Car Rental / RV Rental in Santa Fe: The best companies

The capital of New Mexico and perched in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the former Spanish colony of Sante Fe is known for its eye-catching Pueblo-style architecture and its vibrant arts scene. A wonder through the city’s charming historic district, dotted with crooked streets, will soon bring you to notable historic landmarks such as the Palace of the Governors, while a picturesque plaza offers ample opportunities for watching the world go by.

A street view in downtown Flagstaff (Photo: Ross Griff via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)

Santa Fe itself is quite walkable, but if you’re planning on getting out of the city during your stay then you’ll certainly benefit from having your own transport. For rental cars, there are a large number of agencies located across Santa Fe, each offering a range of vehicles and so ensuring there’ll be something to meet your budget and preferences. To help you find the right car, we’ve dug into the details and selected the best agencies based on rental rates, customer feedback, opening hours, and other factors. We’ve also looked into the options for hiring RVs, which come with their own sleeping quarters, and picked out what we consider to be the best RV rental company in Santa Fe.

Downtown Santa Fe: Hertz

Book at Rentalcars.com

For downtown rentals, we’d recommend Hertz. Their office on Cerrillios Road is open from 7.30am-4pm on Mondays-Fridays, 9am-12pm on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays. When we searched for car rentals available here, we found an impressive fleet featuring cars of a variety of sizes, styles and prices. Among the most notable deals we saw were a Mazda 3 which would make for an ideal cheap car rental at around $350 per week, a Chevrolet Malibu for around $366 per week, and a Chevrolet Equinox for around $420 per week. There are also large SUVs, pick-up trucks and cargo vans on offer in downtown Sante Fe through Hertz. Include in all of these rates are liability insurance supplements, loss damage waivers, and vehicle licensing cost recovery.

Santa Fe Airport: Avis

Book at Rentalcars.com

If you’re planning to pick up a car from Sante Fe Airport there are nine rental counters located either inside the airport or nearby. Our favorite is Avis, whose desk is located inside the terminal near the baggage claim area, with its cars all parked outside, a short walk away. Budget cater particularly well for those seeking something spacious, as well as luxury rental cars in general, and one of the best deal we found was for a Ford Fiesta which would cost $421 for a week’s rental. Or for something bigger you could go for a Buick Verano for just a few dollars more. If you’re travelling in a large group, then there’s also a Chrysler Town & Country people carrier for $962 per week. Avis’s opening hours at Sante Fe Airport are Mon-Sun 12pm-8pm. Free cancellation up to 48 hours prior to pick up, policy amendments, theft protection, and collision damage waivers are all included. A range of indemnities including loss damage waivers and theft protection can be added to your policy.

RV Rental: Outdoorsy

Book at Outdoorsy.com

A popular mode of transport with couples and families embarking on travel adventures is RVs, which are kitted out with beds and often small kitchens too, allowing you to sleep and cook onboard. When we searched for RV rentals in Sante Fe, we identified Outdoorsy – a peer-to-peer marketplace that connects RV owners with other campers – as the best option. Prices tend to be cheaper using this kind of website rather than a conventional rental agency, and the booking process turned out to be easy too. When we searched for RVs in Sante Fe, we found four available for collection across the city, including a 21ft Dolphin for $903 per week that sleeps 2 and is available in the city’s southern parameters near the University of Art & Design, and a 27ft Coachmen Apex for $1,225 that sleeps 4 and is offered in the village of Agua Fria in the west of Sante Fe. You can add a range of insurance options to your policy too, helping give you peace of mind during your trip.