City Rent-A-Car

Somebody send love to this small business!

To be frank, I was honestly nervous with City Rent-A-Car after reading the reviews.

I went ahead anyways because their prices were simply unbeatable....$50/day in this day and age is unheard of! On top of that, they allowed after-hours return free of charge.

There was 0 line when I arrived slightly after 8am on a Sat (Dec 10th).

Check-in was a breeze, within minutes Kema finalized the paperwork and my white 2017 Chevrolet Spark (as advertised) was already waiting for me at the parking garage a block away (520 Mason St Garage)! The car was in good condition with 3/4 fuel and the drop-off process at the end of the day was just as smooth. I also didn't experience being overcharge on fuel as per some of the reviews.

All in all, I can't recommend City Rent-A-Car enough and you bet that I'll return whenever I'm in San Francisco!

The staff at the location on University Drive and Royal Palm are very unprofessional and incompetent. The manager is rude, racist and prejudiced. I made a reservation a month ahead to take my child back to her University campus which is out of town. Then as the day was approaching I called to make sure that I was getting the vehicle that I reserved but every time I called I was told something different from each and every one of that staff. I decided to go there and speak to someone which happened to be the manager who promised me the vehicle for that day, he served some walked ins who were white folks then he asked me to come back the next morning at 9am which I did. He gave me another run around while he took care of all the folks that came behind me. I felt so frustrated about what they were doing to me, while I was on the phone talking to my friend about the experience at that place I told my friend how ridiculous the experience was that dwarf looking racist manager ear dropped in my conversation and heard the word "ridiculous"he then told me that he didn't wasn't doing business with me anymore. My daughter ended up driving her small car and she ended up having to overload it with her stuff because it was too late to get another car somewhere else. By the grace of God she got to her school campus safely. I will never go back to that location again and I will never refer anyone else there. They are very unprofessional and incompetent. That specific location sucks

I can't believe I never wrote a review for this place! I used them back in Nov 2022 because we needed a rental for our wedding (we are from out of state) and they were cheap and within the city. I was able to book something last minute (about 2 months before) and they also allow you to add any rental insurance at the time of pick up. The employee recommended 2 different ones (I forgot which ones!), but everything else he said we didn't need. Returns were seamless and easy!

My only complaint is that the inside of the vehicle's windshield was filled with a bunch of smudge marks to the point where we couldn't see through it while driving a night. Extremely dangerous! We had to pullover to wipe it down before continuing our drive.

Overall, I would book from them again!

I don't know where all these positive reviews came from but they're a joke!! Horrible experience at this place. This will be the final time I rent a car from this company. I'm all up for giving a new company that I've never done business with a chance, but only if they show great the great qualities I look for in a company. I know it's a rental car company I get that, but I expecting better looking vehicles.



I was willing to give City Rent a Car a chance because my friend rented cars from them several years ago when they were on Van Ness and Bush. I thought I was going to be satisfied renting from them. I was wrong!! First of all, I've never been in a rental car place that isn't busy. Come on now, this is around the time of the year when a lot of people rent vehicles. Why aren't they getting a lot of business? Hmm, I think I know why. Second, you have to walk two blocks to pick up the vehicle because they don't share the same parking lot the other rental car places share. They have a parking lot which they share with another company. Why just not share the parking lot on O'Farrell with the other rent a car companies?

Third, all of their cars are beat up with scratches on them. THE WHOLE FLEET!! The man who's responsible for inspecting the cars tells us: "People damage them and they don't care." "All of our cars are like this." Mind you, he was laughing as he was telling us this. What kind of person laughs at something like that? I've never been to a rental car place where the whole fleet of cars had body damage to them!! Fourth, they didn't check us out. The employee said "leave, that's it." Rental car places are supposed to check you out and give you a receipt upon return. Fifth, they charged me an extra day after I returned the car on the 2nd day ON TIME!! If I wanted the vehicle 3 days I would've made a reservation for 3 days!!! Luckily they refunded my $92.37 after over a week of asking them to!


Never again! I'd rather go to Enterprise, Hertz, Alamo etc and get the service and great quality cars I'm expecting to receive when I go to a rental car place. You get what you pay for. Yes they have cheap rates but now I know why. Do not come here at all!

Phuoc provides excellent service!!! The rental car is guaranteed, and he always wears a smile. If you ask 10 questions, he doesn't have any problem answering them all. I definitely recommend this place. It's a great choice compared to Dollar, Hertz, and other rental services. The overall service is perfect.

They provided a vehicle that was not clean. My wife and I spent 15-20 minutes just wiping everything down. I didn't care about the various scratches or dents in the car. I just wanted something clean and they couldn't provide even that. If we didn't already make plans that required a car, I would've refused the rental.

I've been renting from City Rent-A-Car for years and should have written a review ages ago. It's a great business. The owners and workers have always gone out of their way to accommodate customers, and their rates are usually well below what the larger national companies offer. A special shout out to Phuoc who is insanely competent, extremely professional and personable and has always done everything he could to make my sometimes challenging car rentals work. The owner Jenny is also incredible - she made special arrangements for me to keep one of their cars on an emergency basis for nearly a month, during a busy time, after my step-father had a stroke and I needed to stay near him in another town. I've always found the company's cars clean and in good working order. Whenever I have had an issue or question, I've always been able to reach Jenny or staff who've helped me out immediately. I love them and hope they stay in business in San Francisco forever!

Safest travel option during the pandemic!

Like many people in SF, I don't own a car (yet). And because of the pandemic, I've stopped using public transit. Car rentals have been the safest mode of transportation aside from owning my own car. City Rent-A-Car has one of the most competitive prices out there. The cars are also very clean. I've rented their Chevy Spark 4 times so far, and it's been great every time. The gas mileage has also been great, too.

I definitely recommend City Rent-A-Car!

This was by far the easiest car rental process I have ever experienced, and I've rented many times in my day.
Phuoc was very helpful and was sanitizing cars as we walked into the garage to pick up the car. The car was immaculate and the whole process took less than 15 mins from the moment we walked in-- without a reservation-- to when we drove away! The gentleman in the office was also very professional and helpful, though I forget his name. They offer free overnight parking, which makes it all worthwhile because hotels in the area charge quite a bit. My only issue was getting the car parked at night. Cars were coming out of the ramp that said enter. It was hectic, but the attendant took the car and did the parking for me.
Overall, this is the place to go to rent a car.

I understand the company to be owned locally as a small business. I rented cars from them when they were on Bush Street. A long time ago.

The last few times I've rented they have added on a fuel charge when I know I returned the car with more gas than the 15/16 of the tank they sent me out with.

The almost full tank is a "game". They will add on an additional fuel fee.

Dissatisfied and disappointed that they are no longer an honest small business delivering a quality service.