10 U.S. Cities Where Car Rentals Are Hard to Find
A rental car feels like the simplest checkbox on a trip until the counter says sold out and every app shows the same empty grid. In some places, demand spikes faster than fleets can rotate, and one big event or a cluster of delayed flights drains inventory by lunchtime. In others, geography limits supply, airports are small, or tourism is sharply seasonal, so the system has no slack. The result is predictable: fewer choices, higher prices, and long lines for keys. These destinations are fantastic, but they reward early booking and a clear backup plan.
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman’s airport traffic keeps growing with Yellowstone, Big Sky, and summer road-trip season, yet the rental-car supply can still feel thin when hiking crowds and wedding weekends land at the same time. Flights arrive in clusters, cars return late from long scenic loops, and visitors often extend stays when weather turns perfect, which slows turnover. That creates a familiar pattern: sold-out screens, premium rates, and counters that feel like triage by early afternoon. Bozeman itself is compact and walkable, but most itineraries depend on driving to trailheads and rivers, so a missed reservation can turn a carefully planned week into a scramble for shuttles or costly last-minute swaps.
Jackson, Wyoming
Jackson is a place where almost everyone wants a vehicle, because Grand Teton and Yellowstone plans rely on sunrise starts, wildlife pullouts, and flexible pacing that tours cannot always match. The airport is small, arrivals come in waves, and inventory disappears quickly during peak summer and holiday winter periods. Book late and the options shrink to large SUVs, high rates, or nothing at all, pushing travelers toward long transfers from Idaho or complicated one-way plans. It is a town surrounded by open space, yet the rental market can feel unusually tight, and once the counters run dry, there is no nearby overflow lot to rescue the day.
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii
Maui’s rental crunch is the island version of a simple problem: limited fleets, high demand, and fewer alternatives when the lot is empty. When flights land back-to-back, counters run hot, and even prepaid reservations can still involve long waits if cars are being cleaned and staged. Peak seasons, school breaks, and weather shifts add pressure, especially when visitors extend stays or switch islands, slowing returns. Maui rewards having a car, because beaches, food stops, and scenic drives are spread out, so shortages reshape the whole trip. Book late and mobility becomes the real luxury, not the hotel.
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage acts as the launchpad for Alaska road trips, which makes rental demand both intense and seasonal. In summer, travelers arrive ready to drive to Denali, Seward, Homer, or the Glenn Highway, and fleets get stretched across long distances, with cars returning late or staying out longer when plans change. Cruise schedules and flight arrivals can overlap, draining inventory and leaving fewer choices by midday. Anchorage has buses and rideshares, but most visitors want freedom beyond town, and that freedom depends on keys that can be hard to secure without booking well ahead. When rentals run short, the whole state suddenly feels farther apart.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe surprises people because it feels like a major destination, yet nearby rental inventory can be modest, especially if flights arrive through a smaller airport schedule. Many travelers fly into Albuquerque, but even there demand can spike during festival weeks and fall color season, pulling cars fast from the same lots. Santa Fe itself is easy to enjoy on foot, but the region’s best moments sit on open roads, from high desert overlooks to Taos day trips, so a missing rental quietly shrinks the trip to a few walkable blocks. In a place built on big skies and wide horizons, running out of cars feels oddly limiting.
Key West, Florida
Key West is a special case because many visitors do not need a car once they arrive, but rentals still vanish quickly for anyone planning to explore the Lower Keys or drive to quieter beaches. Inventory is limited, parking is tight, and island logistics slow fleet rotation, so supply is never as flexible as mainland cities. During busy seasons, delayed flights can bunch arrivals and create counter backlogs, making availability feel unpredictable. When rentals are scarce, visitors pivot to bikes and scooters, which can be great, but it changes the rhythm and range of the trip. A car that seemed optional can become a hard-to-get tool for freedom.
Nantucket, Massachusetts
On Nantucket, rental cars are shaped by island reality: limited space, small fleets, and summer demand that hits hard and stays high. Around July and August weekends, ferries and flights run full, and car inventory can vanish days or weeks ahead, especially for travelers who want a vehicle for beach gear and lodging outside town. Many visitors rely on bikes and shuttles, but that does not help if a schedule requires flexibility or late-night movement. Book late and the choices can be either expensive or nonexistent. The island feels calm because it is contained, yet that same containment also constrains car supply and makes planning feel essential.
Aspen, Colorado
Aspen’s airport is small and weather-sensitive, and that combination can create sudden rental shortages when flights divert, land late, or arrive in tight clusters. Add ski season demand and the number of visitors who want to drive to nearby valleys, and inventory disappears quickly, often leaving high-end categories that push budgets up. Aspen itself is navigable without a car, yet the surrounding scenery, hot springs, and neighboring towns reward mobility, and shuttles do not always match the timing people want for early ski starts or late dinners. In a place defined by access to mountains, access to keys can become the real bottleneck.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans can run into rental scarcity during major festivals, sports weekends, and convention surges when travelers who normally would not rent suddenly decide they need a vehicle. Demand spikes, airport lots empty, and late arrivals see only costly categories or nothing at all. The city’s core is walkable, so the crunch often becomes visible only when people plan a plantation tour, a bayou trip, or a drive to the Gulf and realize the counters are bare. When rentals are hard to find, day plans become expensive guided trips or get cut entirely, and the itinerary tightens around the French Quarter even if the goal was to roam farther.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan’s rental situation can feel unpredictable because demand is heavy, alternatives are limited, and peak-season waves drain inventory quickly. Visitors want cars for beaches, rainforest drives, and the quieter coast beyond the city, and when reservations are made late, prices jump sharply and availability disappears. Logistics amplify the squeeze. Returns take time, cleaning cycles slow during surges, and flight delays bunch arrivals into the same hours, creating long counter lines. Old San Juan is easy to enjoy without a car, but Puerto Rico’s best days often sit outside the city, so a car shortage can quietly reshape the entire trip into something smaller than planned.
