The Best Cities for a Road Trip Rental
Planning a road trip? Here are the best cities to rent a car from, and what to know before you book.
Some trips are better with a rental car than without one — when the best parts of a destination are outside the city center, public transit doesn’t quite reach where you want to go, or the drive itself is part of the experience. Here are destinations where picking up a rental car is genuinely worth it this year, and what to plan ahead of time for each.
1. The Amalfi Coast, Italy
Winding cliffside roads connecting Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello are best experienced at your own pace, away from tour bus schedules. The roads are narrow, so a compact or economy car is far more practical than an SUV here.
Book ahead for: summer weekends, when parking in coastal towns fills up early in the day.
2. The Scottish Highlands, UK
The North Coast 500 route has become one of Europe’s most popular road trips, looping past lochs, castles, and coastline with almost no reliance on rail or bus routes. Roads can be single-track in places, so allow extra time and consider a smaller vehicle.
Book ahead for: spring through early autumn for the most reliable driving conditions.
3. Iceland’s Ring Road
Circling the entire country, the Ring Road passes waterfalls, black sand beaches, and glaciers that are difficult to reach any other way. An SUV or 4×4 is strongly recommended outside summer months, when weather and road conditions can shift quickly.
Book ahead for: winter driving requires more experience and planning — many travelers prefer a summer (June–August) trip for easier conditions.
4. The Pacific Coast Highway, USA
Stretching along the California coastline from San Francisco to Los Angeles, this route passes Big Sur, Monterey, and countless coastal overlooks best reached by car. Mid-size or convertible rentals are popular here for the scenery-focused drive.
Book ahead for: weekends and holidays, when coastal town accommodation and parking book up fast.
5. The Garden Route, South Africa
Connecting Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, this route passes beaches, forests, and wildlife reserves that are far easier to explore with your own vehicle and schedule. A standard sedan works for most of the route, though some reserve access roads benefit from higher clearance.
Book ahead for: dry season (May–September) for the most comfortable driving conditions.
6. Kyushu, Japan
Less touristed than Japan’s bullet-train corridors, Kyushu rewards a rental car with hot spring towns, volcanic landscapes, and coastal drives that trains simply don’t reach. An international driving permit is required for most visitors, so arrange this before you travel.
Book ahead for: autumn (October–November) for foliage season, one of the most popular times to visit.
Before you book any road trip rental
A few things matter more for road trips than city rentals: confirm your mileage allowance isn’t capped (many road trips easily exceed standard daily limits), check whether cross-border or cross-region drop-off is allowed if your route ends somewhere different from where it starts, and confirm what documentation you need — some countries require an International Driving Permit alongside your regular license.
Compare road-trip-ready rentals across all six destinations on AutoOnRent, and filter by mileage allowance and drop-off flexibility before you book.