San Francisco to Los Angeles Car Hire

Which car category for your own way trip?

Add a touch of luxury to your journey . Choose from premium car hire providers such as Audi and other top brands.

Luxury Audi A4 or similar

Seats 5

Automatic

The convertible is the most popular choice for one-way trips. Perfect for secenic drives, though luggage space is limited.

MINI Cooper Convertible) or similar

Seats 4

Automatic

1 Bag

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Ford Mustang Cabrio or similar

Seats 4

Automatic

1 bag

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The 9 seater minibus category is popular and in high demand. No special licence is required to drive this category

Ford Transit Minibus or similar

9 Seats

Doors 5

Automatic

Unlimited Mileage

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San Francisco → Los Angeles One-Way Car Hire Information

Category	Details
🗺️ Route overview	San Francisco → Los Angeles via Pacific Coast Highway 1 — approx. 380 miles / 610 km
🛫 Major pickup & drop-off locations	San Francisco International Airport (SFO) → Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
💼 Popular suppliers offering one-way hire	Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Budget, Thrifty, Sixt
🚙 Popular vehicle types	Economy cars, Convertibles, SUVs, Luxury cars, 7-seater MPVs, 9-seater vans
⭐ Best car for this road trip	We recommend style and comfort — try a Ford Mustang convertible or a luxury Audi A4 SUV.
💵 Typical one-way surcharge	$75 – $150 USD (varies by supplier and rental duration)
🌅 Highlights along the route	Monterey, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Malibu, Santa Monica Pier
🌐 Official tourism board	VisitCalifornia.com — Official Tourism Website of California

This Pacific Coast Highway provides a backdrop for the most popular one way road trips in the USA, making the drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway on the top5 5 one way rental choices in the USA.

Car Hire San Francisco to LA Essentials

Drive Time : approximately 10 hours
Distance in Miles : approximately 500 miles
Best car for this road trip : We recommend style and comfort, check out the Ford Mustang convertible or a luxury Audi A4 SUV

How to Book San Francisco to LA Car Hire With MPVRentals:

To get a one way quote for car rental from Los Angeles to LA follow these steps

Enter your pickup location, in this case San Frans.
Step 2 Next, untick the “Return car to same location”, this will allow you to enter a different drop off location
Step 3 After unticking the return to same location box, you may enter your final destination. Los Angeles
Get Started Click Here

Step 2 Next, untick the “Return car to same location”, this will allow you to enter a different drop-off location

Step 3 After unticking the return to same location box, you may enter your final destinations

Mileage and fuel policy:

When comparing car rental deals across other websites, always give special attention to the fuel policy and mileage allowance. We only offer “same to same” or “full to full”, which means you will never be out of pocket if you do use the fuel provided at the pickup depot in Orlando. Mileage allowance is another factor to keep in mind when comparing deals. This is clearly displayed, all suppliers we use in Orlando offer unlimited mileage, some do restrict mileage, but only for local residents, again that is clear displayed.

What is the One Way Drop Fees from San Fran to LA?

The one way drop fee is included automatically in the price displayed on the results page

San Francisco to LA FAQ’s

What is the Minimum age to hire a miniva from San Francisco Int Airport

The minium age is 21, but with a catch if you are under 25. Under 25 drivers are deemed higher risk and are charged an additional underage daily driver charge. This is not only true in the US, but other countries apply the same rule.

The good news is that we include the underage fee in the price we quote you price for full transparency. For example, with Clubs Car Rental Orlando a young driver fee of 12.15 EUR per day applies to drivers under the age of 25, with a maximum of 85.05 EUR per rental. When you make a quote, as long as you have entered your age correctly, the quote will have this addition fee included.

Are miles free on a way rental?

With all one way rentals, unlimited miles are included in the price displayed on the results page.

What is the One Way Drop Fees from San Fran to Los Angeles

The lead driver and any additional drivers must be present at pickup to be added as drivers. If this is not the case, the additional driver can be added later in the rental, but you must go to the nearest car rental supplier depot for the extra driver to be added.

Do all Drivers need to be present to be added to a One Way Rental

Do I need an International driving permit?

If your driving licence is written in English or the Roman Alphabet, you will NOT need an international driver’s permit. If on the other hand your licence is not written in the Roman example Simple Chinese Script you will need an international driver’s permit or an official translation.

Where can I view the supplier’s complete rental conditions?

On the search results page, after entering your booking dates, a link will be displayed to that rental supplier’s rental conditions. So please enter your travel dates into the booking widget to learn more

You can find a link to the Rental Conditions underneath the picture of the car.
The Rental Conditions will also be in your voucher once your booking is confirmed.

✏️You can also download your voucher along with the Rental Conditions in the My Booking section.