New York City

Car Rental in Brooklyn / Williamsburg: The best companies

by Mark Rebindaine  |  Published May 19, 2020

Brooklyn is the most populous suburb of New York with an estimated 2.5 million inhabitants. Before Brooklyn became a global brand, it was a working class neighborhood full of ethnic groups from all over the world. But by the turn of the 21st century, it had become the preferred spot for artists and hipsters, attracting high tech startups and entrepreneurs. Brooklyn’s most famous and illustrious neighborhood is undoubtedly Williamsburg. Since the late 1990s, “Little Berlin”, as it is commonly known, has undergone massive gentrification characterized by a hipster culture, burgeoning art scene and a vibrant nightlife.

Brooklyn (Photo: Fredrik Rubensson via Flickr/ CC BY-SA 2.0)

For those looking to explore the areas in around Brooklyn and Williamsburg, we have compared the various rental car companies on a variety of factors, such as opening hours, available cars and of course, daily rates. Here are our favourites.

Williamsburg: Thrifty

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In the north of Williamsburg, a hundred meters from the North 5th Side Pier and Park, you’ll find Thrifty, our choice as the best car rental agency in this part of New York. As the name suggests, Thrifty is particularly strong in the cheap car rental category. Still, this is the Big Apple, where nothing comes that cheap; depending on the time of the year, you’re looking at anything between $40-$100 per day for the most basic vehicle. Opening hours: Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm; Saturday 9am – 12pm; Sunday, closed.

Downtown Brooklyn: Hertz

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There’s a friendly vibe at this particular Hertz agency and on the whole, it picks up very positive customer feedback. People who have rented on multiple occasions comment that they have never had an issue, while those who have, are given a personal email to contact the agency to sort out the problem. Hertz has a large and varied fleet, from cool and petite cars like the Fiat 500 to large workhorses like the RAM ProMaster. In between, they have a whole range of other cars with prices from $50 to $70 per day. Opening hours: Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 12pm; Sunday closed.

Southern Brooklyn: Enterprise

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Situated close to Park Slope, Enterprise’s agency in South Brooklyn averages a very respectable 4.3/5 on Google. Described as a ‘breeze’, ‘cordial’ and ‘very knowledgeable’, customer service receives plenty of praise, as do the cars which are described as ‘spotless’ and are rarely more than a few years old. Those cars include the Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Versa which are rented out a around $45 per day. For those who are worried about the planet (and rightly so!), Enterprise prides itself on the fact they not only own the most fuel-efficient fleet in the business but also the one with the most hybrid and electric vehicles. Opening hours: Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 12pm; Sunday closed.