Car Rentals · United States

Car Rentals in Seattle

Country: United States
One-way routes: 1

The Space Needle with the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier at sunset

Car Rentals in Seattle

Live rental rates from major suppliers.

Downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market, and the waterfront are walkable, and Link light rail reaches Sea-Tac Airport and several other neighborhoods, so a car is not essential for a downtown-focused trip.

Seattle Traffic Has a Real Reputation

Between I-5 congestion and the floating bridges across Lake Washington (I-90 and SR 520), driving here can be genuinely slow at rush hour. If your trip stays downtown and on the light rail line, skipping a rental avoids this entirely.

When a Car Helps

Day trips to Mount Rainier National Park (about 2 hours south), the Olympic Peninsula, or wine country in the Yakima Valley are all far more practical with your own car. A ferry to Bainbridge Island can be done on foot as a passenger, but exploring beyond the ferry terminal benefits from a vehicle.

Compare rental rates above if Mount Rainier or the Olympic Peninsula are part of your plans, or check flight and hotel options if you’re keeping things downtown.

Things to do

Top attractions and tours in Seattle

Skip-the-line tickets and experiences from Tiqets, our activities partner. Prices are in Canadian dollars and you book directly on tiqets.com.

Seattle Aquarium: Entry Ticket

4.3(357)Instant tickets

From $69.85Book on Tiqets

Bubble Planet Bellevue: Entry Ticket

4.1(48)Instant tickets

From $34.82Book on Tiqets

Woodland Park Zoo: Skip The Line Ticket

4.6(143)Instant tickets

From $32.09Book on Tiqets

Seattle Center Monorail: Transport Ticket

4.3(6)Instant tickets

From $5.59Book on Tiqets

Seattle Harbor Cruise

4.7(21)1hInstant tickets

From $67.53Book on Tiqets

Exquisite Creatures Exhibit: Entry Ticket

5.0(11)Instant tickets

From $47.54Book on Tiqets

Travel guides

Seattle travel guides

All guides

Seattle: Should You Rent a Car or Rely on Public Transit?

Whether to rent a car in Seattle or rely on the Link light rail, buses, the monorail and the ferries: how the city is laid out, how ORCA fares work, what driving here is really like (I-5, tolls, hills, break-ins), when a car is worth it for Rainier and the Olympics, driving to Vancouver and the border, and a decision table.

Best Time to Fly to Seattle: Seasons, Weather & Prices

Month-by-month guide to flying to Seattle: the gray, mild winters and dry summers, the Alaska cruise weekends and events that drive fares, the cheapest and busiest windows, and how to get downtown from Sea-Tac.

Things to Do in Seattle: A First-Timer’s Guide

A first-timer’s guide to Seattle: Pike Place Market and the new waterfront, the Space Needle, Chihuly and MoPOP, Pioneer Square and the Underground, ferries, lakes and parks, Capitol Hill, Fremont and Ballard, sports, seafood and coffee, day trips to Mount Rainier, the islands and Vancouver, and two sample itineraries.

FAQ

Seattle car rentals, answered

When's the best time to visit Seattle?

Do I need a rental car in Seattle?

Can I do a one-way road trip from Seattle?

Yes. Popular one-way drives from Seattle include Vancouver (143 mi). One-way rentals can carry a drop-off fee, so compare one-way and round-trip rates before you book.

Can I also compare flights to Seattle and hotels in Seattle?

Yes. Our flights and hotels pages for Seattle each have a live search, so you can plan the whole trip in one place.