Los Angeles car hire

National and international car rental companies, including Hertz, Enterprise and Avis, are stationed just outside Los Angeles Airport (LAX), and you can get to the desks via free shuttles from the lower level of the terminal. There are purple signs for rental car shuttles outside the baggage reclaim area.

Los Angeles is a big place, so expect to drive for 30 minutes to reach hotels in Hollywood and 20 minutes to Santa Monica, while journeys to Disneyland take around an hour. That's if the legendary Los Angeles traffic is behaving itself.

Car rental companies at Los Angeles Airport, which are permitted to drop off and pick up at the terminals, are:

• Advantage (Tel: +1 800 777 5500)
• Alamo (Tel: +1 800 992 9823)
• Avis (Tel: +1 310 342 9200)
• Budget (Tel: +1 310 642 4500)
• Dollar (Tel: +1 866 434 2226)
• Enterprise (Tel: +1 310 649 5400)
• Fox (Tel: +1 323 673 9084)
• Hertz (Tel: +1 310 568 5100)
• Midway (Tel: +1 310 649 5549)
• National (Tel: +1 888 445 5664)
• Payless (Tel: +1 310 645 2100
• Sixt (Tel: +1 855 471 2760)
• Thrifty (Tel: +1 877 283 0898)

It’s wise to pre-book car hire at Los Angeles Airport for 2018 holidays. Compare and book online before you go to find the cheapest rates, the widest range of available vehicles and to take your time going through the terms and conditions.

Many Los Angeles car hire agencies require drivers to be 25 years of age or older, while some make exceptions to at least 21 years old, but rates can be higher for these rentals. Some companies also check your driving record when you present your driver's license and those with bad driving records probably won’t be allowed to rent a car in Los Angeles.

In keeping with most cars driven in the US, it’s likely the car you’re hiring in Los Angeles will be automatic, which means no clutch or manual gear shift. This may take some getting used to, and you might find yourself using the brakes more often than you do at home!

If you simply don’t feel comfortable driving automatic, you can always ask your chosen Los Angeles car rental company if manual shift options are available.

When you rent a car in Los Angeles in 2018, you’ll also need to get used to the American lingo before you hit the road. Remember that petrol or diesel is called ‘gas’, junctions are ‘interchanges’, motorways are ‘freeways’ and ‘highways’, and any other road that’s not a freeway or highway is a ‘surface road’.

Another important thing to remember is that freeways have both a number and a name, which corresponds to the direction in which they’re heading. Generally, freeways going east to west have even numbers, while those running north to south have odd numbers.

One journey you have to do while you’re behind the wheel in Los Angeles is the Pacific Coast Highway – one of the world’s greatest drives. Why not hire a convertible and drive along this famous road to Malibu, where many Hollywood stars have beachfront homes. Go on, you know you want to.

1. To avoid epic traffic jams in Los Angeles, avoid driving in the two rush hours of each weekday (7am to 9am and 3.30pm to 6pm).

2. If your car doesn’t have GPS it’ll be worthwhile hiring one – the freeways of Los Angeles can be confusing for first timers.

3. Before you opt for car hire in Los Angeles, check if your hotel has free parking. Motels and cheaper hotels in Los Angeles usually have free parking, while upmarket places tend to charge for the privilege. Streets in all commercial areas are metered, and many residential streets near commercial areas require parking permits.

Find out more about other forms of transport in the City of Angels on our getting around Los Angeles page.