.
Chicago O'Hare Airport has been building partnerships with the best Chicago rental car providers for many years. We work alongside these providers by offering exceptional deals on a selection of rental car sizes not found anywhere else in the network. Avis, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Thrifty are just a couple of the trusted providers we deal with in the United States. You may not find all the providers at O'Hare International Airport, but you will get the lowest price offered by our featured provider(s). Take the next step in planning your trip to Chicago today!
Rental Car Companies At O'Hare Airport
These are the top car rental companies at and around O'Hare Airport which offers you the best car rental deals.
- Alamo Car Rental
- Enterprise Car Rental
- Budget Car Rental
- Avis Car Rental
- Sixt Car Rental
- Hertz Car Rental
- Advantage Car Rental
- Dollar Car Rental
- Thrifty Car Rental
- Routes Car Rental
- Payless Car Rental
- E-Z Rent A Car Car Rental
- Europcar Car Rental
- National Car Rental
- Airport Van Rental
- Ace Car Rental
- Advance Car and Truck Rental
- Busmax Bus Rental
- Eagle Rent A Car
- Easirent Car Rental
- Elite Car Rental
- Sunnycars
How To Choose The Best Car Rental Company at Chicago O'Hare Airport?
We constantly train our staff so that they can offer you the best assistance when renting a car in Chicago. That is why our rental conditions always include premium services that you will not find in other companies. There are many car rental companies which provide their vehicles to the travelers at Chicago O'Hare Airport but as if you are going to choose your first ever rental car then what factors are to be checked before renting the best car.
Factors to check before choosing the best rental car at Chicago O'Hare Airport
Book the car in the US in advance
As the dates approach and as demand rises, prices rise alarmingly, so as soon as you have the dates clear, book!
Most of the time you can change your reservation free of charge up to 48 hours before the trip.
Normally you can cancel, add or remove days, upgrade but make sure and always read the booking conditions carefully.
In general, the sooner you book a rental car in the US, the cheaper it will be.
Documentation to rent a car in the US
To rent a car in the United States, they will only ask for your driver's license, passport and a credit card in the driver's name.
Without any of these three things you will not be able to rent the car. Make sure that your card is credit and not debit, the latter can be rejected.
Our advice when renting a car in the US is to always carry your international driver's license.
In some rental companies such as Dollar it is no longer an essential requirement to have a credit card to rent a car if you show the return ticket to your country, but find out well!
Car rental insurance in the US
Most rentals in the United States include comprehensive insurance without a deposit in the rental price.
Most of the time, this insurance does not include roadside assistance and loss of keys, but you can always take out additional insurance when you pick up the car that covers both.
Sometimes the initials of car rental insurance seem like Mandarin Chinese, but every day they make it a little easier for us so that we better understand everything that we have and do not have covered in our car rental in the US.
Additional drivers
If the car is going to be driven by more than one person, we have to look carefully if our car rental includes an additional driver at no cost.
Some car rental companies in the US charge a daily fee for an additional driver, keep this in mind and read the conditions carefully before making the reservation.
If an accident were to happen and the car was driven by a person who does not appear in the contract, the insurance would not take care of it, it is better not to risk it!
Fuel tank
The last few times we have rented a car in the United States, the fuel policy has been "full - full" and although there were others before (such as full-empty) we will focus on this one because it seems that the others have disappeared.
When you pick up the car, they will ask you if you want to pay the deposit and return it empty. This option is usually not very profitable for two reasons:
- The price of gasoline that they charge you is usually higher than at the gas station (even if they tell you otherwise).
- The normal thing is that you do not return the car completely empty and you will have paid the entire deposit. Some rental companies do refund the excess amount, but very few do.
Better to fill the tank at the nearest gas station and see a good price.
If you return the car at the airport, do not wait to fill it up at the last gas station because the prices are usually higher.
EYE! Keep in mind that in the United States they are measured in gallons, the price you will see on gas station signs is not per liter, it is per gallon! 1 gallon = 3.78 liters.
Categories of rental cars in the USA
Depending on our trip and the kilometers we are going to do, sometimes it is worth paying a little more and having a bigger car.
For example, to do the route along the West Coast or Route 66, we always recommend renting a "medium" category car (at least), because many kilometers are covered and you will appreciate being more comfortable.
Cars in the United States are automatic. This means that they have no gears or clutch and are much easier to drive than the European ones.
On our last trip to the United States we rented a Tesla and the truth is that it was quite an experience.
It is also a way to save some on fuel, although most Tesla chargers are also paid and what you save on fuel is what the rent costs more.
From what we could verify, at the moment only Hertz offers Tesla car rental in the US.
Mileage Policy
Make sure that you reserve a rental car with unlimited kilometers, or otherwise, make sure that you are not going to do more kilometers than the maximum indicated in the rental contract.
If you are going to make a route through the United States, it is best to reserve a car with unlimited kilometers to go more calmly.
Remember that in the US they measure distances in miles and not kilometers.
Minimum age to rent a car in the US
In the United States the minimum age to rent a car is 20 or 21 years, it depends on the rental company and the category of the car we rent.
If we rent a car in the luxury/cabrio category, most car rental companies in the United States ask for a minimum age of 25 years, although they are not all and there are always some exceptions.
In general, if you are between 21 and 25 years old you will have to pay an extra of around $25/day.
This charge is made when you pick up the rental car but it must be specified in your reservation before you arrive.
Rent a car in the US with GPS
At the time of collection they will ask you if you need GPS (of course it is not free). Our advice is to take a GPS on your mobile or Google Maps.
Many car rental companies in the United States already include it in the price, the last cars we have rented already included it.
Remember to bring internet on your mobile to be able to check Google Maps, in recent trips we have used Holafly eSIM cards, they have unlimited internet and we landed in the United States with internet on our mobile, it is the most comfortable.
In this way we can use Google Maps, check addresses, schedules. etc, as long as we have coverage.
Tolls in the United States
When you pick up your rental car in the United States, they will offer you to rent a device to go through the fast lane of the tolls without having to stop.
The device has a cost per rental day, plus the cost of all the tolls you have gone through.
I can already tell you that to do the route along the West Coast or Route 66 it is not necessary, you just go through a toll when you arrive in San Francisco and you can pay right there.
But for example in Miami it is almost essential because most tolls cannot be paid at the window, they are automatic. If you do not carry this device you can be fined, keep that in mind!
Other charges when picking up the rental car in the US
One of the big doubts that always remains is whether when picking up the rental car they will charge us something that we did not count on.
We review some things for which you can be charged when picking up the car and that we have mentioned previously:
- Additional driver, GPS rental, gasoline tank, "one way" charge and electronic toll payment device rental.
They will also offer you roadside assistance and loss of keys insurance, which is the one that is not usually included in rentals, it does not go up much and it is optional to hire it.
Of all the charges that we discuss, none is mandatory and if it is, like the "one way", it must be very clearly specified in the rental reservation with which you book.
Normally they block a gasoline tank as a deposit on the credit card in case you return it empty (about $100), when you return the car with a full tank they return it to you.
They also recommend keeping the last refueling ticket, they have never asked us to return it but sometimes when picking up the rental car in the US they have recommended it to us.
No parking
It is forbidden to park where there is a fire hydrant, even if there is no sign specifying it, just as in the garage exits, there does not have to be a prohibition sign.
It is also forbidden to park in the opposite direction, I mean, if the street is two-way you cannot park in the opposite direction to the lane you are in, you always have to park on the right side, in the direction of travel. EYE! They put a lot of fines for this issue.
Some tips for driving in the United States:
- You can always turn right (even when the traffic light is red) unless there is a sign indicating otherwise.
- There are some roads with carpool lanes, in these lanes only cars with two people or more can circulate, they tend to have fewer traffic jams and are faster!
- On multi-lane roads, be careful because you can be overtaken in any lane, although it is not completely allowed, it is a common practice on American roads.
- The traffic lights are on the other side of the intersection, it's a bit strange but you get used to it right away.
- At four-lane intersections without traffic lights, a sign indicating "STOP all way" appears, all cars must stop and the car that has arrived first has priority to continue.
- In our last trips to the United States it has been difficult for us to pay with our cards at the self-pay gas pumps, we had to go to the checkout and have the gas station staff pass it through the POS, they told us that it was happening with all the foreign cards. Although it is not a serious problem, it did not happen before and we hope it will change soon.
- In relation to the previous point, if you do not want to pay commissions for currency exchange, we recommend that you take one of these free cards to travel without commissions that we take with us on each trip. The N26 card is the one we use the most in the US.
Inclusions in ORD airport car rental package are:
- Collision Damage Waiver
- Third-Party Liability (TPL)
- Airport Charges
- Amendments
- Theft Protection
- Cancellation Included
FAQs about hiring a car at Chicago Airport
-
Does Chicago Airport have car rentals?
Yes, Chicago Airport has a car rental facility known as Rental Car Center. The center has desks for many car rental companies where you can do the whole process of renting the car you want to. To reach the Rental Car Center you can take the International Terminal shuttle which operates every 15 minutes.
-
How much does it cost to rent a car at the Chicago Airport?
All the companies have their own set of prices for each category of rental cars. Here is a list of prices of each category (the prices listed here are tentative and can fluctuate up and down for each car rental company).
- Economy - $30/day
- Standard - $30/day
- Compact - $30/day
- Full Size - $33/day
- Minivan - $49/day
- Premium - $43/day
- Luxury - $44/day
- Compact SUV - $31/day
- Standard SUV - $47/day
- Pick up Truck - $41/day
-
Is it cheaper to book a car at the airport or online?
It is always recommended to book a car online to avoid the hassle-free experience at the airport.
Booking a rental car online will:
- Give you ample time to go through all the terms and conditions of the car rental company. It can become a difficult task to go through each and every T&C at the airport while standing in a queue.
- Wide variety of cars at the tips of your fingers. You can take your time to choose that one perfect car for your needs. Booking a rental car at the airport will leave you with fewer choices than online.
- Booking a rental car online can also shower you with heavy discounts from the companies. You will find various companies offering the best price for the car you need. You can compare and find the best price available for you.
- By doing your research online, you will also end up renting a car from a reputed and renowned brand name in the car rental business.
-
What do you need to rent a car?
While booking a self-driven rental car, you should make sure you tick mark the below mentioned things:
- You should be 25 years of age. Under 25 years of age, the customers have to pay a young driver’s fee.
- Valid driver’s license with a proper photo of the customer.
- A photo ID which could be a passport, driver’s license, etc.
- A working credit or debit card. These two are the most common mode of payment. You can check the other payment methods on any car rental website. Credit and Debit cards are the most used mode of payments.