Toronto car hire

Many major rental companies, including Enterprise, National, Avis, Alamo and Dollar, have bases at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Others, such as Hertz, have offices off-site; a complimentary shuttle bus takes customers to and from the terminal.

Compare Toronto airport’s car rental options before you go to make savings and to go over the terms and conditions in detail.

Cheap car hire from Toronto airport isn’t the only option. You can also search for rental locations in downtown Toronto – handy, especially if you don’t need a car for the duration of your stay.

Union Station, in the heart of the city, houses rental desks for Hertz and National, while Avis and Budget are located just across the road.

Use TravelSupermarket to compare the cheapest Toronto car rental rates at these locations to ensure you get the deal that suits you.

Parking in Toronto isn’t cheap, though there are plenty of public car parks run by Green P and Impark across the centre.

Street-side parking is almost always charged for, unless there are no signs, in which case you’ll be able to park for free for up to three hours. If you have to pay, purchase a ticket from one of the grey parking meters and display it on your dashboard.

Some hotels in Toronto have on-site car parks, typically offering a paid-for valet service that includes unlimited entrance and exit privileges throughout the day. This is useful if you’re going to be using your car rental in Toronto frequently.

If you plan on driving to Niagara Falls, avoid travelling during rush hour. The falls are only around an hour and a half from Toronto, but highway traffic can be busy in both directions between 6am and 9.30am and then again between 3pm and 7pm.

Some of Toronto’s highways have carpool lanes, which you can use if you have the designated number of people in the car. If you can avoid Highway 407, do. This is a toll road and can be very expensive. If you’ve been given a GPS system as part of your package, programme the system to avoid it.

1.    Right turns on a red light are permitted, unless there are signs stating otherwise. Come to a stop and let any pedestrians cross before turning.

2.    When driving downtown, remember that you might be sharing a lane with a streetcar and you have to wait behind it if it stops to unload passengers in the middle of the lane.

3.    The speed limit within the city is usually 50 kmh (30mph), unless you are driving down a residential street, which will be either 40kmh (25mph) or 30 kmh (20mph).