5 Best Boston Airport Car Rental Companies — Browse Tips on Renting a Car in Boston in 2024
As a main air travel hub in New England, Boston Logan International Airport welcomes millions of passengers each year, on thousands of flights each month. However, not all of those travelers are staying in Boston, once their planes land. Many are, instead, headed to the greater New England region and its destinations that aren’t as easily accessible via major air carriers — and for that, they’ll need rental cars.
If you plan on flying into Boston Logan any time soon, you’ll want to know how to rent a car at Boston Logan, as well as which rental car companies are the top-rated at this particular airport. Here’s everything you need to know, before you book, as well as a few tips for getting around the city and region, once you have your rental car.
The Vacationer Tip
Check out RentalCars.com before booking your Boston car rental.
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Which Car Rental Companies are Best at Boston Logan International Airport?
The Boston Airport (BOS) offers a range of ways to get to and from the airport, from public transportation to car shares and more. If you’re specifically looking for a rental car, you’ll find a stand-alone, consolidated Car Rental Center on-site. There, more than 10 different rental companies offer their services.
Which of these rental car companies is the best for your upcoming trip? To help you decide, here are the top five providers, based on traveler reviews from Google and Kayak.
1. Alamo
As one of the overall top-rated car rental providers at Boston Logan, across both Kayak and Google, Alamo is an easy pick for your next Boston rental.
Reviewers report that the staff at the Alamo counter are friendly, courteous, and efficient — even in the middle of the night and on holidays! For many, having this friendly service makes all the difference when just getting in from a long flight and dreading a long drive away from the airport.
Negative reviews seem to focus on long wait times due to few staff members, even if that staff is stellar. Luckily, Alamo does offer a range of services at the Boston airport location to help speed along the rental and check-in processes. Self-service kiosks, accelerated check-in, and skip-the-counter services all allow you to get on the road faster.
Pros: Extremely friendly staff and good service.
Cons: Long wait times due to understaffing.
Phone: (833) 230-5696
Hours: 24 Hours
Google Rating: 4.2 stars
Kayak Rating: 8.8 (Very Good)
Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Alamo
2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Another highly ranked car rental provider at Boston airport, Enterprise receives high marks for its fast, friendly service, and affordable prices compared to some of the other options at the airport (though, do note that Enterprise isn’t the cheapest option at the airport; if you’re only looking for the biggest savings, and you’re not concerned with experience or quality, look elsewhere).
Want to make your experience with Enterprise even better? In that case, it’s important to know that reviewers at this location report even faster wait times and smoother sailing thanks to Enterprise’s loyalty program, Enterprise Plus. The program gives you access to extra savings and car category upgrades, among other perks.
Complaints are mostly relegated to customers not always getting the car they wanted or booked, upon arrival.
Pros: Reviewers consistently mention Enterprise’s fast and friendly service.
Cons: You may end up with a car you don’t necessarily want, and you might not care for the pricing, depending on how much you’re normally accustomed to spending on a rental car.
Phone: (833) 230-5695
Hours: 24 Hours
Google Rating: 4.2 stars
Kayak Rating: 8.6 (Very Good)
Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Enterprise
3. National Car Rental
It’s National, though, that takes the top spot as the best car rental company at Boston Logan, with both the highest rating on Google and the highest rating on Kayak. This fact is hardly surprising, though, given how highly ranked National locations are, all over the country.
Reviewers report friendly, efficient service and clean, well-maintained vehicles. The few issues that customers don’t care for are mostly limited to long lines and pricing (as National isn’t the most budget-friendly car rental provider on the block), as well as the fact that they might not always get the car they originally booked. However, for some, they said that their replacement vehicle was a better fit for their needs than what they’d originally chosen.
This location additionally offers Drop & Go service, for easier drop-off processing if you’re running late for your departing flight. It also offers Emerald Aisle service, so you can simply walk into the garage and pick out the car of your choice, and then hit the road.
Pros: Friendly service and well-maintained vehicles.
Cons: Long lines and expensive prices.
Phone: (833) 230-05697
Hours: 24 Hours
Google Rating: 4.4 stars
Kayak Rating: 9.2 (Wonderful)
Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at National
4. Hertz Car Rental
More toward the middle of the pack, as far as ratings and customer satisfaction go, Hertz receives positive reviews for its helpful staff, both at the rental desk and in the garage, where you pick up your vehicle before departing. Reviewers also love how easy the pick-up and drop-off processes are.
Unfortunately, there are some complaints regarding understaffing, pricing, and extra fees, some of which aren’t made until months after a trip. Unfortunately, though, understaffing and pricing aren’t issues that are 100% exclusive to Hertz. Many travelers will admit that long lines and sticker shock are par for the course when traveling now, regardless of your rental provider or even the airport you’re flying into.
Pros: Easy pick-up and drop-off processes, with helpful staff.
Cons: Long wait times and high prices.
Phone: (617) 568-5200
Hours: 24 Hours
Google Rating: 3.5 stars
Kayak Rating: 7.3 (Good)
Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Hertz
5. Sixt Rent a Car
Can’t find a car with one of the above rental car companies? In that case, you may want to check out Sixt.
While this brand isn’t the highest rated at the Boston airport, it’s much better than the bottom of the barrel, coming in with a mixed bag of reviews. On the positive side, reviewers mention incredibly easy pick-up and drop-off processes, partially thanks to the online express check-in option. Unfortunately, on the negative side, many travelers report not getting the car that they reserved and being “forced” into paying for a higher-priced car, or that they were promised discounts and savings at the rental counter that were never reflected on their final bill.
Because of this, Sixt firmly sits in the “okay” category. It’s not great. It’s not atrocious. It’ll get the job done in a pinch.
Pros: An easy check-in and drop-off process, with online features for added convenience.
Cons: You may end up paying more than you expect here, due to surprise fees.
Phone: (888) 749-8227
Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Google Rating: 3.6 stars
Kayak Rating: 6 (Okay)
Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Sixt
The Vacationer Tip
Before booking your Boston rental car, browse our Best Websites to Book Cheap Car Rentals guide and our How to Find and Book Cheap Car Rentals tutorial. And, if you’re flying to Boston, see our Best Websites to Book Cheap Flights guide.
Comparing the 5 Best Car Rental Companies at Boston Logan International Airport
Get a quick glimpse of these five best car rental companies so you know which is best for you.
| Brand/Rental Provider | Google/Kayak Rating | Types of available vehicles | Budget or Luxury? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertz | 3.5/7.3 | Cars, SUVs, luxury vehicles, trucks | Luxury |
| Alamo | 4.2/8.8 | Cars, SUVs, luxury vehicles, trucks, vans | Mid-Range |
| Enterprise | 4.2/8.6 | Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, luxury vehicles | Luxury |
| National | 4.4/9.2 | Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, luxury vehicles | Mid-Range |
| Sixt | 3.6/6 | Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, luxury vehicles | Mid-Range |
Tips for Renting a Car in Boston
One of the above car rental companies caught your eye? Found your perfect combination of service, speed, and price? Before you book, make sure you know what else to expect from the car rental process at Boston Logan, like…
How to get to the rental car center inside the Boston airport
Eleven rental car companies offer their services inside the Boston airport’s consolidated car rental center. These companies include:
- Sixt
- Zipcar
- Thrifty
- Payless
- National
- Enterprise
- Dollar
- Budget
- Avis
- Alamo
- Hertz
The rental car center is not connected to the airport, so you will have to take a bus from the terminal to the rental car center. The rental car center is a huge, four-level garage that also houses the Ground Transportation Operations Center, where the airport staff manages the airport’s bus services.
To take one of the shuttle buses to the rental car center, exit your terminal on the lower level and look for the curbside, blue and white shuttle buses that arrive about every five minutes.
If you’re returning a vehicle to the rental car center, just route your GPS for the airport and then follow the signage for the rental car center.
Your other rental car options in Boston
Of course, if you want to rent a car in Boston but not necessarily at the airport, that is an option, too. However, you’ll still need to get from the airport to wherever your chosen car rental company’s office is located. Luckily, there are lots of ways to do so.
You can take the Logan Express bus service that serves several Boston neighborhoods. Uber and Lyft also offer service from the airport. The MBTA (or “the T”) offers public transit options to take you away from the airport, including via subway and a water shuttle.
Your other transportation options in Boston
While, if you’re traveling to Boston and intending to drive away from the city, to another locale, you’ll need a rental car, you might not if you’re just staying in town. Boston traffic can be stressful and much of the city — particularly the parts that are most likely to attract travelers — is walkable. So, you might find that not renting a car is the way you want to go.
If that sounds best to you, you can still get around as needed, by using public transportation, including the light rail service, buses, and water taxis.
FAQs: Renting Cars at Boston Logan International Airport
All car rental companies are located within the consolidated rental car center. The dedicated rental car center is on airport grounds but not attached to the airport. Instead, it’s located at 15 Transportation Way, East Boston. You can reach the center by taking a shuttle bus from the airport terminal. Blue and white shuttle buses arrive curbside on the terminals’ lower levels, every five minutes or so.
Not at all! Most areas of Boston that you might be staying in, as a tourist, are highly walkable. Additionally, Boston does offer a robust public transportation system, to help you get around, beyond the neighborhood where your hotel or other accommodations might be located.
Nope! You can rent a car elsewhere in the city. You’ll just have to take one of the ground transportation options from the airport — like the subway, bus, or a ride share — to either the rental car office of your choosing, so you can pick up your car as soon as possible, or your accommodations, so you can pick up your car at a later time.
Yes, there are toll roads in Massachusetts, including around Boston. You can pay your tolls by using a transponder in your vehicle that’s connected to your preferred form of payment, or you can allow the toll system to track your car’s plates, which will then send a bill to the car’s owner (in this case, the rental car company). If you don’t own a transponder, you can sometimes rent one from a rental car company. If the bills are sent to the rental car company, the bill is passed on to you, plus fees.
Yes, you should book your rental car in advance. Not only will this usually allow you to take advantage of better pricing options, but it also ensures you don’t end up waiting in an overly long check-in line at the airport, only to be potentially told that there are no extra vehicles available. If you book your car in advance, you can even sometimes skip the check-in counter and go directly to pick up your car, if that’s a service your chosen rental provider offers, making for fewer headaches and an easier travel process.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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