One-way car rental from Chicago: O'Hare's rental cars sit in one building, a train ride from every terminal
You can rent a car in Chicago and return it in another US city with any of the seven big brands. The drop fee, if any, shows in the quote. Milwaukee is the closest city on the list below, about 85 miles and 2 hr by road from ORD.
Key figures
Where do you pick up a rental car at ORD?
O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Where the cars are. On-airport. Rental car companies are in the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF), 10255 W. Zemke Blvd., Chicago, IL 60666, at the southeast corner of Zemke and Mannheim Roads. 2
Getting there. Take the Airport Transit System (ATS) train from Terminals 1, 2, 3 or 5 to the MMF. Runs 24/7 (since April 2022), every 3 to 5 minutes at peak. About 10 minutes from Terminal 1 to the MMF. 3
Brands on site. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt, Thrifty, ACE Rent A Car (offsite, pick up and drop off at MMF bus bay 1), Routes Car Rental (offsite, pick up and drop off at MMF bus bay 1) 2
Midway International Airport (MDW)
Where the cars are. Consolidated Rental Car Facility at 5150 W. 55th Street, housing all Midway rental companies. 4
Getting there. Rental car shuttle from Lower Level Door #2. Shuttles run 24/7, scheduled every 15 minutes. (The airport's shuttles page says Door 3, lower level inner lane, so the two official pages disagree.) 4
Brands on site. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Corporate Rent A Car 4
Read on each airport's own website on 15 November 2026 unless marked reported elsewhere.
Milwaukee is 85 miles from ORD, Minneapolis is 398
The list covers the nearest large cities outside the Chicago 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI | WI | 85 | 2 hr |
| Indianapolis, IN | IN | 205 | 4 hr 24 min |
| Detroit, MI | MI | 308 | 6 hr 6 min |
| St. Louis, MO | MO | 299 | 5 hr 54 min |
| Cincinnati, OH | OH | 318 | 6 hr 24 min |
| Minneapolis, MN | MN | 398 | 7 hr 42 min |
Fastest road route from O'Hare 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 ORD 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.
Chicago on 13 and 14 November
- Friday 13 November: 889 flights cancelled 1
- Saturday 14 November: 685 flights cancelled 7
- Saturday 14 November (MDW): 71 flights cancelled 7
Searches during the stop
- Illinois ranked 10 of the 12 states listed for "one way car rental" (38 on a 100 scale). 8
- Illinois ranked 9 of the 12 states listed for "amtrak" (33 on a 100 scale). 8
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 Chicago too
Amtrak lists 13 routes from Chicago, among them the Borealis, California Zephyr, Cardinal and City of New Orleans.
| Mode | Operator | Station or stops | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Amtrak | Chicago Union Station (CHI), 255 South Clinton Street, Chicago, IL 60606 | Borealis, California Zephyr, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Floridian, Hiawatha, Illinois Services, Lake Shore Limited, Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner, Michigan Services, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle 9 |
| Bus | Greyhound | 3 stops: Chicago Bus Station, 630 W Harrison St; Chicago Train Station, 537-517 W. Jackson Blvd (moved for construction, ticket counter inside Union Station); Chicago (Cumberland Farms), 5800 N Cumberland Ave. | Intercity coach 10 |
| Bus | FlixBus | Same 3 stops as Greyhound: Chicago Bus Station (630 W Harrison St), Chicago Train Station (W. Jackson Blvd), Chicago (Cumberland Farms). | Intercity coach 11 |
| Bus | Megabus | Megabus and Windstar Lines arrivals and departures at W Polk St between S Clinton St and S Canal St (per Megabus route guide). | Intercity coach 12 |
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 Chicago
Can I rent a car one way from Chicago?
Yes. Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, Alamo and Sixt all allow one-way rentals between US cities. All seven are listed on site at ORD. Any drop fee appears in the quote before you pay.
Where do I pick up a rental car at ORD?
On-airport. Rental car companies are in the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF), 10255 W. Take the Airport Transit System (ATS) train from Terminals 1, 2, 3 or 5 to the MMF.
How long is the drive from Chicago to Milwaukee?
About 85 miles and 2 hr from ORD 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 Chicago instead?
Amtrak trains run from Chicago. Intercity coaches are run by FlixBus, Greyhound and Megabus.
More for travellers leaving Chicago
- 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: Las Vegas · New York · Seattle · Atlanta · 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
12 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.
- Chicago Sun-Times Checked at source
- O'Hare International Airport rental car page Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- O'Hare International Airport transport page Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Midway International Airport rental car page Checked at source · 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 Chicago Sun-Times Checked at source
- 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: Chicago Union Station (CHI), 255 South Clinton Street, Chicago, IL 60606 Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026
- Greyhound Chicago stops Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- FlixBus Chicago stops Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Megabus Chicago stops Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026