Denver Airport Car Rental: The Best Companies

By total land area, Denver International Airport (DEN) is the largest airport in the US and the second largest in the world. It primarily serves Denver and the urban region located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains, better known as the Front Range Urban Corridor. With over 35,000 employees, DEN airport is also the largest employer in Colorado.

Denver International Airport (Photo: Paul Heaberlin via Flickr / CCC BY-SA 2.0)

DEN airport has more than 10 major rental car companies operating on-site. To find them, simply follow the rental car signs. The cars, located outside the terminals, can be accessed by a courtesy shuttle service to and from Jeppesen Terminal Level 5 on Island 4.

To determine which rental car companies offer you the best options across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com have conducted research on each rental agency at DEN Airport. Our findings are as follows:

Most affordable: Enterprise & Alamo

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Some of the best cheap car rentals in the US can be found at DEN airport, with almost all of the leading agencies having rental cars under $50 per day. With so many agencies offering similar conditions, choosing an agency often boils down to your preference of vehicle and customer feedback. Having read multiple reviews, Enterprise seems to receive the most positive feedback, with customers particularly appreciative of the speed of car pick-up, the proximity of the cars to the airport, and their friendly staff. Once car rentals go past a week, Alamo often proves to be the most economical rental car agency.

Best for luxury cars: Alamo & Thrifty

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Our search for the agency with the best selection of luxury cars also placed Alamo at the top of the list. In among their selection of premium cars, you’ll find a sophisticated range of SUVs, jeeps and beefy sedans like the Nissan Maxima and the Chrysler 300. Alamo is renowned for its friendly service and the newness of their cars which is important in an area where there are often large distances between its tourist attractions. Alternatively, we’d choose Thrifty, which also possesses an extensive collection of luxury cars. From American manufacturers like Chevrolet and Cadillac to leading car makers from the Far East, there seems to be a vehicle for almost every taste.

Best for Minivans: Alamo & National

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A holidaying group of 7, 9, or 12? Choosing a minivan to rent anywhere in the world depends a lot on how many of you there are. For smaller groups, we’d recommend Alamo’s Dodge Grand Caravan that on our sample dates was averaging $92 per day. For larger groups, Alamo also rents out the 12-seater Ford Transit at $112 per day. As is the case in almost all major airports, you’ll see their trademark self-service rental kiosks helping to speed up car-pick up. To access these, you’ll need to sign up to their Insider’s program. Our second choice in this category would be National, which not only has competitive rates (albeit, slightly more expensive than Alamo) but also attracts glowing customer reviews.