The short version
Yes. Enterprise allows pets at its United States locations, Avis allows them at most locations on its USA pet page, and National, Alamo, Budget, Sixt, and Thrifty allow them on the pet pages we read, which do not say the rule stops at the US border. Enterprise, National, and Alamo require a crate and do not state a dollar cleaning fee; Avis states a cleaning fee of up to $450, and Thrifty states an extra cleaning charge of $50 to $250 for excessive pet hair, soiling, or damage. Budget states no extra fee for the pet and does not state a cleaning amount, and Sixt requires the pet to be secured without stating a dollar amount on its help page.
Policies change. A cleaning fee, a crate rule, and which locations take a dog can move after this page was checked. Confirm the pet with the rental location before you pick up the car. Hertz and Dollar are not in the table. The pages we could read for them do not state a pet rule, and this guide does not invent one.
Rental pet rules compared
Every rule below is copied from that company’s own page on . “Not stated” means the page we read does not say. We do not fill a blank from memory or from a travel blog.
| Company | Dog in the car | Cleaning or pet fee | Carrier or crate | Service animals | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | Yes, at Enterprise locations in the United States. | Not statedNot statedThe page says to return the car free of pet hair and dander to avoid cleaning and/or detailing fees. A dollar amount is not stated. | Pets must be kept crated. | Service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed without a carrier. | Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab)Checked |
| National | Yes. The page does not say this is limited to the United States. | Not statedNot statedReturn the car free of pet hair to avoid cleaning/detailing fees. A dollar amount is not stated. | Pets must be kept crated. | Service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed without a carrier. | National pet policy (opens in a new tab)Checked |
| Alamo | Yes, in Alamo rental vehicles. The page does not say this is limited to the United States. | Not statedNot statedReturn the car free of pet hair to avoid cleaning/detailing fees. A dollar amount is not stated. | Pets must be kept crated. | Service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed without a carrier. | Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab)Checked |
| Avis | Yes, at most Avis locations. Call the pickup location to confirm. | FeeUp to $450USA pet page, if the car is not free of pet hair and smells. The rental terms say a reasonable cleaning fee for pet hair and do not print $450. | Not stated | Not stated | Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab)Checked |
| Budget | Yes. Housebroken pets. The pet answer does not say it is limited to the United States. | FreeNo extra pet feeA charge for animal damage, or special cleaning from shedding or accidents, is mentioned. The dollar amount is not stated. | Not stated | Cleaning fee generally waived when the dirt is mostly animal hair. A manager may still charge. | Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab)Checked |
| Sixt | Yes, if the pet is secured and kept under control. The help page does not say this is limited to the United States. | Not statedNot statedThe help page says a cleaning fee may apply for heavy soiling and does not give an amount. The US agreement caps a general cleaning fee at $400 and does not name pets in that sentence. | Secured at all times: a transport crate, a harness, or a boot divider. | Not stated | Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab)Checked |
| Thrifty | Yes. Thrifty welcomes pets. The pet paragraph does not name a country. | Fee$50 to $250Extra cleaning for excessive pet hair, soiling, or damage caused by animals. The amount depends on cleaning time and whether the car is taken out of service. | Not stated | Not stated | Thrifty rental policies (opens in a new tab)Checked |
What each company’s page actually says
The table is the scan. These notes are the sentences worth reading before you assume every company uses the same crate rule, or the same cleaning fee.
Fee not stated
Enterprise
Enterprise’s United States pet page says pets are allowed in rental vehicles from Enterprise locations in the United States. Customers need to keep pets crated, and they need to return the car in clean condition, free of pet hair and dander, to avoid cleaning and/or detailing fees. A dollar amount for those fees is not stated.
Service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed in the vehicle without a carrier. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
US locationsMust be cratedCleaning fee not statedService animal, no carrier
Fee not stated
National
National’s pet-policy page says pets are allowed in rental vehicles. Customers need to keep pets crated and return the rental car in clean condition and free of pet hair to avoid cleaning/detailing fees. A dollar amount is not stated. The page does not say the rule is limited to the United States.
Service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed in the vehicle without a carrier. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
Must be cratedCleaning fee not statedCountry limit not statedService animal, no carrier
Checked · National pet policy (opens in a new tab)
Fee not stated
Alamo
Alamo’s pet-friendly page says pets are allowed in Alamo’s rental vehicles. Customers need to keep pets crated and return the rental car in clean condition and free of pet hair to avoid cleaning/detailing fees. A dollar amount is not stated. The page does not say the rule is limited to the United States.
Service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed in the vehicle without a carrier. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
Must be cratedCleaning fee not statedCountry limit not statedService animal, no carrier
Up to $450
Avis
Avis’s USA pet-policy page says you can bring pets in rental cars at most Avis locations, and that you should call the pickup location to confirm before you arrive. Return the car in clean condition and free of pet hair and smells to avoid a cleaning fee of up to $450. A crate requirement is not stated. A service-animal rule is not stated on that page.
The same page lists cleaning tips: a seat cover, keeping the pet in one area, and bringing a carrier if the pet gets wet or muddy until you can clean the pet off. Those are written as tips, not as a rule that every dog must ride in a crate. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
Avis’s rental terms, paragraph 2.6(c), say you will pay a reasonable fee to clean the interior or exterior for what Avis determines are excessive stains, trash, dirt, soilage, odors, or pet hair. That paragraph does not state the dollar amount. The $450 figure is on the USA pet page, not in that terms paragraph.
Up to $450Call the locationCrate not statedService animal not stated
Checked · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Avis rental terms (opens in a new tab)
No extra pet fee
Budget
Budget’s car FAQ says housebroken pets are invited to travel in the rental car, just as they do in a personal car. Budget does not assess an extra fee for pets. Pet owners incur an additional charge for any damage caused by animals, or any special cleaning required because of shedding or accidents. The dollar amount of that charge is not stated. A crate requirement is not stated.
The same FAQ has a separate answer for disabled renters who travel with service animals. When a car is returned excessively dirty, Budget’s policy is to charge a cleaning fee. For a service animal, Budget says it generally waives that fee when the excessive dirt is primarily animal hair. If the car comes back with more than a tolerable amount of animal hair or other soil, the manager at the location may impose a cleaning fee, and the location will photograph the dirt. A dollar amount for that fee is not stated.
The pet answer does not say it applies only in the United States. On the same page, the smoking answer says Budget’s smoke-free fleet covers the U.S. and Canada. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
No extra pet feeCleaning amount not statedHousebroken petsService-animal waiver, with a limit
Fee not stated
Sixt
Sixt’s help-center article says pets are welcome in Sixt rental vehicles if they are properly secured, kept under control at all times, and the vehicle is returned clean. A cleaning fee may apply for heavy soiling. A dollar amount is not stated on that article. Pets must be secured at all times, for example in a transport crate, with a harness, or with a boot divider, so the animal does not distract the driver or get hurt. The article does not say the rule is limited to the United States. A service-animal rule is not stated on that article.
The US rental agreement for Sixt Rent a Car, LLC, is a separate page. Paragraph 10 says you will pay a reasonable fee not to exceed $400 to clean the vehicle if it is returned substantially less clean than when rented, or if there is evidence of smoking or vaping. That sentence does not name pets. Paragraph 6 says Sixt will not waive your responsibility for damage or loss, even if you bought LDW, SDW, or PDW, when the damage or loss is caused by an animal transported in the vehicle. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
Must be securedPet fee amount not stated$400 cap is not labeled a pet feeService animal not stated
Checked · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab) · Sixt US rental agreement (opens in a new tab)
$50 to $250
Thrifty
Thrifty’s rental policies page says Thrifty welcomes pets, and that the vehicle must be returned without damage and in clean condition to avoid a cleaning fee. Excessive pet hair, soiling, or damage caused by animals results in an extra cleaning charge. The page says extra cleaning charges range from $50 to $250, depending on the additional time needed to clean the vehicle and whether the vehicle needs to be taken out of service.
A crate requirement is not stated. A service-animal rule is not stated on that page. The pet paragraph does not name a country. The same page lists US airport locations in the footer. A weight limit is not stated. A breed limit is not stated. A limit on how many pets may ride is not stated.
$50 to $250Crate not statedService animal not statedCountry not named
Hertz and Dollar are not in the table
Hertz is not in the table. The US rental-terms page for location LAXT15, the Los Angeles airport code in that URL, lists topics and does not include a pet topic. The restrictions, rental qualifications, non-smoking, fees and surcharges, and services for physically challenged topics on that location do not mention pets or a pet cleaning fee. The non-smoking topic says a charge up to $400.00 can apply when smoking has occurred. That is a smoking charge, not a pet fee. Whether another Hertz location states a pet rule is not stated on these pages.
Dollar is not in the table. Dollar’s general policies page does not mention pets, animals, or a pet cleaning fee. We do not copy Thrifty’s fee onto Dollar.
Checked · Hertz rental terms, Los Angeles airport (LAXT15) (opens in a new tab) · Hertz LAXT15 rental restrictions (opens in a new tab) · Hertz LAXT15 rental qualifications (opens in a new tab) · Hertz LAXT15 non-smoking policy (opens in a new tab) · Hertz LAXT15 services for physically challenged (opens in a new tab) · Hertz LAXT15 fees and surcharges (opens in a new tab) · Dollar general policies (opens in a new tab)
The Pawsport
A weekly note of pet-friendly trips: rental cars, flights, trains, parks, and stays that are glad you brought the dog.
Before you pick up the car
Read the page for the company on the reservation, not a different brand in the same family. Enterprise, National, and Alamo use similar sentences, and each one still has its own page. Enterprise is the page that names the United States. National and Alamo do not. Thrifty’s $50 to $250 range is on Thrifty’s page. Dollar’s general policies page does not mention pets, so this guide does not treat that range as Dollar’s fee.
Avis asks you to call the pickup location before you arrive, because pets are allowed at most locations, not as a promise for every counter. Budget’s answer is for housebroken pets, and it says the pet itself is not an extra fee. The cleaning charge, if the dog sheds or has an accident, is a different sentence, and the amount is not on the page. Sixt’s help page and Sixt’s US rental agreement do not say the same thing about money. The help page says a cleaning fee may apply for heavy soiling and does not give a number. The US agreement caps a general cleaning fee at $400 when the car comes back substantially less clean, or when someone smoked or vaped, and that sentence does not name a pet.
Bring the restraint the company actually names. A crate meets Enterprise, National, and Alamo. Sixt also accepts a harness or a boot divider. Avis, Budget, and Thrifty do not state a crate rule. Returning the car with pet hair is the fact those pages do state, and it is the fact tied to a fee where a fee is printed.
Checked · Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab) · National pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Avis rental terms (opens in a new tab) · Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab) · Sixt US rental agreement (opens in a new tab) · Thrifty rental policies (opens in a new tab)
On the road
The company pages above are about whether the dog may ride and what the cleaning fee is. They are not a safety manual. These two notes come from a government page and a veterinary association page, checked the same day.
Keep the dog restrained
CDC’s pet travel page says that if the pet rides on the seat, keep it in the back seat in a harness attached to the seat buckle, and that letting a pet roam in the car or ride with its head outside the window can be dangerous. If the pet is in a crate, the pet should be able to stand, sit, lie down, and turn around, the crate should be ventilated, and the crate should be secured so it does not slide when the car stops. The AVMA pet-safety page says an unrestrained pet should be in an appropriate safety harness, crate, or carrier, and that a loose pet in the bed of a pickup is unsafe.
Checked · CDC pet travel safety (opens in a new tab) · AVMA pet safety in vehicles (opens in a new tab)
Do not leave the dog in a parked car
CDC says never leave a pet alone in a parked vehicle. On hot days the temperature can rise within minutes and can cause death, and in cold weather an animal left in a car can freeze. The AVMA page says the same rule in every temperature, including a car in the shade with the windows cracked, and it says the interior can rise about 20°F in 10 minutes.
Checked · CDC pet travel safety (opens in a new tab) · AVMA pet safety in vehicles (opens in a new tab)
A service animal is not the pet in the crate
Enterprise, National, and Alamo use the same kind of sentence: a service animal used by a customer with a disability is allowed in the vehicle without a carrier. None of those three pages states a dollar fee that applies only to the service animal, and none of them states a breed or weight limit for one. Budget’s service-animal answer is about the cleaning fee. Budget generally waives it when the excessive dirt is primarily animal hair, and a location manager may still charge, with photographs, if the hair or other soil is more than a tolerable amount.
A service-animal rule is not stated on the Avis USA pet page, on Sixt’s help article, in the Sixt US rental agreement we read, or on Thrifty’s rental policies page. Where a page is silent, this guide says not stated. It does not paste another company’s sentence, or a government rule, into that blank.
Checked · Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab) · National pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab)
Your questions, answered
The short answerCan I rent a car with my dog in the US?
Yes, on the company pages we could read. Enterprise says pets are allowed at Enterprise locations in the United States, in a crate. Avis’s USA pet page says you can bring pets at most locations and should call the pickup location first. National, Alamo, Budget, Sixt, and Thrifty also allow pets on their pages. Those five pages do not say the rule is limited to the United States. Hertz and Dollar are not in this guide: the Hertz US rental-terms topics we opened for Los Angeles airport location LAXT15 do not mention pets, and Dollar’s general policies page does not mention pets.
Checked · Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab) · National pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab) · Thrifty rental policies (opens in a new tab) · Hertz rental terms, Los Angeles airport (LAXT15) (opens in a new tab) · Dollar general policies (opens in a new tab)
The feeWhat do rental companies charge for a dog in the car?
There is no single pet fee. Enterprise, National, and Alamo mention cleaning or detailing fees and do not state a dollar amount. Avis’s USA pet page says a cleaning fee of up to $450 if the car is not free of pet hair and smells. Avis’s rental terms say a reasonable fee for excessive pet hair and do not print $450. Budget says it does not assess an extra fee for pets, and that damage or special cleaning from shedding or accidents costs extra. Budget does not state that dollar amount. Sixt’s help page says a cleaning fee may apply for heavy soiling and does not state an amount. Sixt’s US rental agreement says a reasonable cleaning fee not to exceed $400 if the car is returned substantially less clean, or if someone smoked or vaped. That sentence does not name pets. Thrifty says extra cleaning charges range from $50 to $250 for excessive pet hair, soiling, or damage caused by animals.
Checked · Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab) · National pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Avis rental terms (opens in a new tab) · Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab) · Sixt US rental agreement (opens in a new tab) · Thrifty rental policies (opens in a new tab)
The crateDo I have to put my dog in a crate to rent a car?
Enterprise, National, and Alamo say pets need to be kept crated. Sixt says the pet must be secured at all times, and gives a transport crate, a harness, or a boot divider as examples. A crate requirement is not stated on the Avis, Budget, or Thrifty pages we read. Avis’s pet page suggests a carrier only as a cleaning tip if the pet gets dirty. CDC says a dog on the seat should be in a back-seat harness attached to the buckle, or in a secured ventilated crate. The AVMA says to use a harness, crate, or carrier. A company page and a safety page are not the same rule.
Checked · Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab) · National pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab) · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Thrifty rental policies (opens in a new tab) · CDC pet travel safety (opens in a new tab) · AVMA pet safety in vehicles (opens in a new tab)
Service dogsDo rental companies charge a cleaning fee for a service dog?
Enterprise, National, and Alamo say service animals used by customers with disabilities are allowed without a carrier. They do not state a separate cleaning fee for a service animal. Budget says it generally waives the cleaning fee when excessive dirt is primarily animal hair from a service animal, and that a manager may still charge if the hair or other soil is more than a tolerable amount. A service-animal rule is not stated on the Avis pet page, the Sixt help article, the Sixt US rental agreement, or the Thrifty rental policies page.
Checked · Enterprise US pet policy (opens in a new tab) · National pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Alamo pet-friendly FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Budget car rental FAQ (opens in a new tab) · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab) · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab) · Sixt US rental agreement (opens in a new tab) · Thrifty rental policies (opens in a new tab)
Damage waiverDoes Sixt’s damage waiver cover damage from a dog?
Sixt’s US rental agreement says it will not waive your responsibility for damage or loss, even if you bought LDW, SDW, or PDW, when that damage or loss is caused by an animal transported in the vehicle. The help page does not say this. It says a cleaning fee may apply for heavy soiling.
Checked · Sixt US rental agreement (opens in a new tab) · Sixt help: pets in a rental car (opens in a new tab)
Left in the carCan I leave my dog in the rental car while I go inside?
A rental-company page we read does not answer that. CDC says never leave a pet alone in a parked vehicle, because heat can kill and cold can freeze. The AVMA says never leave a pet alone in a parked vehicle, no matter the outdoor temperature or how long you expect to be gone, and that cracking the windows does not change the heat risk. Avis’s pet page, in its cleaning tips, says it is wise not to leave the pet in the car. That sentence is a tip on Avis’s page, not a fee rule.
Checked · CDC pet travel safety (opens in a new tab) · AVMA pet safety in vehicles (opens in a new tab) · Avis USA pet policy (opens in a new tab)