Your quick travel guide to Albuquerque

Car Rental in Albuquerque

Albuquerque is a great base from which to rent a car to explore the city itself and New Mexico at large. While many tourists head to Santa Fe, the New Mexican city of Albuquerque offers visitors great museums and spectacular landscapes at the same time as it acts as the primary center of education and economics in the state of New Mexico. Make the most of your visit to Albuquerque by staying mobile and independent in the comfort of your own rental car. Here is a brief guide to finding the cheapest rental cars in Albuquerque.

Get the Best Deal on Car Rental in Albuquerque, NM at EconomyBookings.com

Albuquerque rental cars are available in 10 locations throughout the city, including at the Albuquerque Airport (ABQ), downtown, and near the university. Short-term rates for Albuquerque rental cars typically start at around $40 a day at the cheapest locations. Longer-term rates typically start at $37 a day throughout the city.

Tips for Finding Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque

As is usually the case, the cheapest location at which to rent a car in Albuquerque is at the Albuquerque Airport. Also known as the Albuquerque International Sunport, the airport is located about 4 miles southwest of downtown Albuquerque. Over seven rental car companies serve the Albuquerque Sunport, and you can typically get the best deals on rental cars from companies such as Dollar and Europcar. It is typically worth your time to travel to the airport to pick up your rental car, even if you are not arriving to Albuquerque, New Mexico via airplane.

However, Budget, in particular, also offers great deals on rental cars throughout the city. Particularly if you are visiting Albuquerque during the busy summer months, you can often find good deals on rental cars in downtown Albuquerque or near the university whenever the availability of economy cars at the airport is limited.

If you are planning on renting a car for over a week, Hertz also offers excellent deals on longer-term rentals in numerous locations throughout Albuquerque, including the airport, and in northwestern, northeastern, and eastern Albuquerque.

Key Things to Remember: Albuquerque Car Rental

  • Pronunciation of the city’s name: Al-buh-ker-kee
  • Parking your rental car in Albuquerque:

o Hourly parking in the vast majority of parking structures in downtown Albuquerque costs $2 an hour.

o On-street parking is regulated by parking meter in the busiest parts of downtown Albuquerque. The cost of parking varies depending on the street, but fees can be paid with coins or credit card.

  • There are no toll roads in the state of New Mexico.
  • Crossing international borders:

o The Mexican border at El Paso, Texas is located about 270 miles due south from Albuquerque. While El Paso is a great city to explore, you will want to discuss your travel plans with your rental car company if you plan on crossing the Mexican-US border. It’s a long drive south to the border, for one, but you will also be required to possess additional documents and insurance in order to cross the border into Mexico in your rental car. Some rental car companies require that you pay additional surcharges in order to drive your car into Mexico.

Go Next: Take a Road Trip with Your Albuquerque Rental Car

A visit to New Mexico is nothing without a thorough road trip to some of the state’s incredible natural and man-made landmarks. Here are just a few ideas for road trips to take in your rental car. From Albuquerque, drive out to:

  1. The Acoma Pueblo: Acoma Pueblo is the oldest, continuously inhabited town in the United States. Taking a walking tour through the Pueblo is highly recommended, to help you become acquainted with the indigenous cultures of New Mexico, the Acoma in particular. Acoma Pueblo is located just 65 miles east of Albuquerque.
  2. Valles Caldera National Preserve: Head to this preserve to hike through the mouth of a caldera and experience one of New Mexico’s most unique ecosystems. The Preserve is located 80 miles north of Albuquerque, a drive that typically takes just under two hours, due to the winding roads of the preserve itself.
  3. White Sands National Monument: Particularly if you are interested in driving south to the Mexican border at El Paso in your rental car, stop by at the White Sands National Monument, a stunning and ever-changing landscape of—you guessed it—white sand. Located 225 miles south of Albuquerque, White Sands often warrants stretching out your road trip over a couple of days, as you will have to drive about 3 and a half hours one-way.

Experience the top locations with car rental in Albuquerque

Albuquerque Airport
Thrifty
8.7

All car rental in Albuquerque

Discover the cheapest car rental in Albuquerque

Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Ford Fusion
Ford Fusion
5
3
4
A
From US$ 20.28 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
5
2
4
A
From US$ 19.05 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Jeep Patriot
Jeep Patriot
5
2
4
A
From US$ 20.08 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Ford Focus
Ford Focus
5
2
4
A
From US$ 15.54 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
5
1
4
A
From US$ 17.93 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
5
2
4
A
From US$ 31.73 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Nissan Quest
Nissan Quest
7
1
4
A
From US$ 76.49 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque BMW X3
BMW X3
5
2
4
A
From US$ 83.44 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque Nissan Quest
Nissan Quest
7
2
4
A
From US$ 80.37 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Albuquerque DODGE CHALLENGER
DODGE CHALLENGER
4
2
A
From US$ 72.07 per day
*

* Disclaimer: Prices displayed may not reflect today's rates.

What our customers say

Car rental companies in Albuquerque

We have prepared a shortlist of top rental companies in Albuquerque. To save both time and money compare offers on EconomyBookings.com to find the best deal.

Thrifty
star
8.7 /83 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off9.6
Cleanliness of the car8.6
Overall condition of the car8.6
Time it took to pick your car up8.2
Dollar
star
8.9 /23 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off10.0
Cleanliness of the car9.1
Overall condition of the car9.0
Time it took to pick your car up8.7
ACE Rent A Car
star
8.6 /1 review
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off10.0
Cleanliness of the car6.0
Overall condition of the car9.0
Time it took to pick your car up8.0