Are you thinking about renting a car for an epic road trip but worried about limits on your mileage? You might be surprised to find out that rental car companies are a lot more flexible than you imagined when it comes to unlimited miles.
Our research team reviewed data points in various locations around the country for the major rental car companies to find out what the mileage limit policies were like. Keep reading below to find out what the results show and to see some real-life data points of mileage limits.
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Do rental car companies offer unlimited miles?
Yes, many rental car companies will offer you unlimited miles for your rental but there are some exceptions for certain types of vehicles. Generally speaking, a standard rental will have unlimited miles but if you are trying to rent exotic vehicles or certain types of premium automobiles, you might be subject to mileage limits.
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What are the mileage limits like?
The mileage limits are going to vary based on the location and vehicle but often for exotic vehicles it will be limited to something like 200 or 300 miles.
If you go beyond the mileage limits then you will be subject to a charge that is based on your mileage. For example, you could be charged $.50 per mile for every mile that you went joyriding over the limit.
Sometimes these charges can be even higher and you might find yourself paying around one dollar per mile that you go above the limit, so things can get pretty pricey.
So exactly what type of vehicles qualify as exotic or premium?
Exotic vehicles, also referred to as “dream cars,” may include any of the following:
- Jaguar F-TYPE R
- Maserati GranTurismo
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Porsche Boxster
- Tesla Model S
- Aston Martin Vantage
- Audi A5 Coupe
- Chevrolet Corvette
Basically if the vehicle is rare, expensive, or just fancy there is a good chance it will be considered an exotic vehicle.
Meanwhile, when you are talking about premium vehicles subject to mileage limits you are usually dealing with large SUVs. Sometimes only premium SUVs such as a Cadillac Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon Denali XL, Lincoln Navigator L, or Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class are included but other times the limitations may apply to standard SUVs.
One major exception to the unlimited mileage custom is when booking through Turo.
Turo is a marketplace that allows you to book vehicles owned by other people. It is sort of the Airbnb of rental cars. You can expect many users to set mileage limits on the rental vehicles on that platform for almost every rental but on occasion you will see an option for unlimited miles.
And this makes sense. Would you want a stranger running up thousands of miles on your vehicle?
We found that the mileage limits were actually higher than those set by rental car companies for exotic vehicles. So instead of a 200 mile limit you might see something like a 400 or 500 mile limit.
The other difference with Turo is that the charges per mile beyond the set limit are usually much lower than rental car companies. For example, you may only have to pay $.15 per mile versus $1 per mile.
So if you are thinking about booking a vehicle that will be subject to mileage limitations, you might want to seriously consider Turo.
Taking rental cars across state lines
In addition to a lack of mileage requirements, you can also usually travel to different states with your rental car. So if you are planning an epic road trip to the Southwest and hitting up states like Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, there may be no problem.
A few things to note though.
Some locations will impose limitations on interstate travel.
For example, if you are renting from Las Vegas you may only be able to visit neighboring states.
Also, note that some states like Hawaii may have rental car companies that restrict you from going from island to island. And if you are renting from a state like Alaska you might have to remain in the state.
The thing you need to be on the lookout for is drop off fees. If you are not doing a loop and plan on just doing a one-way trip there is a good chance you’ll get hit with a hefty drop off fee.
If you were planning to drive to Canada you probably will be allowed to do that but you should obviously check with your rental car company first. Sometimes certain types of vehicles won’t be allowed to travel into Canada such as exotic vehicles.
Related: Which Car Rental Companies Accept Cash or Debit Card Payments?
Now that you have an overview of how the mileage limits work, check out some of the data points below from different rental car companies and various locations in the United States.
Enterprise
New York, NY
- Manhattan Greenwich Village: Unlimited miles included
- New York JFK International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- JFK International Airport Exotics: 200 miles included, over 200 miles @ $ 0.99 / Mile
- Midtown Manhattan Times Square: Unlimited miles included
Austin, TX
- Downtown Austin: Unlimited miles included
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Austin Ben White & I-35: Unlimited miles included
- Austin Exotics: 300 miles included, over 300 miles @ $ 0.50 / Mile
Nashville, TN
- Downtown Nashville: Unlimited miles included except premium SUV
- Nashville International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Nashville West End: Unlimited miles included except premium SUV
Related: Guide to Rental Car Age Requirements (Under 25 & 21)
National
Los Angeles, CA
- Los Angeles International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Burbank Bob Hope Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Long Beach Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Anaheim Resort District: Unlimited miles included except elite vehicles, 200 included, over 200 miles @ $ 0.99 / Mile
Jacksonville, FL
- Jacksonville International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Oklahoma City, OK
- Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport: Unlimited miles included
Alamo
Chicago, IL
- Chicago Loop W. LaSalle St.: Unlimited miles except full SUV, 500 miles, over 500 miles @ $ 0.25 / Mile
- Chicago Midway International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Fort Worth, TX
- Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Boston, MA
- Downtown Boston: Unlimited miles included
- Boston Logan International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Hertz
Houston, TX
- Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport: Unlimited miles included except dream cars, 150 miles, over 150 @ $ 0.75 / Mile
- Houston Hobby Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Houston – Galleria Houston: Unlimited miles included
- Houston – Gulf Freeway: Unlimited miles included
Columbus, OH
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Columbus – Billingsley: Unlimited miles included
- Columbus – Columbus West: Unlimited miles included
- Columbus – Easton: Unlimited miles included
Portland, OR
- Portland Oregon International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Portland – South East Stark: Unlimited miles included
- Portland – Southwest Pine: Unlimited miles included
Avis
Phoenix, AZ
- Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Central Phoenix: Unlimited miles included except standard SUV 300 miles, over 300 @ $ 0.22 / Mile
- Tempe: Unlimited miles included except standard SUV 300 miles, over 300 @ $ 0.22 / Mile
- Pavilions at Talking Stick Shopping Ctr: Unlimited miles included except standard SUV 300 miles, over 300 @ $ 0.22 / Mile
Indianapolis, IN
- Indianapolis Downtown: Unlimited miles included
- Indianapolis Intl Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Indianapolis – Keystone Avenue: Unlimited miles included except standard elite SUV 300 miles, over 300 @ $ 0.26 / Mile
- East Indianapolis: Unlimited miles included except standard elite SUV 300 miles, over 300 @ $ 0.26
El Paso, TX
- El Paso Intl Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Desert Passage Center – East El Paso: Unlimited miles included except premium SUV 300 miles, over 300 @ $ 0.22 / Mile
Budget
Philadelphia, PA
- Philadelphia Intl Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Amtrak 30th St Train Station: Unlimited miles included
- Northeast Philadelphia: Unlimited miles included
Albuquerque, NM
- Albuquerque – Pan American Fwy: Unlimited miles included
- Albuquerque Intl Sunport: Unlimited miles included
- Fiesta Crossing Shopping Ctr: Unlimited miles included
Las Vegas, NV
- Gold Key Shops Center Strip: Unlimited miles included
- Mccarran Intl Airport: Unlimited miles included
- Las Vegas Across From Orleans: Unlimited miles included
Dollar
San Antonio, TX
- San Antonio International Airport: Unlimited miles included
San Francisco, CA
- Oakland International Airport: Unlimited miles included
- San Francisco International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Detroit, MI
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport: Unlimited miles included
Thrifty
San Diego, CA
- San Diego International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Seattle, WA
- Seattle Downtown: Unlimited miles included
Memphis, TN
- Memphis International Airport: Unlimited miles included
Turo
Dallas, TX
- Tesla Model S 2018: 400 miles included, $ 0.42 / Mile
- Toyota Camry 2016: 400 miles included, $ 0.16 / Mile
- Ford Mustang 2016: 500 miles included, $ 0.18 / Mile
- Chevrolet Corvette 2017: 400 miles included, $ 0.80 / Mile
Denver, CO
- Tesla Model X 2020: 400 miles include, $ 0.95 / Mile
- Subaru Outback 2011: 500 miles included, $ 0.15 / Mile
- BMW 3 Series 2013: Unlimited miles included
- Jeep Wrangler 2016: 400 miles included, $ 0.37 / Mile
Lewisville, KY
- Maserati Ghibli 2018: 400 miles included, $ 0.65 / Mile
- Cadillac Escalade 2017: 400 miles included, $ 0.64 / Mile
- Honda Accord 2018: 600 miles included, $ 0.15 / Mile
- Ford F-150 2020: 400 miles included, $ 0.42 / Mile
Silver Car
San Jose, CA
- Unlimited miles included
Highland Park, IL
- Unlimited miles included
Charlotte, NC
- Unlimited miles included
Final word
As you can tell by all of the data points that we found, it is extremely common for standard rental vehicles to have unlimited miles. The only time where you usually get hit with mileage limits is when you are renting an exotic vehicle or some type of large SUV. The other exception is when you are booking through some type of market place where users can set mileage limits.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
