Cheap Car Rental in Jacksonville

Tips for renting a car for cheap in Jacksonville

Can you use a cheap car rental in Jacksonville? With Economybookings, you can easily compare multiple providers to find the best possible deal in North Florida. With a whole lot to see and do on both sides of the Florida-Georgia line, a quick comparison can save you time and money on a car that will help you reach it all.

• Compare pickup locations – Select the broader city instead of a specific location to unlock more deal options, including off-airport savings.
• Slightly adjust pickup times and dates – Even changing your booking by an hour can reveal lower rates.
• Choose economy or compact cars – Unless you’re planning a longer road trip deep into certain rural areas, a compact car is probably all you need to get around Jacksonville and other popular destinations like St. Augustine, St. Simons Island, and Savannah.
• Book early – Jacksonville tends to be a year-round destination, but rental demand spikes during popular events like The Players Championship (golf tournament), the springtime Springing the Blues festival and Jacksonville Jazz Festival, summer vacation season, and other large events like sports games and business conventions. Booking in advance helps secure lower prices and better vehicle selection.

Tips When Renting and Driving a Car in Jacksonville

• Rent a car if you plan to explore anywhere away from Jacksonville’s urban core, where public transport options tend to be very limited.
• Avoid rush hour traffic on the I-10, I-95, and I-295 freeways.
• You can pick up your car at Jacksonville International (JAX) Airport and various storefronts in and around town.
• Choose a small car for better mileage and easier parking around town.
• Pick a car with four-wheel drive for longer drives into rural areas.
• Inspect the car and take photos before and after rental.

Driving Tips in Jacksonville

• Drive on the right side of the road, and prepare to wait your turn when you need to turn left.
• Look out for stop lights—green means go, yellow signals that you must prepare to stop, and red is stop. At most intersections with stop lights, there will also be dedicated stop lights for left-turn lanes.
• In recent years, Jacksonville has begun to install new roundabouts around town. To navigate these roundabouts, give way to traffic coming from the left.
• Florida law requires headlight use from sunset to sunrise, as well as whenever inclement weather requires you to use your windshield wipers to see outside (such as rain, snow, fog, and smoke).
• Horn use should be reserved for emergencies or warnings.
• Traffic usually moves faster in the left lanes on highways.
• Expect to pay around $1-$3 per hour for parking downtown and in other central neighbourhoods. When in the city, you can use the ParkMobile smartphone app for contactless payment.
• NEVER cross a set of double yellow lines.
• Try the GasBuddy app to locate area gas stations and check prices. If you have a Costco membership, you can refuel there and take advantage of their very cheap gas.
• Keep your driver’s license, rental papers, and proof of insurance with you at all times.
• I-10 is the primary east-west freeway connecting Jacksonville to the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, while I-95 is the primary north-south freeway that runs all the way down to Miami and up along the Eastern Seaboard, and I-295 largely encircles the urban core. In addition, SR 202 connects from I-95 to Jacksonville Beach, and US 301 runs through Jacksonville’s western suburbs to the Georgia state line (and points farther north) and Sarasota (to the south). These major highways can be useful for reaching more of the region, but expect heavy traffic during weekday rush hours (7:00 to 9:00 AM, and 4:30 to 6:30 PM).

Speed Limits

Under Florida state law, the standard speed limits are 70 miles per hour (or 112 km/h) on various “limited access” multi-lane freeways in rural areas, 65 mph (104 km/h) on other urban freeways and other multi-lane urban highways, 55 mph (88 km/h) on smaller local highways, and 30 mph (48 km/h) in urban residential and commercial districts. In addition, the state penalises what they consider driving with “willful or wanton disregard” for safety, including weaving, tailgating, and racing. And on smaller roads and lanes with posted speed limits of 25 mph (32 km/h) or less, you must slow down to 5 mph (8 km/h).

In select designated areas like school zones, lower speed limits may be enforced. Wherever you drive, always watch for posted signs.

Road Signs

US road signs are typically noticeable and well-placed. They are almost always in English and use symbols for quick understanding. Speed limit signs are in miles per hour (mph). In Jacksonville, look out for signs marking dedicated rail crossings, bus lanes, bike lanes, and school lanes, which may have special speed limits and other restrictions.

Tolls, Fees, and Restrictions

As of 2026, Florida has an extensive toll road network in operation, and two of them are in the Jacksonville area. To the west of the city, SR 23 (also known as the First Coast Expressway) offers an alternative north-south route from I-10 to SR 17. And along I-295, there are pay-to-use express lanes in place.

The State of Florida operates the SunPass program to allow users to pay tolls via an electronic transponder attached to their cars, or by toll-by-license-plate electronic charging. Check with your rental agency to see if they will allow you to pre-pay toll fees in advance, and to learn the rest of their policies on toll road use.

Discover Jacksonville by Car

Like many US cities, Jacksonville tends to be very car-centric. While there’s some mass transit that covers the urban core, it will likely be difficult to venture far beyond the city car-free.

Whether you're planning to explore the shores of the local beach towns, step back in time at St. Augustine, experience the unique college town of Gainesville, or cross into Georgia to relax at the storied coastal resorts of the Golden Isles, a car offers flexibility and freedom to discover hidden spots that are much harder to reach via public transportation in the US.

When to Visit

While Jacksonville is generally considered a year-round destination, keep in mind that the area can sometimes run into some seriously severe weather. In particular, summers can be very hot, humid, and rainy, and the region occasionally faces the risk of hurricanes making landfall. And though winters are rarely severely cold here, Jacksonville usually has a few winter nights that fall below freezing, and snow flurries can even occur “every once in a blue moon.”

If you’re hoping to avoid the heaviest tourist crowds and highest prices, a winter trip might work if you’re more interested in American football games and indoor activities like museum visits. Otherwise, summer is the best time for warm beach weather, and the fall shoulder season might be worthwhile for slightly cooler weather and much thinner crowds. Whenever you plan to go, always check road conditions in advance for potential closures.

Languages & Communication

English is spoken nearly everywhere in and around Jacksonville. At the same time, this is also a multicultural city, so you may also hear Spanish and Tagalog in certain neighbourhoods. Most signage is in English, and visitors rarely face language barriers.

Currency & Payments

Since Florida is part of the United States, the US dollar ($, or USD) is used everywhere. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, and contactless payments are pretty commonplace across Jacksonville. ATMs are easy to find throughout the city and in other cities like Gainesville and Savannah. Still, keep in mind that ATMs will charge extra fees if they are not affiliated with your bank, and that banks tend to be fewer and farther between in rural areas.

Top Driving Routes in and Around Jacksonville

• Jacksonville’s urban core overflows in tasty restaurants, fine hotels, fascinating museums, the EverBank Stadium that’s home to the Jaguars NFL football team, and cool local neighbourhoods like Brooklyn, the Cathedral District, and the Rail Yard District
• San Marco and Southbank – About 7-15 minutes south of Downtown Jacksonville; just across the St. John River, these neighbourhoods come alive with an all-star lineup of restaurants, a funky array of local boutiques and art galleries, and the distinctive fountain of lions that honours the city’s ties to Venice, Italy
• Arlington – About 20-40 minutes north-east of Downtown Jacksonville; this is the place to go for nature and history, with key highlights including the Fort Caroline National Memorial that commemorates Imperial France’s brief presence in the region in the 16th century, the Kingsley Plantation that reveals the state of life for enslaved Black Americans in the 19th century, the vast wetlands and woodlands of Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, and the geologically unique Blackrock Beach at Big Talbot Island State Park
• Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, & Atlantic Beach – About 30-60 minutes east of Downtown Jacksonville; a short-ish drive from downtown leads to the area’s fun and festive beach towns, complete with a long stretch of white sand beaches, hotels and resorts fit for travellers at all budget levels, and plenty of local nightlife
• St. Augustine – About 1-2 hours south; founded by Spanish colonists in 1565, this town has become the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement on the US mainland, and landmarks like the Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Matanzas, Fort Mose Historic State Park, and the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center let visitors walk through the many centuries of critical history that happened here
• Gainesville – About 1-2 hours south-west; home to the University of Florida, this city is a cultural treasure trove full of interesting museums, colourful art galleries, eye-catching murals and street art, and globally inspired restaurants, and it’s a surprisingly great destination for outdoor recreation with its many parks and natural springs
• Amelia Island – About 40-80 minutes north; at the very north-eastern corner of the Sunshine State, this island offers a tranquil alternative for a beach escape with its quietly beautiful golden sand beaches, its family-friendly resorts, and the chances to go horseback riding and kayaking along the coast
• St. Simons Island (Georgia) – About 75-100 minutes north; a short drive north of the Georgia state line leads to this picture-perfect beach town with special finds like the remains of an early European colony at Fort Frederica National Monument, one of Georgia’s last standing historic lighthouses at St. Simons Lighthouse, a well-preserved ancient coastal forest at Cannon's Point Preserve, and world-class luxury at Sea Island Resort
• Savannah (Georgia) – About 2-3 hours north; anchoring Georgia’s coast is this “Hostess City” that provides nothing but good impressions with its stately downtown full of leafy historic squares, its dynamic contemporary art scene, its action-packed music and live entertainment calendar, and its lovely beaches on Tybee Island