Car Rental in Charleston, SC
While you certainly don’t need a car to explore downtown Charleston, where the streets remain as narrow as they were in the colonial period, you will definitely want to rent a car while spending time in the Charleston area. There is so much to see, whether you’re interested in Civil War history or the fascinating ecosystem of the Carolinian coast. Explore the Charleston coast independently and comfortably by renting a car. Here is a brief guide to finding the cheapest rental cars in Charleston.
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Charleston rental cars are currently available in seven locations throughout the city, including at the Charleston Airport, downtown, and in Charleston North and Northwest. Charleston car hire typically starts at around $60 a day for short-term rentals. These prices drop to around $35 a day when you book your Charleston rental car for over a week.
Tips for Finding Cheap Car Rentals in Charleston, SC
It is well worth your time to look at the daily rates for rental cars in numerous locations throughout Charleston, as no one location routinely offers the cheapest prices for rental cars. Depending on the season in which you are travelling to Charleston, you may find that rental cars in the North or Northwestern Charleston locations are up to $10 cheaper per day than rental cars at the Charleston Airport (CHS) or in downtown Charleston.
Particularly if you are staying in a hotel that offers complementary off-street parking, consider renting your car for the length of your trip to the Charleston area, in order to save $15 to $20 a day on the daily rates of rentals. While parking will be an additional expense in downtown Charleston itself, you will find that you can park for free at many of the attractions and beach entrances on surrounding islands. You can also often park for free in hotels just outside of Charleston itself, such as in Mt. Pleasant.
Key Things to Remember: Driving Your Rental Car in Charleston
Parking your rental car in Charleston:
- Downtown Charleston is very walkable and is much easier to navigate by foot than by car, particularly in the summer months, when hundreds of thousands of visitors head to Charleston for its offering of historical sights and outdoor shopping areas. Most parking garages and parking lots allow you to park all day for a max rate of $18. Parking typically costs $2 an hour throughout the city.
Toll roads near Charleston:
- The only toll roads in South Carolina are near Hilton Head (2 hours south of Charleston) and Greenville (3.5 hours northwest of Charleston). Both toll roads are payable by cash and cost less than $2.
Where to Go Next: Day Trip Ideas with Your Charleston Rental Car
While the city of Charleston itself offers visitors excellent tours, museums, and even better dining opportunities, there is so much to see in the larger Charleston region as well. Here are just a few ideas for day trips in your Charleston rental car:
- There is plentiful parking along the beach on both Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, two interconnected islands located just 30 minutes northeast of Charleston. While you may have to pay to park along the beach access roads in Isle of Palms during the summer, you can often find free parking near beach access paths on Sullivan’s Island. Drive your Charleston rental car to Sullivan’s Island in the late afternoon to watch spectacular sunsets over the city of Charleston. You can also visit the USS Yorktown museum at Patriot’s Point on the way to Sullivan’s Island.
- Drive out to John’s Island, 20 minutes southwest of Charleston, to see one of the oldest trees in the area, a 400-year-old live oak called Angel Oak. You can visit the tree between 9 am and 5 pm most days of the week and take a walk through South Carolina’s fascinating marshy ecosystem. On the way to John’s Island, consider stopping at the McLeod Plantation Historic Site to learn about agricultural production of the American past, including a glimpse into the lives of enslaved people.
- For some truly spectacular natural sights, take a longer drive in your Charleston rental car to Hunting Island State Park, located just under 2 hours south of Charleston (88 miles).
