11 Car Rentals with Child Safety Seats (+Price Comparison)

Bringing your own car seat when traveling in a rental vehicle has its benefits but is a pain if you have a few kids and bags or are flying to your destination.

These rental companies offer infant and child safety seats for a daily fee; none with free car seats, unfortunately.

The 11 Car Rentals with Child Safety Seats

#1 Alamo

Alamo’s car seats conform to government standards, with three types to suit various needs:

Infant seat – $9.99-$12/day, location-dependent; rearward-facing seat recommended for infants 5-20 lbs. The seat has a 5-point harness with a two-piece harness retainer and front harness lock, plus vinyl or cloth upholstery.
Child safety seat – $9.99-$12/day, location-dependent; rear-facing or reclining for infants up to 30 lbs; forward-facing for toddlers 20-40 lbs. It has the same upholstery and harness features as the infant seat, and Alamo guarantees the seat with a reservation.
Child booster seat – $9.99-$12/day, location-dependent; for children who are not large enough for a seat belt. The seat provides elevation so the seat belt can rest across the collar bone and chest.

The rate remains the same regardless of rental duration, but Alamo caps the car seat price at $60 per rental.

#2 Avis

Avis has thousands of rental locations worldwide, and their child safety seat prices vary depending on the country.

Still, Avis’s United States locations provide three types of child seats at these prices (not all branches will have all kinds):

Infant seat – up to $14/day, location-dependent, but can be as low as $3.50/day for longer durations. For infants 2-20 lbs.
Child safety seat – up to $14/day, location-dependent, but can be as low as $3.50/day for longer durations. For infants and toddlers 20-40 lbs.
Child booster seat – up to $14/day, location-dependent, but can be as low as $3.50/day for longer durations. For children 40-80 lbs.

The rates for car seats differ by location and rental duration, with some places offering as low as $3.50/day for rentals up to 2 weeks or longer.

Without a price cap per rental like Alamo, the total car seat rental can be very expensive for extended travels.

#3 Budget

Like Avis, Budget car rental offers three types of car seats with rental rates that decreases when you rent for more days:

Infant seat – up to $14/day; can be lower with longer rentals. For infants 2-20 lbs.
Child safety seat – up to $14/day; can be lower with longer rentals. For infants and toddlers 20-40 lbs.
Child Booster seat – up to $14/day; can be lower with longer rentals. For children 40-80 lbs.

The car seat rate is the same for prepaid and Pay Later reservations.

#4 Dollar

Dollar car rental is part of Hertz, and the types of car seats available include:

Infant seat – up to $13.99/day. Max $98/rental.
Toddler seat – up to $13.99/day. Max $98/rental.

Unfortunately, Dollar does not offer booster seats.

Plus, longer rental durations do not enjoy lower daily rates or a price cap, making Dollar car rental one of the most expensive companies from which to rent a child safety seat.

#5 Enterprise

According to JD Power, Enterprise is one of the most reputable car rentals in North America, scoring the highest customer satisfaction.

However, it does not have the three kinds of car seats – infant, safety, and booster seats – like most others on this list, its sole offering being:

Child safety seat – $12/day, subject to a maximum of $72 per rental ($12 x 6 days = $72), or as low as $8.95/day with a $60 max. per rental in less popular destinations.

The seat is the convertible type for infants and toddlers.

As Enterprise places a reasonable price cap on the car seat rentals, longer trips stand to benefit.

#6 Fox Rent a Car

Fox is one of the smallest car rental companies on this list, and its car seat offerings are pretty straightforward.

All three types of child seats are available when renting from Fox’s major airport locations across the US:

Infant seat – $10.99/day flat rate.
Child/toddler seat – $10.99/day flat rate.
Booster seat – $10.99/day flat rate.

Prepaying or paying later attracts the same rental rate.

#7 Hertz

Hertz Corporate is one of the largest rental companies in North America and worldwide, owning car rentals like Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty.

Hertz charges the same rate for these car seats, regardless of the location:

Infant seat – $13.99/day, subject to a maximum of $98/rental. For infants up to 20 lbs or 26 inches; rear-facing.
Child seat – $13.99/day, subject to a maximum of $98/rental. For children 20-40 lbs or up to 40 inches; convertible type.
Booster seat – $13.99/day, subject to a maximum of $98/rental. For kids 40-80 lbs.

Hertz specifies that the seats are a requirement in Hawaii for children that fall within these measurements:

Infant seat – under 2 years old.
Child seat – age 2 to 4.
Booster seat – age 4 or older or under 4 feet 9 inches if a child passenger restraint system with a harness is unavailable.

#8 National

National car rental has some of the priciest rates but relatively fewer consumer complaints and high-quality service.

However, National offers among the most affordable car seat rates, with flat rates and reasonably low maximums per rental.

Not all National rental locations have all three types of car seats, so you need to check each branch individually:

Infant seat – $9.99-$12/day, with max $60-$72/rental, location-dependent. Some locations, like LAX airport, have no maximum per rental, so it can get pricey for long trips (rpd).
Child safety seat – $9.99-$12/day, with max $60-$72/rental, location-dependent. Vinyl or cloth upholstery.
Booster seat – $9.99-$12/day, with max $60-$72/rental, location-dependent.

Do note that not all National rental branches have booster seats.

#9 Payless

Like Fox Rent a Car, Payless is a relatively small car rental with few locations, concentrating at airports.

While Fox has attractive rental car rates, its child seats are among the most expensive:

Infant seat – $10-$14/day, location-dependent.
Safety seat – $10-$14/day, location-dependent.
Booster seat – $10-$14/day, location-dependent.

Some Fox locations set a per-rental limit for their car seats, but the total for the seat alone can run into three-figure sums for those that don’t.

#10 Sixt

Sixt may not be as reputable as the industry giants like Avis, Enterprise, or Hertz, but it offers appealing rental rates and an extensive vehicle selection.

Although Sixt’s car seats are probably the highest among them, longer rentals can enjoy lower rates that go as low as $3+ per day:

Infant seat – up to $15/day. The maximum goes no higher than $105/rental for two or three weeks or $135/rental for bookings that approach one month or longer.
Toddler seat – ditto.
Booster seat – ditto.

Sixt provides the following guide:

Infant seat – babies up to 29 lbs or 15 months.
Toddler/safety seat – 20-40 lbs; 9 months to 4 years old.
Booster seat – 33-79 lbs; 4 to 12 years old.

#11 Thrifty

Thrifty is part of Hertz, so, unsurprisingly, their car seat prices are pretty much the same:

Infant seat – $13.99/day. Max 98/rental.
Safety/toddler seat – $13.99/day. Max $98/rental.

Similar weight limits apply for these seats as other car rentals.

Comparison of Car Rentals with Child Seats

Rates may change, so visit the car rentals’ websites for the latest update.

	Max. Daily Rate *	Min. Daily Rate *	Max. Per Rental
Alamo	$12/day	$9.99/day	$60/rental
Avis	$14/day	$3.50/day	NA
Budget	$14/day	$3/day	NA
Dollar	$13.99/day	(flat-rate)	$98/rental.
Enterprise	$12/day	$8.95/day	$60-$72/rental, location-dependent.
Fox	$10.99/day	(flat-rate)	NA
Hertz	$13.99/day	(flat-rate)	$98/rental
National	$12/day	(flat-rate)	$60-$72/rental. Some locations have no caps.
Payless	$14/day	(flat-rate)	Varies by location.
Sixt	$15/day	$3+/day	$105-$135, duration-dependent.
Thrifty	$13.99/day	(flat-rate)	$98/rental

Car rentals’ car seat price comparison.

*The maximum rate can vary due to the location, while the minimum may be attainable with longer rentals, often measured in weeks, unless a maximum price cap exists.

For those renting for less than a week, car rentals like Alamo, Enterprise, National, and Fox are the best pick for a car seat due to their low daily rates.

But if you need a child safety seat for longer than that, companies that place a price ceiling – like Alamo, Enterprise, National, and Sixt are the best bet to ensure your car seat rental remains reasonable.

References:

https://www.alamo.com/en/customer-support/car-rental-faqs/add-ons.html

https://www.avis.com/en/products-and-services/products/childsafetyseats

https://www.budget.com/en/products-services/products/child-safety-seats

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/productservice/index.jsp?targetPage=ChildSeatsUS.jsp

https://www.nationalcar.com/en/support/car-rental-faqs/car-seats.html

https://www.sixt.com/help-center/articles/child-car-seats/#/