Raleigh Airport (RDU) car rental prices

Compare car rental at Raleigh Airport (RDU) across suppliers and car types for your exact dates, and see exactly how pickup works before you land.

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Compare car rental at Raleigh Airport (RDU)

See current prices across suppliers and car types at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, for your exact dates, then book the one that fits. No markup, no countdown tricks.

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Picking up at RDU

Rental center
RDU's consolidated rental center sits about 3 miles from the terminals. Green Rental Car shuttle signs mark the pickup at Zone 4 outside Terminal 1 and Zone 5 outside Terminal 2, with buses running every 5-10 minutes. The ride takes 5-7 minutes.
Driving & tolls
The Triangle Expressway (NC 540) is all-electronic tolling with no cash booths at all; NC Quick Pass is the local transponder, and E-ZPass works too since the systems are interoperable. Skip both and you get a mailed bill at a higher rate. Traffic between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill can back up at rush hour on I-40 and the Durham Freeway, so build in buffer if you're driving through around 5pm.
Terminals
Terminal 1, Terminal 2

Good to know before you book at RDU

Suppliers on site
RDU's on-airport counters include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Advantage and E-Z Rent-A-Car, reached by terminal shuttle while a consolidated facility is being designed.
Fees that inflate the rate
RDU adds a customer facility charge of $5 per day with no cap, on top of a concession recovery fee of roughly 10 to 11% charged by on-airport brands.
When prices peak
Busiest in summer (June through August, especially around July 4th) and the Thanksgiving-to-New-Year stretch; January and February see the lowest passenger volumes.
Money-saving tip
Off-airport counters around Raleigh-Durham skip RDU's facility charge and concession fee, often beating on-airport quotes by 10 to 15%, at the cost of extra shuttle or transit time.

Driving from Raleigh (RDU)

Expect daytime highs around 32°C in July and around 12°C in January.

Chapel Hill
17 miles, about 29 min by car
Durham
14 miles, about 20 min by car
Outer Banks
243 miles, about 5h 15m by car

Car rental at Raleigh (RDU): common questions

Where do you pick up a rental car at Raleigh (RDU)?

RDU's consolidated rental center sits about 3 miles from the terminals. Green Rental Car shuttle signs mark the pickup at Zone 4 outside Terminal 1 and Zone 5 outside Terminal 2, with buses running every 5-10 minutes. The ride takes 5-7 minutes.

When is the cheapest time to book a rental car at RDU?

Prices at RDU move week to week, so there is no fixed answer. As a rule, booking two to three weeks ahead beats the walk-up rate, and midweek pickups are usually cheaper than weekend ones. Compare your exact dates above before you commit.

Do I need to watch out for tolls driving from Raleigh?

The Triangle Expressway (NC 540) is all-electronic tolling with no cash booths at all; NC Quick Pass is the local transponder, and E-ZPass works too since the systems are interoperable. Skip both and you get a mailed bill at a higher rate. Traffic between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill can back up at rush hour on I-40 and the Durham Freeway, so build in buffer if you're driving through around 5pm.

Which car type should I rent at RDU?

For city trips a compact or economy car is usually enough and cheapest. If you are heading to Downtown Raleigh or Chapel Hill, size up for the luggage and distance. Compare the rate per car type above before deciding.

Does it cost more to book through CarPriceRadar than going direct?

No. You pay the same price the rental company lists either way. If you book through one of our partner links they pay us a commission, not you, and that is what funds the price tracking.

Nearby airports

BWIBaltimore256 miles awayPHLPhiladelphia337 miles awayATLAtlanta355 miles away