Your flight lands late, the carousel finally coughs up your bag, and now the real LA trip starts: getting wheels. Tripadvisor will happily show you dozens of cars and a pile of “deals,” but the trick in this city is where and how you pick up. That choice can save you real money, spare you a long shuttle ride, or make a 1 a.m. arrival painless. Here’s how to use Tripadvisor without getting nickeled, dimed, or stranded under a fluorescent light at the counter.
LAX now funnels the on-airport brands into a single complex at 5251 W 98th St, known as the LAX Rental Car Center. If you book a car on Tripadvisor for “Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),” odds are you’ll be picking up there. From baggage claim, follow the purple Rental Car Shuttles signs on the Lower Arrivals level; the branded shuttles loop you to the center. As of this year, airport rentals include LAX’s Customer Facility Charge of $9 per day for up to five days, tacked onto the bill by the rental company on the airport’s behalf.
Neighborhood pickups are the other path. Tripadvisor lets you change the pickup location to Downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica, or wherever you’re actually staying. That move can do three things: cut the shuttle time, line you up closer to your hotel, and usually avoid the LAX facility fee because you’re not renting at the airport center. Example: Enterprise runs a Financial District branch at 445 S Figueroa St with posted service hours Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., closed Sunday. That schedule suits daytime arrivals and convention-goers. If you need later hours near LAX, Hertz’s airport branch at 5251 W 98th St lists 24-hour service daily.
There’s also the local independent route. Midway Car Rental operates near LAX with a return set-up long familiar to Angelenos. Their LAX-area return instructions point to 6151 W Century Blvd with a key drop for after-hours and shuttle back to the airport. If you book Midway through Tripadvisor or direct, note their printed rule that cars dropped after hours remain your responsibility until inspected the next business day. That’s standard practice, but it matters if you’re sprinting to a red-eye.
| Approach on Tripadvisor | Pickup spot | Typical hours | Fees and notes | When it’s smart |
| On-airport brand at LAX center (example: Hertz) | 5251 W 98th St, shuttle from purple “Rental Car Shuttles” signs | Hertz shows 24 hours daily | Includes LAX $9/day Customer Facility Charge for up to 5 days | Late-night arrivals, tight schedules, status perks you’ll actually use |
| On-airport brand with limited counter hours (example: Sixt) | 5251 W 98th St, same shuttle path | Sixt lists 6:00 a.m.–midnight counter hours with 24-hour returns | LAX fee applies, shuttles run to terminals after drop | Daytime flyers who want a newer-premium fleet and don’t need a 1 a.m. desk |
| Neighborhood pickup via Tripadvisor (example area: Downtown LA) | Financial District branch like 445 S Figueroa St | Commonly weekdays 8–6, partial Saturdays, closed Sundays | Neighborhood rentals typically don’t add the LAX facility charge | Daytime arrivals, staying downtown, or anyone mapping cost savings vs shuttle time |
Tripadvisor displays vehicles and rates from the big brands and a few brokers. When you book, you’re picking a supplier and a pickup location, and you’ll sign the rental contract with that supplier at the counter. The confirmation will spell out whether it’s Pay at pickup or Prepaid. Pay at pickup usually keeps cancellation flexible. Prepaid can be cheaper but tends to carry stricter change and cancellation rules set by the supplier or broker. On the checkout page, open the “rental terms” or “rental conditions” link and read it like a hawk. That’s where LA-specific surprises live, from deposits to out-of-state rules.
At LAX specifically, give yourself a runway for the shuttle loop and the counter queue. If your Tripadvisor confirmation is for Hertz at the Rental Car Center, that’s a straight shot via the purple-signed shuttles. If it’s Sixt, note those 6:00 a.m.–midnight counter hours. They accept 24-hour returns at the center, but if your flight gets in at 12:45 a.m. and you still need to start a contract, plan accordingly or choose a 24-hour desk on the platform.
Neighborhood pickups booked on Tripadvisor are simpler in one way and trickier in another. Simple because you can Uber or Metro to a storefront that’s near your hotel. Tricky because storefront hours are storefront hours. That downtown Enterprise example at 445 S Figueroa St closing at 6:00 p.m. on weekdays means a 7:10 p.m. arrival won’t work. Tripadvisor will happily take your reservation if the calendar says it’s open; the responsibility to match branch hours to your itinerary is still yours.
Airport rentals here add a few standard line items. The biggest one you can plan around is the LAX Customer Facility Charge: $9/day up to five days. That funds the Rental Car Center and its common transportation system. If you rent at LAX for a three-day weekend, you’ll see $27 just for that fee. That’s not a gotcha; it’s a published airport charge collected by the rental company. If you rent in a neighborhood storefront not served by the airport center, that specific LAX fee typically isn’t on your invoice.
Tolls in greater LA are mostly in express lanes and on some Orange County roads. If you pass through a cashless toll with a Hertz car, their PlatePass program typically charges the toll itself plus a $5.95 convenience fee for each calendar day you incur a toll. Avis e‑Toll generally bills the toll plus a $6.95 daily convenience fee, capped around $34.95 per rental. You can avoid these fees if you don’t use toll roads or if the brand allows you to add your own transponder correctly. Tripadvisor won’t decide this for you. The rental contract will.
One LA-specific bright spot: California’s rental law treats your spouse as an authorized driver if they meet the age and license rules, and the company can’t charge an extra driver fee for them. If you’re adding a non-spouse friend, that’s different, and the rental company’s fee schedule applies. The checkout “rental conditions” on Tripadvisor should state this clearly, but it’s worth re-checking when you sign at the counter.
It can be, especially on long weekends when airport queues balloon and the LAX facility fee stacks on. A neighborhood pickup often trims both. Say your group is staying downtown near Crypto.com Arena and you only need the car for two day trips. Booking on Tripadvisor at a Downtown LA supplier means you walk or rideshare a few blocks to get the keys during weekday 8–6 service hours and skip the airport shuttle entirely. You also usually skip LAX’s $9/day rental facility fee. On the flip side, storefronts are less forgiving about late pickups. Miss the window and you’re rolling the reservation to the next day or starting fresh at the airport.
Local independents can offer real convenience when you’re staying near the beach or in Hollywood. Midway’s downtown office at 1218 S Figueroa St posts after-hours drop instructions with a designated garage area and a labeled key box. If you’re dropping on a Sunday or late night, remember that the car is in your care until staff inspect it the next business day. Also note Midway’s published rules like minimum ages and that some vehicle classes require drivers to be 25+. Tripadvisor will surface the car and the price. The fine print for age, deposits, and cross-border limits lives with the supplier, and in LA it varies a lot.
The LAX rental shuttles are predictable once you know where to stand. Walk to the curbside on the Lower Arrivals level and look for the purple Rental Car Shuttles signs. The ride to 5251 W 98th St depends on traffic, but budget 15–25 minutes from wheels down to a counter line when terminals are humming. If you land near midnight, favor a 24‑hour desk at the Rental Car Center. Hertz lists 24HR daily service. Sixt shows 6:00 a.m.–midnight with 24‑hour returns. That nuance matters if a delay pushes you into the early a.m. and you still need to start the rental.
Neighborhood branches follow neighborhood hours. The Enterprise Union Bank Plaza branch at 445 S Figueroa St posts Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Sat 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., closed Sunday. If your flight arrives at 7:30 p.m., consider booking pickup for the next morning or routing to a brand that can meet you at the LAX center overnight. If you’re returning after hours at Midway’s LAX-area facility at 6151 W Century Blvd, use the key drop and expect the final closeout the next business day.
Yes, if you book a neighborhood pickup rather than the airport center. The LAX Rental Car Center adds a $9/day fee for up to five days. A downtown, Hollywood, or Santa Monica branch booked on Tripadvisor typically doesn’t add that airport charge because you’re not renting at LAX. You do trade away the 24‑hour desks and the airport shuttle convenience.
Pick a supplier at the LAX Rental Car Center with posted overnight service. Hertz lists 24HR daily hours at 5251 W 98th St. Sixt lists 6:00 a.m.–midnight with 24‑hour returns, so you can drop anytime but can’t start a contract at 1 a.m. Neighborhood storefronts close earlier.
California law treats a renter’s spouse as an authorized driver if they meet the same age and license rules, so rental companies don’t add a spouse fee. Other additional drivers are a different story and can carry a charge that’ll show in the supplier’s terms on your Tripadvisor checkout.
Not if you avoid cashless express lanes and tolled roads. If you do hit a toll, brands commonly bill the toll plus a daily convenience fee for the day you incur it. For example, Hertz PlatePass is typically $5.95 per toll day, and Avis e‑Toll is about $6.95 per toll day, each plus tolls. If you’re only driving local streets and freeways around LA, you can skip those programs entirely.
The cleanest way to narrow your choice is to match your touchdown time to a live counter, then price the same car twice on Tripadvisor: once at LAX’s Rental Car Center and once at the neighborhood branch nearest your bed. Add the $9/day facility math where it applies and pick the plan that saves you either money or hassle, whichever you value more on this trip.
Published: September 10, 2026 · Reviewed by the This Los Angeles editorial team