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Charleston’s streets are well-suited for a wide range of vehicles. Sedans, coupes, SUVs, and large trucks will all be perfectly comfortable on the road, so all vehicle options are a good choice. Additionally, streetside parking spaces are large enough for even the biggest of hire vehicles, making parking a non-issue.
In the center of downtown, drivers can expect speeds of 25 mph and 30 mph while the main roads and avenues features speed limits of 40 mph. On two-lane county roads and streets leading to the peripheral areas of the city, speed limits will get up to 55 mph. Interstates throughout the state of South Carolina have a speed limit of 70 mph.
Planning on visiting downtown? Parking garages and streetside parallel parking are your best options. Both are widely available and, fortunately, even the private parking options are fairly cheap. However, when a big event is going on downtown, parking spaces can sometimes become hard to come by; in those instances, you may have to park an extra block or two away.
Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car rental companies in Charleston are Alamo (9.2, 67 reviews), Enterprise Rent-A-Car (7.7, 85 reviews), and Hertz (6.7, 99 reviews).
The average gas price in Charleston is 13.06 ﷼ per gallon over the past 30 days. Filling up a gas tank costs between 157 ﷼ and 209 ﷼, depending on the car size.
Compact (Kia Soul or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in Charleston.
Take a look at our extensive car rental location map to find the best rental cars near you.
A Compact car rental in Charleston costs 581 ﷼ per day, on average.
3 locations in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
2070 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
+1 843 573 9144
390 Meeting Street
+1 843 577 5195
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 552 1771
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Reviews
6.0 Okay
Mark, May 2024
Premium SUV
2.0 Poor
Dan, Apr 2024
Intermediate SUV
10.0 Wonderful
Lynne, Apr 2024
Premium SUV
10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Apr 2024
Intermediate SUV
2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Mar 2024
Intermediate SUV
2.0 Poor
Julie, Feb 2024
Intermediate SUV
One location in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
5500 International Blvd
+1 833 969 2383
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Reviews
4.0 Mediocre
Anonymous, May 2024
Luxury SUV
4.0 Mediocre
Veronique, Feb 2024
Minivan
10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Apr 2021
Pros:
We were treated so kindly. The young man carried our luggage to the car and even gave us a choice. Most will not do that!10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Apr 2021
Pros:
All of the staff I had come into contact with were phenomenal! Couldn't have asked for better service.Cons:
If they had actually attached the invoice to to email that was sent to me.8.0 Very good
Mike, Mar 2021
Pros:
Easy in and out. Car was very comfortable.Cons:
The battery died on me the first day, but Alamo roadside assistance was able to fix the problem and all was good the rest of the trip.10.0 Wonderful
patrice, Jan 2021
Pros:
It was a last minute decision to rent & the process was easy and the car was great6 locations in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
2004 Savannah Hwy
+1 843 556 7889
2440 Savannah Hwy
+1 843 766 5160
398 Meeting Street
+1 843 723 6215
5500 International Blvd
+1 833 969 2385
619 Marina Dr
+1 843 800 3074
933 Folly Rd
+1 843 556 7889
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Reviews
2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Oct 2024
Pickup truck
8.0 Very good
Anonymous, Jul 2024
Minivan
8.0 Very good
Anonymous, Apr 2024
Minivan
10.0 Wonderful
Julio, Jan 2024
Compact
2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Jan 2024
Standard
10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Dec 2023
Compact
5 locations in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
3025 Ashley Town Center Drive
+1 843 459 2839
4565 Gaynor Ave
+1 843 767 4554
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 640 3629
5875 S Aviation
+1 843 640 3629
6060 S Aviation Ave
+1 843 767 4554
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Reviews
2.0 Poor
Jennifer, Aug 2024
Full-size SUV
2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Jul 2024
Premium SUV
8.0 Very good
Anonymous, Nov 2021
6.0 Okay
Shannon, Nov 2021
10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Nov 2021
2.0 Poor
Alan, Oct 2021
3 locations in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
2070 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
+1 843 402 9626
390 Meeting Street
+1 843 577 9705
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 767 7030
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Reviews
2.0 Poor
Ben, Oct 2024
Minivan
2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Jun 2024
Minivan
8.0 Very good
Anonymous, May 2024
Premium SUV
2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Mar 2024
Standard
10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Dec 2023
Compact
8.0 Very good
Anonymous, Nov 2023
Supplier choice
One location in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
5500 International Blvd
+1 833 969 2384
Filters
Show reviews that mention
Reviews
10.0 Wonderful
Anonymous, Oct 2023
Compact
10.0 Wonderful
David, May 2020
Pros:
Great car cleanCons:
Nothing2.0 Poor
Jack, Apr 2023
Economy
One location in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
5500 International Boulevard
+1 843 501 7163
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Reviews
2.0 Poor
Paul, May 2021
Cons:
Requested large SUV. Kayak said that the reservation was for a Nissan Armada. On arrival , no armadas or similarly sized vehicles were ever available at location. FIX THIS8.0 Very good
Anonymous, May 2021
Pros:
Fast and easy service4.0 Mediocre
Anonymous, May 2021
Cons:
You can never reach anyone at the desk by phone. They rarely pickup and you can’t leave any messages because the mailbox is full. There’s also no one manning the pickup or drop off kiosk.4.0 Mediocre
Anonymous, May 2021
Cons:
The manager wasted time with two other customers and we could hear all of their conversation. Very unpleasant for us while waiting. When it was our turn, she insisted there was a block on my debit card which I checked before making the trip which was okay for the rental company to use. She said if we didn't want the car we could go to another car rental. We produced another card and suddenly it was okay and cost us extra. I checked with my bank the next morning and said there was not any block on my card. This lasted with her for a half hour. Very unprofessional for a manager as she stated she was. Makes me think twice about wanting to rent again from them.2.0 Poor
Anonymous, Apr 2021
Pros:
Yes, staff was friendlyCons:
They could have had a car available for us. We just put in a 14 hour day of travel. We are sorry we have no cars available, just does not cut it. We will not rent a car from Dollar/Thrifty again. Unreliable.8.0 Very good
Anonymous, Apr 2021
Pros:
The rental was quick. The car was better than expected.Cons:
Employees did not go out of their way to do anything. They did their job. At times I felt a nuisance to them. It was quite inconvenient that the rental place was not at the airport or did not provide a shuttle.One location in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
Filters
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2 locations in Charleston
Locations in Charleston
Filters
No reviews available
Most popular car type | Compact |
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Pick-up location | Charleston |
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Car types | |
Rental locations | 23 |
Airport locations | 11 |