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Car hire at Santa Barbara Airport

Driver's age: 26-65

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Cheap car hire at Santa Barbara airport

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Mini car
Mini
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Economy car
Economy
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Compact car
Compact
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Intermediate car
Intermediate
M
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Standard car
Standard
M
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Full-size car
Full-size
M
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Luxury car
Luxury
M
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People carrier car
People carrier
M
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Passenger van car
Passenger van
M
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SUV car
SUV
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Commercial car
Commercial
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Pick-up truck car
Pick-up truck
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Top tips for hiring a car at Santa Barbara airport

  • Car rental at Santa Barbara Airport is a preferred option for many people, especially for business or pleasure trips. The car rental companies offer you the opportunity to rent a car and enjoy your trip with absolute freedom and flexibility. You get to drive at your own pace, take a break when you feel like and visit all the places that are on the itinerary. With a rental car at this airport, you get to pick the kind of vehicle that you feel comfortable driving. This gives you the freedom to explore all the nooks and corners of the city at your own comfort.
  • The common car types available for rental are compact, intermediate, and standard cars. Since the Santa Barbara Airport is small, you will find it easy to navigate around with any of these models. However, if you prefer something that offers more space, then you can go for a mid-size or luxury car. These cars require a higher fee but are worth it for those who like to have a lavish journey or have a large group. You can even take your pick from the four-wheel-drive vehicles that give you an added advantage if you wish to explore some of the rough terrains in this part of Southern California.
  • Santa Barbara Airport is usually busy between November and January. But this also means that you get to experience some spectacular deals for a rental vehicle at this time. The Santa Barbara Airport has one runway, and it is usually open between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm. Do not forget that booking your rental car through KAYAK will give you the best possible deals. The entire car rental at the Santa Barbara Airport can be done right from your home with a click of a few buttons.
  • When you need to return your rental car, the process is as simple as you picking it up, if not easier. You will be asked to hand over the car at the same office where you picked it up from. When returning the car to the airport, remember to keep your keys and make sure that you have cleaned of all trash. Also, before signing anything, make sure that there are no excess charges or extra penalties mentioned in your contract. Different car rental companies at this airport may have their own requirements for returning vehicles, but most of them are similar.
  • Book your car hire at Santa Barbara airport at least 1 day before your trip in order to get a below-average price

FAQs about hiring a car at Santa Barbara airport

  • Which of the rental car companies at the airport are the easiest to use?

    For a rental car, Budget and Hertz are some of the easiest and least time-consuming to use. You get good deals when you book online through KAYAK, without any hassles of going to their offices and waiting for hours on end to get a car. These are some of the most preferred options because of their flexibility. You can choose from its large fleet and make your choice depending on your requirement.

  • What kind of documentation is required for a car rental at Santa Barbara Airport?

    You will need to carry a valid driving license and a credit card. It is also important that you have a telephone number with the area code of Santa Barbara. If your home country does not have an international dialing code, then make sure that you request one before going to this airport because without it, you may not be able to rent a car. Another important requirement is to have a standard photo ID card that has your picture and name clearly printed on it.

  • Where is the Santa Barbara Airport car rental center located?

    The rental car center at the airport is located on the first floor of the terminal building. The location may be different for each car rental company, but they are usually close to each other and within easy walking distance from your landing point. From the arrivals door where you would be coming out from, walk straight towards Highway 101 on the left.

  • What is the best car hire company at Santa Barbara airport?

    Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car hire company at Santa Barbara airport is Budget (6.7, 68 reviews).

  • Which car hire companies will pick you up at Santa Barbara airport?

    Car hire companies that offer shuttle or pick-up services from Santa Barbara airport to off-airport locations include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz, National, and Thrifty.

Santa Barbara Airport car rental reviews and directory 
All ratings and reviews are collected from KAYAK users with a verified car hire booking. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.

Budget

6.7

Okay

Read 44 reviews
Best rated

Cleanliness

7.1

Comfort

7.2

Pick-up/Drop-off

6.9

Value for money

6.7

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Show locations

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 Fowler Road

+1 805 964 6792

Monday08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday08:00 - 21:00
Thursday08:00 - 21:00
Friday08:00 - 21:00
Saturday08:00 - 21:00
Sunday08:00 - 21:00
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Reviews

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Aug 2024

Supplier choice

KAYAK
I'm sorry I just completely answered my experience question with budget in the previous statement for Expedia and I really really hope someone reads it and acknowledges it because it was the car rental from hell...

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Aug 2024

Supplier choice

KAYAK
.. where do I begin. Well I begin at the beginning. I didn't realize I had booked an electric car. Never drove one before. Don't really know anything about them. So I thought okay this is an opportunity to find out. I was only going to be using the car to drive from point A and back, 170 mi each way. On the freeway. Seems simple enough. And it should have been and could have been, but wasn't due to the inadequate information provided to me by the rental agent regarding the electric car. My suggestion is that there should be a cheat sheet in every electric car, telling renters and basic information about how electric cars work and of course about charging them. But the biggest mistake that really messed me up with this rental was that the rental agent when I asked what the range was on the car, that was my main question because I know that's important. The car was a Kia Niro, he said the range was 220 miles. I was going to be driving 170 miles each way, and the hotel I was going to I know had electric car chargers so I figured I was good. I got the car and went on my way back home to put my stuff in the car before leaving. Fortunately for me my neighbor's son who works at Lexus and knows all about cars happened to be at my location when I got home visiting his mother. I told him that I had electric car but I didn't really know anything about it because all the rental agent said to me was to charge the car you needed to tap your credit card. That and the mileage range was all I said to me about it. I'm 74 years old so I've driven a lot of different cars and I know they all vary a little bit in one way or another, I also know that you should have a general idea of the dashboard and whatnot before you take off. So my neighbor's son looked at it, the dashboard to just show me where things were and he noticed that the car did not have the 220 miles available on it that I was told, after driving home from the airport where I picked it up, which was a couple of miles, the car had 176 miles on it. He told me that wasn't going to be enough although technically it was because I was driving 170 miles, he said electric cars are basically like gas cars the kind of mileage you get, depends on how you drive. Faster you drive the poor the mileage if you have the air conditioning on the poorer the mileage. I had no clue about this. He told me I needed to charge the car and get at least 20 more miles on it and ideally more to make sure the car didn't die on the freeway on route to my destination. He also explained to me that all charging machines are not created equal, when it comes to cars that are not Teslas and you can't use a Tesla charger on any other kind of vehicle. After some trial and error I found some charging stations at a shopping center after backtracking to get to it. Usually I've noticed that the electric cars are like gas cars in that the chargers on the side of the car. Well not with this car, I found it on the front of the car, covered by this flap. I couldn't get the flap open to access the charger. Fortunately a couple walk by just then and the man offered to help me. Again after some trial and error discovered the way to get the flap open which you had to push unlock on the key fob. Well apparently this was one of those slow charging machines, I had picked the car up at 5:00 p.m. . It was now 8:00 p.m. and and I finally had 20 extra miles charged on the car. It took over an hour and a half for that. Because of this delay in time and that 3-hour estimated drive to my destination, it being Sunday evening I knew I was going to miss my dinner at my destination. Thank God my neighbor's son told me about putting additional miles on the charging of the vehicle because if I hadn't done that, the car would have died on the freeway because when I got to my destination I had six miles to spare. Now the vehicle does have a warning that comes on that tells you you only have 15% of charge left, but to someone like me who knows nothing about how these cars work that meant nothing, but it did have a screen that told you places you could get off the freeway and find a charger. So being a reasonably intelligent person I probably would have done that but didn't do it because I knew I was only a couple miles from my destination and didn't want to spend time and Miles driving around looking for the charger in a strange city that I didn't know. The point is if there had been a cheat sheet in the car, telling me all these things that I didn't know it would have made a world of difference in this experience plus if the car had been fully charged at rental. I found out of return that the Santa Barbara airport even though it rents all major car rentals, doesn't have one single charging machine for either non Tesla's or Teslas, and that they have to drive several miles to the Costco to use their chargers to charge the rental cars. So a lot of times they don't bother to fully charge them. Which is fine if you're driving around town only, but I told the rental agent I was going to drive 170 MI. The hotel also had one of those slow charging things and it took over 10 hours to get the car just 80% charged, to 206 MI, which I figured was enough to get me home. But to be on the safe side, I did not use the air conditioning except for a minute here and there to keep me from getting heat stroke, because it was 95° outside. I did this because I was told that using the air conditioning would cut down on the available miles. And I just wanted to get home and be done with this an address my concerns and complaints to the return agent when I got there.. her name was Tammy and she was probably the most apathetic person I've ever encountered. Every problematic thing I tried to describe to her she canceled it out with some kind of comment and in the end made it all seem like everything was my fault and probably the most significant thing she said to me was yeah I've heard it all before I asked her what if I had died on the freeway due to running out of mileage. Her response was well you call roadside service. Roadside service doesn't have portable chargers so they would have towed the car to the nearest charger. How many more hours of my time would that have taken? She didn't care she just didn't care. And in the end she just said, well just don't rent an electric car anymore. She did take a whopping $10 off my rental.. she said that's all she's authorized to do.. there was no manager or anybody else there just her. I asked her how long she worked there. She said 2 years. In my opinion it's 2 years too long, obviously someone that doesn't enjoy customers and doesn't enjoy helping them and that's something I know a lot about as someone who worked as a rental agent for Hertz for 8 years and actually had customers come back and say you know we really enjoy renting from you you're so helpful and so nice on many occasions by the way, I tolerance for poor customer service is zero. If each of these agents had properly done their job I would not have had such a horrible experience. And as a additional note when I rented the car, there was no long line of customers behind me causing the rental agent to not give me adequate information. In summary, each electric car should have a cheat sheet in a giving basic information especially regarding the mileage range and how it's not what it seems to be and secondly that in any job that requires customer service, there's absolutely no room for apathy. If you don't like your job get another one...

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Aug 2024

Full-size

KAYAK
Wasted my time. Budget did not honor the booking. Stop reserving the cars.

10.0 Wonderful

Eliana, Feb 2024

Intermediate SUV

KAYAK
Super friendly and professional service. Clean nice car.

2.0 Poor

優斗, Nov 2023

Intermediate

KAYAK
At first, it said it would take $75, but actually it takes $240 without our faults.

6.0 Okay

Anonymous, Oct 2023

Economy

KAYAK
Pickup was poor. No one available in car lot to help find car. Car was not where counter staff told us it was. Counter staff were not rude but not friendly or helpful with questions about car. Tried to reach office during rental period and was impossible. Dropoff was the same. No one in the lot. Counter staff not friendly or rude, Great car and poor service.

1 out of 15

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

8.4

Very Good

Read 6 reviews

Cleanliness

8.3

Comfort

8.4

Pick-up/Drop-off

8.6

Value for money

8.4

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Show locations

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 James Fowler Rd

+1 805 683 3012

Monday08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday08:00 - 21:00
Thursday08:00 - 21:00
Friday08:00 - 21:00
Saturday08:00 - 21:00
Sunday08:00 - 21:00
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Reviews

4.0 Mediocre

Anonymous, Oct 2020

KAYAK

Pros:

The staff was able to point me in the right direction after they recognized their mistake.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Apr 2023

Standard

KAYAK
Great team. Thanks!

2.0 Poor

Terence, Nov 2022

KAYAK
They did not have a car available and we could not reach our destination as scheduled. Our vacation was ruined.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Apr 2022

KAYAK
Fast service, no hassles, good value

10.0 Wonderful

Peter, Dec 2021

KAYAK
Everything was easy.

6.0 Okay

Anonymous, Jun 2021

KAYAK

Pros:

Drop off was east

Cons:

vehicle could have been cleaner

1 out of 2

Avis

7.9

Good

Read 9 reviews

Cleanliness

9.1

Comfort

8.7

Pick-up/Drop-off

7.9

Value for money

7.8

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Show locations

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 Fowler Road

+1 805 964 4848

Monday08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday08:00 - 21:00
Thursday08:00 - 21:00
Friday08:00 - 21:00
Saturday08:00 - 21:00
Sunday08:00 - 21:00
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Reviews

4.0 Mediocre

Ahmed, Oct 2024

Economy

KAYAK
I was given a Ford F250 truck instead of economy car. The agent was rude and insisted that it's my only option or a minivan. The lot was full of cars and despite asking several times I was told this is the only option, or wait for 40 minutes or more to see if anything comes available. Very disappointed with the customer service, However drop off was smooth.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Feb 2024

Intermediate

KAYAK
Great!

4.0 Mediocre

Kyle, May 2021

KAYAK

Cons:

The staff at pickup in Santa Barbara used deceitful tactics to pressure us into paying for an upgrade.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Sept 2022

KAYAK
Easy pick and up and drop off. New and clean car, gas tank full, great experience as always!

8.0 Very Good

Kelli, Jul 2022

KAYAK
The pick up line was pretty Long at SBC. Attendant worked as best as able with number of people.

10.0 Wonderful

Brad, Jul 2022

KAYAK
Seth was excellent

1 out of 3

Alamo

7.8

Good

Read 14 reviews

Cleanliness

7.7

Comfort

8.0

Pick-up/Drop-off

7.9

Value for money

7.9

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Show locations

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 James Fowler Rd

+1 805 692 0939

Monday08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday08:00 - 21:00
Thursday08:00 - 21:00
Friday08:00 - 21:00
Saturday08:00 - 21:00
Sunday08:00 - 21:00
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Reviews

8.0 Very Good

Anonymous, May 2021

KAYAK

Pros:

The woman who helped me with drop off was incredibly helpful

2.0 Poor

Rebecca, May 2021

KAYAK

Cons:

They did not have my car available and said they tried to call me, but I never got a call. I needed a 12 person van, so it was not easy to find another one. Thankfully AVIS helped me out at the last minute!

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Dec 2020

KAYAK

Cons:

Vehicle that I reserved was not available when I went go pick up.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Nov 2020

KAYAK

Cons:

I liked the small airport with car pick up right outside the terminal. Very convenient, quick, and simple. Would probably choose a slightly larger car than a Toyota Corolla for four adults.

9.6 Wonderful

Julia, Aug 2020

KAYAK

Pros:

Staff was friendly and efficient

Cons:

Car was a little dirty inside.

9.6 Wonderful

Deb, Jun 2020

KAYAK

Pros:

Easy, fast, and safe.

1 out of 5

Dollar

7.1

Good

Read 17 reviews

Cleanliness

7.7

Comfort

7.8

Pick-up/Drop-off

6.4

Value for money

6.9

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Show locations

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 Fowler Road

+1 866 434 2226

Monday07:00 - 21:00
Tuesday07:00 - 21:00
Wednesday07:00 - 21:00
Thursday07:00 - 21:00
Friday07:00 - 21:00
Saturday07:00 - 21:00
Sunday07:00 - 21:00
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Reviews

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Apr 2024

Economy

KAYAK
We had to rent somewhere else. There was a line that the person in front of me said they had been waiting over an hour in. There was only one person at the counter and over 10 parties in line. The other car companies had no wait. I paid slightly more but it was worth not waiting over and hour

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, May 2021

KAYAK

Pros:

My flight got in at6pm, the desk had closed at 5pm. No car for me!

Cons:

Knowing that I cannot get a car from Dollar after 5pm, I would have rented from Budget.

10.0 Wonderful

Talitha, May 2021

KAYAK

Pros:

The check in and check out was very quick and easy, and they were very helpful when I had questions on the vehicle.

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Mar 2021

KAYAK

Pros:

Yes, staff was terrific. Very helpful.

Cons:

Nothing it was perfect

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Dec 2020

KAYAK

Cons:

i made a reservation only to arrive and be told there are no vehicles. once i made the reservation, the desk could have at least called to let me know. people make plans and rely on companies to have the product they reserve

3.6 Poor

Jared, Jul 2020

KAYAK

Pros:

Drop off was easy.

Cons:

I paid for a full size vehicle at least a week in advance. When I arrived to pick it up they didn't have one. We got stuck in a smaller car and couldn't get ahold of any customer service at priceline or kayak.

1 out of 6

National

6.0

Okay

Read 2 reviews

Cleanliness

10.0

Comfort

10.0

Pick-up/Drop-off

5.0

Value for money

6.0

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Show locations

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 James Fowler Rd

+1 805 692 0939

Monday08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday08:00 - 21:00
Thursday08:00 - 21:00
Friday08:00 - 21:00
Saturday08:00 - 21:00
Sunday08:00 - 21:00
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Reviews

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Jun 2024

Intermediate

KAYAK
Amazing!

2.0 Poor

Victor, Nov 2021

KAYAK
I booked for 160 dls and my receipt was for more than 200 dls

1 out of 1

Hertz

5.6

Fair

Read 17 reviews

Cleanliness

7.0

Comfort

6.2

Pick-up/Drop-off

5.5

Value for money

5.7

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

114 Moffett Pl

+1 805 967 0411

Monday07:00 - 21:00
Tuesday07:00 - 21:00
Wednesday07:00 - 21:00
Thursday07:00 - 21:00
Friday07:00 - 21:00
Saturday07:00 - 21:00
Sunday07:00 - 21:00

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Reviews

10.0 Wonderful

Anonymous, Apr 2024

Intermediate

KAYAK
Pick up was fine but drop off could have been a little smoother.

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Dec 2023

Compact

KAYAK
We rented a “midsize” SUV to take our family of 5 to airport in LA with luggage for a long trip. Arrived at the counter and they gave me a Chevy bolt?? Which is a tiny car that will not accommodate our needs. I showed them the rental confirmation that showed confirmation of a mid size suv and the guys at the counter said yeah that’s our midsize suv? I told them our situation with the kid’s and luggage and asked if there was anything they could do to accommodate with another vehicle and they said yes but the next level up was a Chevy traverse (what I would consider an actual midsized suv) however, it was over 75% more for that vehicle than what I initially paid. I was bent over a barrel with my hands tied so I had to do it but it didn’t seem right. I felt very mislead and bait and switch…. Chevy Bolt…Ha!

8.0 Very Good

Anonymous, Oct 2023

Compact

KAYAK
Overall good. The first person I interacted with was very friendly. A few issues arose in terms of picking up my car. They did not have a car available when I arrived, so in addition to waiting in line, I had to wait 30+ minutes to get a car. The person who processed my rental was less friendly and I realized after the fact, did not go through my rental agreement, etc. and just had me electronically sign a contract that I had not actually seen. I reserved a compact car and ended up with a Mustang. On one hand, this was fun, but difficult to drive/park in tiny spaces and also not very fuel efficient.

2.0 Poor

Bruce, Dec 2021

KAYAK
Hertz had no cars available to rent in the price range of my reservation. They wanted to put me on a waiting list for a car to come in before completing my reservation (how many hours?). I asked they upgrade me to an available car but they would not do without making me pay for the upgrade. Slimy bait and switch tactic. Not what you'd expect for a class company

4.0 Mediocre

Anonymous, Dec 2021

KAYAK
Air conditioner did not work properly which made it uncomfortable.

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Oct 2021

KAYAK
The car was not ready when we arrived, the front desk attendant charged us for 2 extra hours because we ended up getting our car slightly earlier than the time that we scheduled. Will not rent from SB Hertz again.

Thrifty

5.5

Fair

Read 3 reviews

Cleanliness

7.5

Comfort

7.5

Pick-up/Drop-off

5.5

Value for money

7.0

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

114 Moffett Place

+1 805 967 0411

Monday07:00 - 21:00
Tuesday07:00 - 21:00
Wednesday07:00 - 21:00
Thursday07:00 - 21:00
Friday07:00 - 21:00
Saturday07:00 - 21:00
Sunday07:00 - 21:00

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Reviews

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Mar 2023

Economy

KAYAK
The car was dirty, the pick up experience was terrible.

10.0 Wonderful

Pamela, Sept 2020

KAYAK

Pros:

Yes, staff was helpful, service fast, individual ride back to airport, free upgrade.

Cons:

the weather

2.0 Poor

Anonymous, Apr 2022

KAYAK
They have a pretty rough operation, an ugly office in a trailer away from the airport. The staff was confused and argued with each other on pickup (did they have a car for me?, where's the key?, etc). Difficulty with computer and paperwork, The car had 125,000 miles on it, but it was fine.

Easirent

4.6

Mediocre

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Opening times not available

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No reviews available

AutoEurope

No score available yet

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Opening times not available

Filters

No reviews available

Sunnycars

No score available yet

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 James Fowler Rd

Opening times not available

Filters

No reviews available

VIPCars Recommendation

No score available yet

One location in Santa Barbara Airport

Locations in Santa Barbara Airport

500 Fowler Rd, Goleta, , USA California

+1 914 368 0091

Monday08:00 - 21:00
Tuesday08:00 - 21:00
Wednesday08:00 - 21:00
Thursday08:00 - 21:00
Friday08:00 - 21:00
Saturday08:00 - 21:00
Sunday08:00 - 21:00

Filters

No reviews available

176 travellers who hired a car in Santa Barbara Airport gave the car agency they used an average rating of 4.8

Car rental locations at Santa Barbara Airport

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Good to know

Most popular car type

Economy

Everything you need to know for your car hire at Santa Barbara Airport