What is the cheapest hire car found in Illinois?

In the past two weeks, Cheapflights users have found many deals under $82/day when booking a car hire in Illinois. The absolute best deal a user found was for $82/day from Thrifty, booked on Oct. 5.

How much does it cost to hire a car in Illinois for a week from Thrifty?

Thrifty is a popular option for travellers looking for car hire in Illinois. You can expect the average cost of car hire to be about $575 per week.

Can I rent a car for a month in Illinois?

Yes, you can rent a car for a month in Illinois check Cheapflights for the latest prices and car type availability.

Cheap Car Hire in Illinois

Here’s why our users search for rental cars through Cheapflights

Save over 17%Compare Cheapflights against other travel sites with one search.

Price trackingHolding out for a great deal? Get notified when prices are reduced.

Customized resultsFilter by rental agency, car type, price range and more.

Unlimited free useSearch as many times as you want with no hidden charges or fees.

Illinois car rentals in 2025

Most popular company	Thrifty
Most common car type	Full-size
Average price per day	$82
Cheapest price per day	$82

Search Deals

Cheapflights insights for Illinois car rentals

Get relevant, data-driven information to help you hire a car in Illinois, including pricing trends, ideal booking times, and more.

How far in advance should I hire a car in Illinois?

Book your rental car in Illinois 55 days before your pickup date to maximise your savings. Car rental prices are around $78/day on average when booked 55 days ahead, which saves you 47% off the average price.

Find deals

What is the cheapest car hire company in Illinois?

In Illinois, the most affordable car hire company right now is Dollar, offering prices from just $54.24/day over the past two weeks. Another budget-friendly choice is Budget, with rates starting at $62.51/day.

What is the best car rental company in Illinois?

Based on Cheapflights user feedback, the highest-rated car rental company in Illinois is Hertz (rated 5.9/10 with 299 reviews). Budget (rated 5.8/10 with 227 reviews) is also highly rated by our users.

Hertz

5.9

Budget

5.8

Dollar

5.2

Alamo

8.2

What is the cheapest month to hire a car in Illinois?

Planning to hire a car in Illinois? January is the cheapest month, costing about $67 per day. In contrast, July is the most expensive, with an average daily rate of $126. Monthly average car hire prices are listed below. Remember, prices can change based on when you book, the type of car, and availability.

January

$67

February

$67

March

$86

April

$90

May

$95

June

$113

July

$126

August

$100

September

$79

October

$92

November

$94

December

$91

Which car hire company has the most locations in Illinois?

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has 47 locations throughout the area, more than any other company. Hertz has the second-highest number of locations in Illinois at 29.

Find deals

Top rental agencies in Illinois

Hertz

5.9

Fair

299 reviews•29 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Sept 2023

Helpful on phone and in personn

8.0

Very Good|Sept 2023

I had a good experience over all. Smooth pick up and drop off. Friendly staff

2.0

Poor|Jul 2023

They did not have the car and never notified me. Late the night before i called and discovered this. Calling hertz was a nightmare. Kept getting shuttled to sales.

10.0

Wonderful|Jul 2023

The car had been reserved in downtown Chicago, even though I specified O’Hare. The person at the desk at the airport said she couldn’t get the reservation switched over to O’Hare and was not very helpful. I called Hertz customer service and they were outstanding. Got the reservation switched and a better price, even! She was so helpful and kind which was so appreciated after a 5 hour flight with and infant and a three hour drive ahead of us. The check out/check in process was totally fast and efficient! Will definitely use Hertz again! Thanks!!

10.0

Wonderful|May 2023

Great customer service the lady was very patient and polite. Thanks again for your service.

2.0

Poor|May 2023

Cancelled the reservation 2 hours before I was supposed to pick the car up. Gave no other alternatives causing me to miss my trip

1 out of 100

Hertz Locations in Illinois

Budget

5.8

Fair

227 reviews•20 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Aug 2023

Poor pick up experience. They seemed to let the line grow to an unacceptable length deliberately before attending to customers. But the gentleman was friendly when I eventually got there and we got a brand new car

2.0

Poor|Jul 2023

Canceled the reservation: when I showed up there was a line of more than 50 people and only two agents working the counter. Took an uber instead.

2.0

Poor|Jul 2023

Budgey happily took my online reservation and money the week I had to take my wife and two 5-month olds to a funeral. Promised car seats. The day of travel, they sent an email saying they had no cars available! No apologies, no attempts to help us find another car or carseats for the babies, no recourse. Then I called Kayak and made reservations with Budget. I called Budget to confirm. Still, no cars, no car seats, no luck, no recourse. US DOT should look into this reprehensible industry practice and reform it like it's doing with the airline industry. AVOID BUDGET LIKE THE PLAGUE.

6.0

Okay|Jul 2023

Staff friendly and helpful but needed more staff to moved things along quicker

4.0

Mediocre|Jul 2023

Staff were extremely polite and accommodating and this is the one redeeming factor. It took about an hour waiting in line to reach the budget counter. Seemed like everything went fine until we reached the garage and found out we were given a Ford Runner with terrible mileage for hundreds of miles of turnpike driving. Representative in the garage tried to help us out and moved us into a Chevy Malibu. Unfortunately the car was dirty (obvious trash left in car), but we were willing to deal since we were already severely delayed. But then we reached the garage gate to checkout and found out from the attendant that one extra feature we asked for; an Ezpass on the rental, was MIA. It was just one issue after another and overall a very bad experience, but again shout out to the staff who were very kind and helpful throughout.

10.0

Wonderful|Jul 2023

Really, it was as expected! Thank you!

1 out of 76

Budget Locations in Illinois

Dollar

5.2

Fair

131 reviews•14 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

4.0

Mediocre|Aug 2023

Desk person asked if I wanted the Fuel deal to return it empty. I said no, I'll fill it up. She charged me for the fuel deal anyway and I didn't realize it until I turned the car in. Trying to figure out how to get my $66 back that I should not have been charged. Also, the line was 40 minutes long just to get to the counter. The actual car was fine, but the Dollar service is not good.

2.0

Poor|Jan 2023

My flight was delayed, and I arrived at the dollar counter, just after they had closed. There was a lady still behind the counter, who informed me that because I had not arrived within two hours of the predetermined time they had rented my vehicle to someone else. How is this practice even legal being that I had already paid for it? I was forced to take rideshare to my destination and then back again the next day at an expense of more than $120. I am quite sure that I had pre-purchased insurance but dollar could not confirm this so I paid for insurance that I didn’t need , my total charge at the counter was an additional $124.22. The type of vehicle I had requested was not available so I had to settle for what they had. There were four shirts laying on the back seat, so I find it difficult to believe the vehicle had been cleaned , I think that the previous customer had just left it clean. Please let me know how to get a refund.

1 out of 44

Dollar Locations in Illinois

Alamo

8.2

Very Good

63 reviews•5 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Apr 2023

very convenient

10.0

Wonderful|Apr 2023

Fast and easy. Knowledgeable staff.

10.0

Wonderful|Apr 2023

Great service at every point. Loved the upgrade!

10.0

Wonderful|Mar 2023

The rental was very nice and very clean. Pick-up was a little tricky (not knowing the tram ride), but dropping off the rental couldn't have been any easier. I will use Alamo again when visiting Chicago in the future. Thanks...........Joe

1 out of 21

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

7.5

Good

92 reviews•47 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

8.0

Very Good|Oct 2025

My overall experience was very good, however, the pricing for my rental pick up from the airport was ridiculously overpriced! Therefore, I don't think I will choose Enterprise again for those types of trips! Ty

2.0

Poor|May 2024

After getting a confirmation email and I called the alpine rd location to double check my confirmation, which they replied yes, when I got there to pick up my truck they told me none were available! Doubt I will rent from them again!!

2.0

Poor|Mar 2023

They gave my car away since I was late. Was unable to get a car my entire trip. Terrible company.

1 out of 31

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Locations in Illinois

Sixt

6.8

Okay

57 reviews•5 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

8.0

Very Good|Aug 2023

I believe that the car was nearing the end of its rental life, but the service offered, and the employees were fantastic.

6.0

Okay|Aug 2023

Not enough car selection choices. I had done the payment online, bit an additional insurance charge was added to at the last minute.

2.0

Poor|Apr 2023

Poor customer service at this location

2.0

Poor|Mar 2023

I specifically rented a luxury vehicle. When I arrived at the location, they had none available and offered no apology or explanation.

4.0

Mediocre|May 2022

I had to trade my first car for another one because I was getting tickets due to the fact that the license plate had expired a month earlier. Both times the pick-up process took forever. The only place to sit in the dingy office is a ledge along the windows. The staff (only two people) was very nice and helpful but clearly overwhelmed. Even though this office is only four blocks from where I live I'm not sure I want to rent from them again.

1 out of 19

Avis

6.4

Okay

73 reviews•21 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Apr 2024

We arrived early, so check in was very quick. Easy to pick up the car, easy to return at O’hare. Friendly staff.

6.0

Okay|Sept 2023

The pick-up line was nearly 2 hours long. Counter agent was very friendly, but he could have used help that day. We will not return to Avis unless staffing is addressed

2.0

Poor|Sept 2023

Original reservation was canceled with out notification. Called 4 times the morning of and reservations was trying to charge me double what I was originally quoted after mentioning the lot was empty… never Avis, ever again. lady at the counter, “ I had to fight for this car” -gets in and realizes it’s HEAVILY smoked in…

2.0

Poor|Jul 2023

It was two hrs from the time I stood in line to the time I actually started a vehicle!

10.0

Wonderful|Jul 2023

The staff helping us with pick-up in Chicago at O’Hare was friendly, experienced, and professional. She explained everything thoroughly while making the pick up quick and easy.

10.0

Wonderful|Apr 2023

Drop off someone had to explain process- minimal staff - holiday and like most business just lack of staff. Taken care of and staff was pleasent

1 out of 25

Avis Locations in Illinois

Payless

5.6

Fair

45 reviews•2 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

2.0

Poor|Nov 2022

Being charged for full tank of gas when we brought tank back full.

4.0

Mediocre|Oct 2022

The price was double what was advertised on Kayak and I used the car for less than a day (over $500 charge). I knew fees could differ but not to this degree

2.0

Poor|Oct 2022

From check in to drop off the experience with Payless rental was horrible! Car was not full of gas all though the paperwork stated it was. Car was dirty (literally trash left in the car), waited in line for pick up for almost 40 minutes…there were only 3 customers in front of us. Had issues with the car immediately as back passenger tire was not keeping air. At drop off they told us there was nothing they could do and that we’d need to call the customer service line. Customer service told us they could not refund our money because we booked through a 3rd party. I would NEVER use this service again or Payless car rental! It was HORRIBLE!

4.0

Mediocre|Aug 2022

The pick up experience at Payless in Chicago was horrible. Our car reservation was for 6am right when they opened because we had had a nightmare travel experience and needed to get home as soon as possible. There was nobody at this time. We waited around for a while as we saw employees arrive for all the other car rental companies. After about 15 minutes and still no one there to help us, I ended up finding a Budget employee that was able to assist as best she good. She reiterated several times throughout the process that Payless does things a little differently than them and she was unfamiliar with their process. Long story short, she ended up miscommunicating something to me (not her fault - she wasn't a Payless employee), leading to an expected nearly $100 charge on my card. The silver lining was that Payless Customer services was very nice after the fact via online inquiry. Quick responses, understanding of my situation, and accommodating to my requests. Although I had a good experience with customer service on the back end, the negative experience I had on the front end is enough to make me not use Payless again in the future.

2.0

Poor|Jan 2022

no one answered the phone at the airport so i cancelled. never again

8.0

Very Good|Jan 2022

Car we requested was ready when scheduled.

1 out of 15

Car rental FAQs

What is the cheapest hire car found in Illinois?
In the past two weeks, Cheapflights users have found many deals under $82/day when booking a car hire in Illinois. The absolute best deal a user found was for $82/day from Thrifty, booked on Oct. 5.
How much does it cost to hire a car in Illinois for a week from Thrifty?
Thrifty is a popular option for travellers looking for car hire in Illinois. You can expect the average cost of car hire to be about $575 per week.
Can I rent a car for a month in Illinois?
Yes, you can rent a car for a month in Illinois check Cheapflights for the latest prices and car type availability.