Get Quotes Contact Us Sign In
Website
Call
City Rent A Car Our convenient location also ensures a hassle-free car rental experience in San Francisco. Booking a cheap car rental is easy with City Rent-A-Car. You can trust us to find you the best car at the best price, and to offer the convenient, user-friendly features you need - like never charging for canceled car rental reservations. When you come to the City by the Bay, you want to enjoy your trip. Worrying about your rental car should be the last thing you do. When you work with City Rent-A-Car, we'll provide the service and support you need, the selection you desire, and the helpful features to get you on the road.
Services
When you are looking for a Union Square Car Rental, what's the most important thing on your list? Selection? Affordability? Friendly and also reliable customer service? We value our customers, and because of this, City Rent-A-Car offers it all. Conveniently located near Union Square, our easy-to-find location provides the service and selection you need, while also allowing you to enjoy a world-class car rental experience. When you work with us, you can also choose from a wide variety of makes and models.
Our company has resided in its original location since 1980. That's no easy feat in the ever-changing San Francisco downtown area. What sets us apart from every other car rental company in San Francisco? It's our wonderful staff! Being a locally owned, family-run business means that customers are not just another number to us.
You must have a valid driver's license and credit card (NO DEBIT OR CHECK CARDS) present, in your name, at the time of rental. If you will be declining our insurance coverage options, proof of insurance may be required when you pick up your vehicle. A valid driver's license, matching the credit card holder's name, must be presented at the time of rental.
No matter what your inquiry may be, our customer service team is available to answer your questions. If you need to reserve your car rental, you can find the best rates online. This was by far the easiest car rental process I have ever experienced, and I've rented many times in my day. Phuoc was very helpful and was sanitizing cars.
Reviews (33)
Write a Review
Liisssaaaa Aaa
Jun 18, 2022
Car was excellent. Service amazing. Price very reasonable. Can return after hours. Free parking in their own garage. Highly recommend.
Rui Guimaraes
May 25, 2022
DON'T BOOK if you have non-USA credit cards. Booked from overseas and when picking up car their payment machine kept giving problems not recognising my Credit Cards as credit cards. I was then told that they have issues with non-USA credit cards (I had one from New Zealand and another European both VISA and not recognised as credit cards by their machine). After no other option was given rented a car from the next door (where credit cards had no issues) but wasted 2 hours.
Shannon Fracchia
Apr 13, 2022
AMAZING! The young man was really nice, welcoming, and helpful! Great car. Great prices. Great location.
Chun Yi Liu
Mar 07, 2022
The service is awesome and the car condition is good. Also, they provide free overnight parking and the late night return until 11:00pm. I would definitely rent a car with them again.
Ali H.
Dec 12, 2021
This was by far the easiest car rental process I have ever experienced, and I've rented many times in my day. Phuoc was very helpful and was sanitizing cars as we walked into the garage to pick up the car. The car was immaculate and the whole process took less than 15 mins from the moment we walked in-- without a reservation-- to when we drove away!

The gentleman in the office was also very professional and helpful, though I forget his name. They offer free overnight parking, which makes it all worthwhile because hotels in the area charge quite a bit. My only issue was getting the car parked at night. Cars were coming out of the ramp that said enter. It was hectic, but the attendant took the car and did the parking for me. Overall, this is the place to go to rent a car.
Scott M.
Nov 01, 2021
When I picked up my rental car last week, the gas tank was less than half full. The staff member told me it was and that I had to fill the tank to the same level when I returned the car. Wrong answer for two reasons: 1. Since the tank was less than half full, I had to delay my trip to find a gas station to fill the tank. In SF, this wasn't an easy task. 2.

It was impossible to consume the gas back down to less than half a tank. So, the rental company made about $15 from me in gas. SOLUTION: Ensure all cars have full tanks of gas before they are rented. Pretty simple.
Brenda C.
Sep 08, 2021
Our go-to for rental cars in the city. The staff is always friendly and professional.
Magy Nano Guerrazzi
Jul 15, 2021
Convenient location, excellent prices, amazing customer service, clean and great cars. Being a small rental car company, they offer the same (or better) services than their competitors.
Valerie Welbourn
Jul 01, 2021
Great prices, friendly and helpful staff. The whole process was so easy!
Jaidev Mirchandani
May 26, 2021
Takes bookings on Expedia and does not specify that they do not take debit cards. They tell me only when I reach the rental place, and my plan for the entire day goes crashing down because I trusted these people. Edit: Reserved a car with them recently and had a great experience. This time round, I had a credit card on me. The late drop offs were very convenient and the online booking process was very easy.
Benjamin Emmert-Aronson
Apr 26, 2021
Great rental experience and stunningly simple returns! Also loved the opportunity to support a truly local, family run business - that's getting harder to do, particularly in the rental car space. Good on this group for running such a great company, competing with faceless giants! The return process is really great - they partner with a parking garage, so have extended return hours where you just drive in to the garage, hand over the keys and walk away. So simple!
Philip Kilmer
Apr 21, 2021
Don't trust these people. I signed an agreement for a rental and they ended up charging me more than double what they said it would cost.
Richard Hendrix
Mar 03, 2021
The best prices in town with well-functioning, good cars. They also have a late night drop off which the other companies do not. The drop off garage is only one block further up the street on Mason and you can drop off the car as late as 11:00 p.m. I highly recommend this place. They are great.
Rachel Sanchez
Dec 10, 2020
Shout-out to Sarp! My husband and I were very grateful to this SUPER hospitable and patient rep who worked with us last minute as I did not book ahead of time (my fault). You don't see that kind of hospitality at 730am!
Agnes R.
Nov 04, 2020
Friendly people, simple people, and fair prices! To anyone renting to go out of the city, make sure you leave 30-45 min of time to go back into the city because you WILL hit traffic on the bridge! I was 10-15 min past my return time but I wasn't charged for an extra day thankfully. :
Joanna S.
Aug 15, 2020
Safest travel option during the pandemic! Like many people in SF, I don't own a car (yet). And because of the pandemic, I've stopped using public transit. Car rentals have been the safest mode of transportation aside from owning my own car. City Rent-A-Car has one of the most competitive prices out there. The cars are also very clean. I've rented their Chevy Spark 4 times so far, and it's been great every time. The gas mileage has also been great, too. I definitely recommend City Rent-A-Car!
Shafi A.
Aug 07, 2020
Our experience with this establishment was fair. The men who helped us check in and check out were both nice and polite. The car we got was cheaper than others available with other rental companies but the car was in such poor state that we decided to just pay more and get a better option next time. The car was dented badly and also had a lot of dirt in it.

No cleaning was done prior to renting, which I find unacceptable in this Covid era. I wish they would just charge a bit more of they're using charging less as a way to get away with such behavior.
Teck Boon
Jul 20, 2020
We could return the car at 11pm instead of the usual 8-9pm (other car rental companies) before they close for the day. Good experience overall. Booked online before heading down and prices are lower than the other major rental companies. Friendly service at the counter and the carpark which the car was at is about a block up the street. They give pretty clear pick up and return instructions so it was a breeze.
Mr. Cg
Jun 17, 2020
Booked a car from Europe some weeks in advance of my travel over their website. Emailed questions were answered swiftly and friendly. Great place to rent a car. Unlike the big rental companies, they did not try to overcharge. Very fair prices and transparent cost break down. For sure a clear recommendation - especially if you are a tourist or on a business trip.
Charles C.
May 22, 2020
Long time coming for this review! Great company, super helpful employees and the cars were in great shape. Just gotta watch out for the toll bridges, but that's on me, not them. All in all, would recommend.
Emily T.
Apr 14, 2020
My car broke down and my friend recommended this place to me. Staff was super helpful upon entering the location and they had a wide variety of cars for me to rent from! Their rates were really good and they were accommodating to my needs. I needed a simple car to take me to work and other grocery needs, and they were able to give me a variety of options with various rental rates.

I ended up renting the car for about a week or so, and returning was super easy! I just had to return the car on time with the keys in good condition! Recommend this place for your rental needs
Tanner M.
Dec 29, 2019
In San Francisco for the weekend and reserved a car online. Went to pick up our car that morning and they told us they over sold and we wouldn't get a car. We watched them give a car to a walk in before us in line then didn't have a vehicle for us! DO NOT RENT FROM THIS PLACE!
Kyle K.
Nov 03, 2019
Place is a complete rip off. They do business under many names including economy and priceless who knows how many others. They will gouge you for triple the daily rate if you bring the car back a few hours late rather than normal pro rata extra day fee. They also tack on sales tax and some Other mysterious fee even when you prepay for ALL charges (priceless).

This business is crooked as hell and now I have to take things up with my credit card company to get things worked out. Save yourself the time and aggravation and do not trust what they publish as their "rates". Car wasn't even full when I got it so had to return with very odd amount of gas. Btw I have used them in the past under city but the new location doing business under many different names is now crooked AF.
Alexis Vences
May 01, 2019
Really impressed by the level of service and cost of the rental. I only rented for a couple days, but it's very nice of them to valet the car down from the off-site garage one block over (you meet them there at the entrance to the garage) and you can also return your car after hours by leaving it with the valet. The car itself was clean, new, and modern, and we had no issues worth noting.

The price was not expected, but very much so welcome. The lady at the office who helped us rent was polite and informative. Overall, a good experience, and hard to beat. I'll trust this place next time I'm in town and need a rental.
Christine G.
Aug 24, 2018
After doing an extensive research for the best car rental price for a week, no other car rental companies around the area will beat the price of City Rent-A-Car. Even though they do a quick walk through to show you all the dings and scratches on the car, still take pictures before driving the car off the lot. It is best to have a pics as proof (just in case).

From the person I spoke with on the phone to the clerk at the counter, everyone was super helpful, friendly and a real pleasure to do business with. The clerk on the counter was the one who advised us that Muir Woods requires a reservation (glad she said that! We were totally planning on going upon driving off). They are up front with the fees so you don't get surprised with additional fees on your invoice. The car I rented was clean, gas efficient and reliable. I will definitely use them again for future trips!
Murielle L.
Jul 20, 2018
In San Francisco, I would not recommend you rent a car for more than a day because parking can get expensive. In addition to the hills, which I am not really accustom to. I will say, if you plan to go for a day trip to Napa or Sonoma, rent a car through this company. They open at 8am, we were there since 7:50am and were in and out. Made reservations about 10 days prior.

You can return the car the same day about a block away in a garage on Mason Street. We happened to be staying in a hotel less than a block away so everything worked out great for us.
Wei L.
Nov 28, 2017
The staff was very helpful and very polite as I booked the car and then picked up. Spoke with them on the phone as I made changes. They were patient and no hassle at all Then when I returned home in Texas and realized I left 5e camera in the rental car, I called up and they went to the garage and got hold of it, and shipped back to me actually went on trips to get it done for me So I personally think I would trust them entirely Did I mention that was really a fantastic rate very competitive against the others?

The car I picked up was great. For me that's all I would look for from a rental car company and I found full values there Simply the best rental car service I have had so far
Gaby K.
May 29, 2017
Phenomenal service, straight forward and seamless. The after hours drop off is a huge bonus and convenience. City Rent-A-Car makes it easy to get out of San Francisco for a day or two or three :. I used them twice-consistently positive-I will continue to use as my go to rental in SF.
Ashley O.
Sep 21, 2016
I had initially booked with Enterprise at the Fisherman's Wharf location, but wasn't too thrilled due to the distance from our lodging and poor reviews. About two weeks before our trip, I decided to just check yelp to see if there were any other rental car companies. City Rent-A-Car came up, which I had never heard of, but it was a 10 min walk from our Airbnb and the reviews were stellar.

I got a quick estimate through their website, and was thrilled to find that the prices were very reasonable. Booking online was quick and easy. Everything about the rental process was very straight forward. We dropped off our car after hours at the Holiday Inn across the street on Van Ness Ave. There was a gas station conveniently located next door.

We were quite happy with our car, but it had some dents on the outside and dirt stains on the seats. Mechanically everything seemed great and we felt our car was a good value for the price. If you are the type of person who expects the brand new cars that are offered at the larger corporate companies, then maybe this place isn't for you. If I'm ever in the Bay Area again, I will definitely be renting from these guys.
Tony T.
Sep 09, 2016
These guys are seriously top notch. I had no problems at all reserving a car, picking it up an hour late and returning it at the nearby hotel for after hours. We were in and out in 3 minutes when picking up the vehicle. We did have a tire pressure light that came on when we were just about to leave the city, but this was quickly resolved when we brought it back to the shop.

There was an Asian gentleman who helped us out that morning, I didn't catch his name but he was really good. I read A LOT of reviews before I book anything and if you honestly read through all the negative reviews on yelp for this City Rent-A-Car location, a LARGE majority of them relate to individuals trying to book with a debit card / complaining about increased pricing for drivers under 25. This implies ignorance on the renters part which has nothing to do with the service of this place. Do not rent anywhere else in downtown San Fran.
Amanda R.
Aug 30, 2016
Great local car rental company! WAY better than any of the major chains, also WAY cheaper usually. The first time I rented here, I got a bright pink (yes, they gave me the option of a different color. I like pink) Mitsubishi Mirage. This is considered an economy car. I used to own a sports car in SF. After a break-in (in a locked garage), multiple parking tickets, and a lot of hassle, I decided it was cheaper to just rent when I needed to drive.

So this pink Mirage was my first rental car - it felt very tin can-like compared to my sports car, but HEY it worked and it was cheap. It was in perfect mechanical condition and was clean. In a few days, I'll be renting again for a roadtrip down the coast. This time I upgraded and got a full size :D Also major thank you to the guys (and gals) that work here for not trying to oversell on additions that aren't needed.

I do not have car insurance, and most rental places would see this as "$$$$$$$ (Cha-ching, time to make this person pay a lot)". Luckily the nice people at City Rent a Car do not oversell - they advised I could use my credit card company's included CDW insurance, and only pay for personal liability insurance (required by the State of California), to save some extra money. Thanks!
Marcus Wang
Oct 30, 2015
It was an impromptu decision on our last day in San Francisco. We missed and wanted to re-visit a few places we've been to with the tour bus. Reliable Rent-a-Car's located in the heart of Union Square, very accessible and the friendly staff made us feel very comfortable. We loved that fact that this company thinks for its customers by offering key return after office hours.

It made our job much easier, not having to rush for return before office closes. We managed to enjoy the rest of the day in the car. The GPS helped a fair bit and the customer service was really good. Got to specially thank staff Jennifer for assisting in the retrieval of my friend's shopping bag which he left behind and sending it to our hotel. Highly recommended and we'll definitely engage the next time we're in town :
Alana W.
Aug 19, 2014
Seriously about as no frills as it gets. The website is easy to make a reservation for whatever your needs may be in a car. Didn't need anything fancy or high end, so I opted for the economy Mitsubishi whatever the heck it was. At $39 for 24/hrs and unlimited miles, I wasn't going to be picky with my choice of car. I knew before getting there what model was reserved for me based off of what economy cars were available on their website.

I could've cared less on the size as I was just going to Napa for the day, but boy did they give me some wheels! Holy hell was this the pinkest car ever! Like seriously, who still makes pink cars?! I swear it was like Miss Muppet sat on the car and puked Pepto Bismol. Either way, it and it got us there and back (not necessarily in style) in one piece.