One-way car rental from Atlanta: Atlanta's rental cars are a SkyTrain ride from the domestic terminal
You can rent a car in Atlanta and return it in another US city with any of the seven big brands. The drop fee, if any, shows in the quote. Chattanooga is the closest city on the list below, about 127 miles and 2 hr 30 min by road from ATL.
Key figures
Where do you pick up a rental car at ATL?
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Where the cars are. Rental Car Center (RCC), 2200 Rental Car Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30337, off the terminal complex and linked by the ATL SkyTrain. The current ground transportation page says it houses 12 rental car brands. 2
Getting there. Domestic Terminal: free ATL SkyTrain from the West Transportation curb (walk out the west end under the covered walkway), 24/7, a few minutes' ride. International Terminal: dedicated shuttle buses to the RCC, approximately every 15 minutes. 3
Brands. The current list on the airport page did not load for us. An older airport document names Fox Rent-a-Car, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, SIXT Rent a Car, ACE, Thrifty 4. Check the airport page before you go.
Read on each airport's own website on 15 November 2026 unless marked reported elsewhere.
Chattanooga is 127 miles from ATL, Orlando is 431
The list covers the nearest large cities outside the Atlanta area and the big cities within a day's drive. Each one has its own airport if you want to fly on from there.
| Drive to | State | Miles | Drive time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga, TN | TN | 127 | 2 hr 30 min |
| Birmingham, AL | AL | 157 | 3 hr |
| Charlotte, NC | NC | 253 | 5 hr |
| Nashville, TN | TN | 258 | 5 hr |
| Jacksonville, FL | FL | 339 | 6 hr 12 min |
| Tampa, FL | FL | 448 | 8 hr 12 min |
| Orlando, FL | FL | 431 | 7 hr 54 min |
Fastest road route from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to each city centre, free-flowing traffic with no stops or rest breaks 5. Checked 15 November 2026. These estimates tend to run a little long against map apps, and real trips take longer.
Every brand at ATL quotes the drop fee at booking
National says there is typically no drop charge between airport locations, so an airport return in the destination city is worth pricing first. Avis says most locations charge no one-way fee. Enterprise, National and Alamo collect any drop charge at pick-up. Full rules for each brand are on the one-way car rental guide.
- Book the return location in advance. Budget and Sixt charge extra for an unannounced return elsewhere.
- The minimum age is 21 at most brands and 20 at Hertz, with a fee under 25.
- Add your flight number to any car booked at your destination, which waives the no-show fee at the brands AutoSlash checked 6.
Atlanta on 13 and 14 November
Rental brands with no cars just before 6pm Friday: Sold out, 8 of 8 brands. A live blog listed all eight as empty at 5:42pm, under two hours after the stop began. 8
Rideshare quotes, Atlanta to Tampa, group of six: US$1,300 to US$2,700. Uber about US$1,300, Lyft about US$1,700 and a driver US$2,700. 8
Searches during the stop
- Georgia ranked 6 of the 12 states listed for "rental car" (55 on a 100 scale). 9
- Georgia ranked 9 of the 12 states listed for "one way car rental" (41 on a 100 scale). 9
- Georgia ranked 10 of the 12 states listed for "hotel near airport" (39 on a 100 scale). 9
Google Trends, United States, 7 to 14 November 2026. Values are relative, with 100 for the highest area. Only the top 12 states and metros were recorded for each term.
Trains and coaches leave Atlanta too
Amtrak runs the Crescent from Atlanta.
| Mode | Operator | Station or stops | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Amtrak | Atlanta, GA (ATL), Peachtree Station, 1688 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309 | Crescent 10 |
| Bus | Greyhound | 3 stops: Atlanta Bus Station, 232 Forsyth St; Atlanta Downtown (Civic Center), 435 W Peachtree St NW at the Civic Center MARTA bus station; Atlanta Airport, 6000 N Terminal Dr (Lower Level, North Terminal domestic roadway). | Intercity coach 11 |
| Bus | FlixBus | Same 3 stops as Greyhound, including an Atlanta Airport stop at the domestic North Terminal. | Intercity coach 12 |
| Bus | Megabus | Civic Center MARTA Station, 435 West Peachtree Street NW per one route guide; another Megabus route guide says 232 Forsyth St SW. Atlanta does not appear on the Megabus stops page. | Intercity coach 13 |
Read on each operator's own station or city page on 15 November 2026 unless marked reported elsewhere. Check timetables with the operator.
Questions about one-way rentals from Atlanta
Can I rent a car one way from Atlanta?
Yes. Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, Alamo and Sixt all allow one-way rentals between US cities. Check the airport page for the brands on site at ATL. Any drop fee appears in the quote before you pay.
Where do I pick up a rental car at ATL?
Rental Car Center (RCC), 2200 Rental Car Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30337, off the terminal complex and linked by the ATL SkyTrain. Domestic Terminal: free ATL SkyTrain from the West Transportation curb (walk out the west end under the covered walkway), 24/7, a few minutes' ride.
How long is the drive from Atlanta to Chattanooga?
About 127 miles and 2 hr 30 min from ATL in free-flowing traffic, by a routing estimate on OpenStreetMap road data. Allow longer for traffic and stops.
Is there a train or bus from Atlanta instead?
Amtrak trains run from Atlanta. Intercity coaches are run by FlixBus, Greyhound and Megabus.
More for travellers leaving Atlanta
- One-way car rental rules at seven brands, and whether insurance pays for the car
- Ground stop status and the 13 November record
- Claim tool for refunds and receipts
Other cities: Chicago · Las Vegas · New York · Seattle · Boston · Fort Lauderdale · Denver · Nashville · Orlando
Check your flight, then write the claim
The flight check takes about a minute and gives the rule that applies to your trip. The claim tool writes the letters.
- Check my flightWhat the airline and your insurer or card owe you.
- Write the claim lettersRefund, expenses and insurance letters that cite the rule.
- Airline phone lines and chatRebooking and refund contacts for 12 US airlines.
- Should I go to the airport?Live FAA ground stops and delay programmes, and what each means.
Sources for this page
13 sources
Numbers in boxes point to this list. "Checked at source" means the page itself was read on the date shown. "Reported elsewhere" means the wording came from a search extract, a secondary page or a page that only partly loaded, so check it against the original before relying on it. "Not confirmed" means sources conflict or the document is old. Event figures for 13 and 14 November are sourced in full on the methodology and sources page.
- AJC Checked at source
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport rental car page Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport transport page Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport older brand list Not confirmed · checked 15 November 2026
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap road data Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026
- AutoSlash Checked at source · checked 26 May 2026
- FlightAware via FOX 5 Atlanta Checked at source
- WSB-TV via Yahoo News Checked at source · checked 13 Nov 2026
- Google Trends, US, past 7 days, collected Saturday 14 November 2026, 6:45pm to 7:03pm ET Checked at source · checked 14 November 2026
- Amtrak: Atlanta, GA (ATL), Peachtree Station, 1688 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309 Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Greyhound Atlanta stops Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- FlixBus Atlanta stops Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Megabus Atlanta stops Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026