Stretching from the Chesapeake Bay estuary to the Appalachian Mountains, the southeastern US state of Virginia combines long stretches of Atlantic coastline with some of America’s most historically important landmarks. The latter is testament to the state’s notable role in the story of America, with founding father Thomas Jefferson’s iconic Charlottesville plantation to be found here, along with living-history museums that recall Colonial and Revolutionary-era life. Indeed, Virginia is often referred to as the birthplace of the nation, with eight former Presidents having been born here.
A busy Virginia highway (Photo: Doug Kerr via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
The size and scale of Virginia means that anyone attempting to explore the state – or even small parts of it – would likely benefit from the convenience of access to their own transport. Happily, there are many car rental companies scattered across Virginia, including many at some of the state’s main airports, ready to greet arrivals by air. To help you find the right car for your needs, we’ve looked into all of them and come up with our own suggestion for the best car rental agencies at two main Virginia airports. And for those wanting extra facilities in their transportation, we’ve also ventured our favourite RV rental agency too.
Situated about 7 miles southeast of downtown Richmond, Virginia’s capital city, Richmond Airport is the busiest airport hub anywhere across the state’s central region. There are 8 car rental agencies located here, each offering cars to suit a range of tastes, budgets and needs. Our favourite agency at Richmond Airport is Thrifty, whose cars vary from small and compact such as a Ford Fiesta for $278 per week, to larger more premium models like a Chevrolet Impala, priced at $378 for a week’s rental. The Thrifty rental desk is open from 8am to 11pm daily.
Located seven miles northeast of downtown Norfolk, a waterfront city in southeastern Virginia, Norfolk Airport caters to large numbers of domestic US travellers every year. They have 8 on-site car rental agencies, all based in the Arrivals Terminal on Level 1, with rental car pickup situated on Level G. Our top pick for rentals here is Dollar, who have a large fleet of cars, SUVs, minivans and trucks. Some of the best deals we found included a Toyota Corolla, costing $340 for a rental period of 7 days. Dollar’s rental desk is open every day from 6.30am to midnight.
Outdoorsy is an online peer-to-peer marketplace for RV owners who use the platform to rent out their vehicles to people wanting a short term RV rental. RVs vary significantly in size, from compact 2-person trailers through to much bigger models. Booking an RV through Outdoorsy can often be a real money saver compared with using a standard car rental agency. When we looked for RVs across Virginia, we found plentiful options. Among them were a Thor Motor Coach Axis for $1,561 per week that that sleeps 4 and can be picked up in the coastal city of Virginia Beach in southeastern Virginia, or delivered to you within a certain radius. Or for something cheaper, there’s a Forest River Cherokee, also sleeping 4, which costs $693 per week and is available in the city of Fredericksburg in northern Virginia, or by delivery too. Outdoorsy also allows you to add insurance to your booking covering a number of indemnities.
