$56 Cheap Car Rental in Santa Cruz, CA

If your trip to Santa Cruz is all organized but your travel itinerary is a bit on the empty side, let us give you a helping hand.Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk deserves more than just a quick drive-by tour. Get out of your car and spend some time discovering this famous attraction while you’re visiting Santa Cruz.If anybody asks why you’re heading here, just show them a few images of Main Beach and Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. These wonderful attractions guarantee you’ll have an unforgettable trip.Plan a stop at Pacific Avenue. It’s one sight you’ll find on many travelers’ to-do lists. Santa Cruz Wharf and Pasatiempo Golf Course are also close by and worth taking the time to see.

Situated 20 miles away and offering plenty to see and do, Castroville draws visitors year-round. Come and see why they keep coming back. You may also like to check out the sights and sounds of Campbell. It’s located 20 miles from Santa Cruz and has some great things to offer.

Santa Cruz has some glorious coastal areas, and what better way to explore them than from behind the wheel of your own rental car. See what treasures you can find strewn along the water’s edge at one of these famous beaches:

• Natural Bridges State Park (3 miles away).
• New Brighton State Beach (5 miles away).
• Three Mile Beach (5 miles away).

If you’re attending a corporate conference in Santa Cruz, you may want to follow up with your new friends over dinner and drinks. Fortunately, these convention centers offer some excellent restaurants and cafés close by:

• Cocoanut Grove (1 mile away).
• Mount Madonna Center (16 miles away).

Whether you’re heading away solo or with the whole family, CarRentals.com will help you find a suitable set of wheels for your Santa Cruz trip. A compact car is a fabulous option if you plan to spend nearly all of your time downtown. Thrifty and with impressive mileage, these vehicles will take you here, there and everywhere quickly and comfortably. If you feel like making a big impression, browse our special category. You’re sure to find something that’ll make a few jaws drop. Got the young ones with you? A roomy SUV will match your needs.

For some, owning a luxury vehicle may be a little out of reach. But renting your dream ride is far easier than you think! Imagine the joy of cruising the open roads in a fancy sports car, even if it’s only for a few days. Or maybe all you’re looking for is a set of wheels to get you quickly from A to B. Affordable or flashy? Whatever you decide, there’s a rental car to suit you in Santa Cruz.

In Santa Cruz, you’ll have to keep to the right-hand side. When exploring someplace new, it’s always a wise idea to choose an automatic car. That way, you can focus on the road and not stress about gear changes.

Finding a place to park in Santa Cruz can take time. That’s why many look for a hotel that comes with a parking lot. When leaving the car around town, make sure you check the signage. Overstaying the maximum time limit could earn you a nasty fine.

As with most cities, you can expect slightly heavier traffic in the early and late rush hours. However, with a population of roughly 64,200, traffic congestion isn’t a big problem in Santa Cruz.

While cruising through the streets of Santa Cruz, keep in mind that the speed limits usually range from 15mph to 70mph. Residential areas are 25mph unless indicated otherwise.

One of two things will happen. Your chosen car rental company may bill the amount of the fine to your credit card. This is the more common practice. Or it may forward your contact details to the relevant local authority so the fine is sent to you directly.

It’s illegal to use your cell phone while you’re behind the wheel in Santa Cruz, and you may also be fined for simply holding your phone when you’re in control of a vehicle. That being said, using hands-free or Bluetooth functions is allowed, as long as your attention remains on the road.

In Santa Cruz, it is a fineable offence to drive with a BAC (blood alcohol content) in excess of 0.08%. If you’re planning to have a few drinks, you’d be wise to leave the car at your hotel.

Road rules in Santa Cruz permit drivers at a red light to turn into the direction of traffic closest to them, without waiting for it to turn green. Before turning, the vehicle must fully stop and the driver must make sure that the way is clear before moving on.

Seat belts are compulsory in Santa Cruz County. That being said, the rules may differ for some vehicles, such as those used by public transportation networks.