Situated in the stunning Gallatin Valley, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) is located 8 miles from Bozeman in Montana. With over 450.000 passenger boardings a year, it is the busiest airport in Montana and the principal point of arrival for excursions to the Yellowstone National Parks.
A plane at Bozeman Int. Airport set against a picturesque mountainous backdrop (Photo: Amy Guth via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
In total, eight major rental car agencies operate from the area just outside the baggage claim area. As well as the usual international brands, there’s a highly recommendable car rental company called Blacksford renting out top-of-the-range camper vans. To determine which rental car companies offer the best options across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com conducted research into all of the agencies at BZN airport across several dates. Our findings are as follow.
MOST AFFORDABLE: ENTERPRISE
For the ‘Most Affordable’ category, we found Enterprise to have the best choice of cheap car rentals. Throughout the year, Enterprise leases out the popular Mitsubishi Mirage for daily rates between $70-140 (depending on the season) and slightly larger cars like the Nissan Rouge for Nissan Versa. For just a few extra dollars, you can even pick up an SUV like the popular Nissan Rogue. Enterprise receives great customer feedback for its speediness in handling of drop-offs and pick-ups, the cleanliness of cars and at this particular branch, the ease in finding its counter. Open: Monday to Sunday; 7.30am – 6pm.
BEST FOR LUXURY: ALAMO
Overall, Alamo is one of the USA’s most popular car rental agencies and backs it up with a modern fleet of cars. On our chosen dates, Alamo had models from American car manufacturers Chevrolet and Chrysler. For renters looking to go off-piste, Alamo rents out both the Ford Edge and the robust Jeep Wrangler 4. For a more conventional drive, they have premium SUVs like the 7-seater Chevrolet Suburb on their books. With such a great selection of cars and its renowned customer service, it’s no surprise to find Alamo at the very top of ratings on rentalcars.com. Open: Tuesday to Friday; 7.30am – 12.30am, Saturday; 8am – 12.30am, Sunday; 8am – 12.30am.
BEST FOR MINIVANS: NATIONAL
As always, minivans tend to have the highest price tags, but once the costs are divided up among a large group the initial outlay makes a lot more sense. With National, people carriers come in the form of the 7-seater Dodge Grand Canyon and the 15-seater Ford Transit for rent. Both were being rented out at $130 per day in October. For those looking to go deep into the Yellowstone National Park, we’d recommend the local car rental agency, Blacksford Luxury RV rentals. Among its fleet, they have vans such as a Winnebago Revel 4×4 and Mercedes Sprinter which are stocked with the sort of amenities you’d expect to find in a luxurious country home. Open: Monday to Friday; 7.30am – 11.30 pm, Saturday to Sunday 8am – 11.30 pm.