People usually rent cars for one of two reasons. They may be flying into a city for business or for vacation and need a way to get around. Or they may be at home, but the car they usually drive is not available to them for some reason (e.g., in the shop). Either way, most people who rent cars will not need to take the cars out of the state where they are rented.

There are exceptions, of course. A person who rents a car at the airport in Kansas City, Missouri may be staying at a hotel in Kansas City, Kansas. Or a person who works in New Jersey may live in New York City. When cases like these arise, the smart thing to do is simply ask the car rental company for permission to take the car out of state. Some companies will have no problem with it as long as the driver doesn’t go over the mileage limit in the contract; others may charge a small fee. If a car rental company refuses outright or charges an exorbitant fee, it’s probably time to move on to another provider.

A driver may also want to use a rental car for a cross-country trip, picking it up in one state and dropping it off in another. Most car rental companies will allow drivers to do this, but they charge significant drop off fees, especially if the place of return is several states away from the place of pick up.

The bottom line is that any driver who plans to go out of state with a rental car should clear it with the rental car company first and get a firm idea of any additional fees that will be charged.