LAX Rental Car Center: Location, Shuttle and Companies

The center sits at 5251 W 98th St., Los Angeles, CA 90045. Use that address if you need to put it in a map app.

It opened officially on March 11, 2026. Three Avis brands (Avis, Budget and Payless) began operating there in October 2024, and the other nine moved in this March. Now all 12 on-airport brands are under one roof, which LAWA says makes it easier to pick up and return a car.

LAX publishes no center-wide opening hours, so check your own company. Budget lists its location as open 24 hours, and Enterprise says it accepts returns 24 hours a day. Sixt's page shows business hours with a gap overnight, roughly 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., so call before a very late or early pickup. Phone numbers are in the list further down.

Go to the purple Rental Car Shuttles sign outside baggage claim, on the Lower/Arrivals level. That is the pickup point for the courtesy shuttles to the center.

Don't confuse it with the pink LAX Shuttle signs. Those serve terminal-to-terminal trips, Economy Parking and the LAX/Metro Transit Center, not rental cars.

LAX's own rate chart calls the rental shuttles continuous and free, but it gives no time between buses. Companies quote different numbers: Enterprise says its shuttle runs every 5 minutes, while Sixt says about every 15 to 20 minutes. Treat both as the companies' own claims, ask yours, and leave extra time. Sixt's shuttle makes 5 stops at the airport: Terminal 1, between Terminals 2 and 3, between Tom Bradley and Terminal 4, Terminal 5, and between Terminals 6 and 7. LAWA also warns of work in Tom Bradley, Terminal 4 and the future Terminal 5, plus roadway closures around the terminal area.

SkyLink, the automated train, is meant to connect the terminals with the Rental Car Center. It is not open to travelers yet. LAX says it is in final testing and certification, and no opening date is published. Trains you see moving are tests.

When it opens, expect this, according to LAX:

• Free to ride, with no ticket or app.
• Runs 24/7, about every 2 minutes from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and every 3 to 5 minutes from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m.
• Six stations, about 10 minutes end to end.

Don't plan your trip around it. Until it opens, use the shuttle.

LAWA lists 12 on-airport brands at the center: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt, Thrifty and Zipcar.

flylax.com's own company list also names Europcar, which is not in LAWA's count of 12. If you booked Europcar, check your confirmation for where to go.

Some companies are not in the center. Their customers meet them at LAX Economy Parking, 6100 W 94th St. Board the shuttle marked "LAX Economy Parking" (a pink LAX Shuttle), then follow the signs to the Off-Airport Rental Car Companies Waiting Area.

LAX lists these off-airport companies: Allied, Ace, Drive, Green Motion, Midway, Next Car, Priceless, State Van, U-Save and Zezgo. Each has an office on a nearby street, with addresses listed on this page, but you meet them at Economy Parking, not at the office.

Two rentals also operate at private aviation sites: Go Rentals at Signature Aviation (6201 W Imperial Hwy, (213) 561-3608) and Hertz at Atlantic Aviation, (310) 568-5100. They are not at the airline terminals. LAX lists 5251 W 98th St for the Hertz site, the same address as the Rental Car Center, so confirm the location with Hertz.

For on-airport brands, plan to return the car at the Rental Car Center, 5251 W 98th St. LAX publishes no return hours or official return route, so use that address in your GPS and follow your rental agreement.

Companies add some detail:

• Enterprise accepts returns 24 hours a day and says to follow the signs for rental car returns on LAX property.
• Budget's page gives road directions: from the 405, exit onto Century Blvd, turn right onto Concourse Way, then follow the marked signs for Budget Rental Car Return. It says after-hours returns are open 24 hours.
• Sixt tells you to follow its signs to the 2nd floor, where an agent collects the key. Then take the elevator or stairs to the 1st floor and follow the signs to the shuttle area. Sixt says its shuttles to the airport run 24/7.

Those directions come from the companies, not from LAX, and we haven't driven them, so rely on the signs on the day.

Build in time for the shuttle back to the terminals, especially before an early flight. Companies quote very different waits, as noted above.

Enterprise advises refueling before you arrive if you plan to return the car with a full tank.

OpenStreetMap, a volunteer-made map and not an official LAX source, shows a Shell, a 76 (5552 W Century Blvd), two Arcos (5201 W Century Blvd and 9200 Aviation Blvd) and a Chevron (5156 W Century Blvd). All are less than half a mile (under 0.6 km) from the center, measured in a straight line. Prices and hours aren't in that data, so search "gas near 5251 W 98th St" in a maps app before you go.

Peer-to-peer cars, such as Turo, don't use the Rental Car Center. LAX says these companies operate from the LAX Budget Lot, 5455 W 111th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

A free shuttle links the lot with the Central Terminal Area 24 hours a day, every 20 to 25 minutes, according to LAX. Catch it at the pink LAX Shuttle zones on the Arrivals level. There are also pickup areas throughout the lot.

Turo's help page for LAX hosts says guests return the car to the same lot, in section B9 if possible, and that lockboxes are no longer allowed there. It also mentions entering with a ticket or a reserved QR code. Since that page is written for hosts, follow the instructions in your own Turo trip messages.

LAX's ground transportation page mentions a Customer Facility Charge of $9.00 per day for up to 5 days. It describes a 2019 Board of Airport Commissioners resolution authorizing this "alternative" charge on rental car transactions at LAX, and it doesn't say how it appears on today's bills. Rental taxes and fees change and differ by company, so read the full total on your reservation before you book.

LAX publishes a phone number for each company. Call before you go if you need hours or an early or late pickup.

At the Rental Car Center:

• Alamo (888) 826-6893
• Avis (310) 342-9200
• Budget (310) 642-4500
• Dollar (866) 434-2226
• Enterprise (833) 679-2047
• Europcar (323) 673-9084
• Fox (323) 673-9084
• Hertz (310) 568-5100
• National (888) 826-6890
• Payless (213) 782-8950
• Sixt (888) 749-8227
• Thrifty (310) 258-3000
• Zipcar (866) 494-7227

Off-airport companies:

• Allied (310) 410-2313
• Ace (424) 293-1154
• Drive Rental Cars (702) 723-7483
• Green Motion (424) 295-0587
• Midway (310) 649-5549
• Next Car (310) 216-0000
• Priceless (310) 216-0000
• State Van (310) 641-7000
• U-Save (424) 295-0587
• Zezgo (424) 239-5099

Numbers can change, so check the company's website too.