I’ve yet to visit Los Angeles without renting a car, and every time I’m there, I wonder how people survive their trips without a rental. Renting a car in Los Angeles can seem daunting and you may not be surprised to have some of the highest quotes you’ll ever see. I guess the car rental prices are supposed to match those record breaking gas prices, but I digress.
Do I Need to Rent a Car in LA?
If you’ve been wondering whether or not you need a car rental in Los Angeles, the answer is yes. A big, fat, resounding YES. Sure, you can Uber everywhere or even try your hand at public transportation, but Ubers quickly add up and public transportation may limit how far you can actually go. Also, wouldn’t you rather be in traffic in your own comfortable car rather than in traffic and on a bus?
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How I Get Around LA
Since I’ve yet to officially move to LA, I still get a rental anytime I’m there and here’s how I get cheap car rentals as low as $4 a day. During my last trip I had the courtesy of driving the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross thanks to Mitsubishi. I’m used to small cars but have been planning on purchasing an SUV next, so this was perfect practice.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
I had this car for 6 days and only stopped to get gas once, and even then I only put $20 worth of gas in it. That may seem like I just didn’t drive it much but honestly, I was revving up the engine every morning and felt like I drove all day until at least 9:30pm. I was in and out of traffic, sometimes voluntarily, and driving as far as Santa Monica or north into the Hollywood Hills. I fell in love with this car in the process. Here are some of its features:

- MPG 25 city / 26 hwy
- Seating: 5
- Lane Departure Warning
- Forward Collision Mitigation
- Blind Spot Warning
- Transmission: Continuously variable-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 152 hp @ 5500 rpm
My 3 favorite things about the Eclipse Cross was that it came complete with Apple CarPlay (a must), an auto brake option (great for when you’re in standstill traffic and want to take your foot off of the brake), and the multi view camera. I hate parallel parking and being able to see the car from all angles made parking a breeze.

Popular Car Rental Agencies in LA
If you’ve shopped for car rentals in Los Angeles before then you probably are used to the same agencies popping up over and over again. Yes, those are the ones I also constantly see and usually book with as well. Here are the top car rental agencies in LA:
- Budget
- Avis
- Hertz
- National
- Alamo
- Dollar
If you have a trusted car rental company that you use when visiting Los Angeles, please drop it below and share the knowledge!
