The state capital of Indianapolis, Indiana or Indy as its often referred to, is a clean-cut city is known for its enormous farms filled with corn and of course, the Indy 500, the most famous motor race in the world. The majority of people visiting Indy will touch down at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), an airport located seven miles south of downtown Indianapolis.
Downtown Indianapolis ( Photo: Adstarkel via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
There are nine car rental companies operating from with in the Ground Transportation Center, located on the first floor and another two outside of it (Airport Van Rental and Payless)
To determine which rental car companies offer the best vehicles across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), Travelmag.com has carefully researched the prices, availability, policies and customer reviews of the car rental companies operating out of IND airport. Here are our findings.
Most Affordable: Alamo
If you’re researching through popular car rental site, rentalcars.com, Alamo consistently has the best offers on cheap car rentals. On our sample dates, their cheapest car, the Mitsubishi Mirage was being rented out at a competitive $95 per day – a car that gives further value for money by returning 36-43 miles per gallon. With additional options like the popular Nissan Versa and the Toyota Corolla at a similar price, Alamo beats all the competition in this category by having a superior customer feedback at 8.2 out of 10.
It’s worth noting that all rental car companies listed on RentalCars are trustworthy, so it’s quite safe to just pick the lowest rental for your dates. However, we would recommend that you stick with a company that is located at the airport terminal of IND Airport.
Best for Luxury: Sixt
For a city that hosts the most watched sports car event in the world, it’s no surprise to find plenty of choice of fast and premium cars at IND Airport. On balance, we found that Sixt had the best reviews and so we would suggest you go with them. If you’re a BMW fan, you’ll be pleased to know that both the BMW 1, 3 and 5 Series feature in their fleet as well as Mercedes-Benz, and a number of impressive cars from Asian manufacturers. And if you change your mind, or find a better deal at the last minute, free cancellation is available up to 48 hours before pick-up.
Best for Minivans: Alamo
Alamo’s rental desk at IND Airport offers a great selection of SUVs and people carriers that are ideal for large groups of adults or families travelling with little ones. Children and baby’s seats can also be hired for an extra $8 per day, and are all approved to standard safety standards. In the people-carrier sector, they offer the Chrysler Pacifica and the Dodge Grand Caravan while their SUV selection includes the Ford Edge and the 8-seater Chevy Tahoe. You might find the odd cheaper deal on offer, however, for choice, pricing and overall service, Alamo is our pick for large groups.