Should I Rent a Car in Albuquerque? | Budget Car Rental

Should I Rent a Car in Albuquerque?

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Should You Rent a Car in Albuquerque?

The central question—should you rent a car in Albuquerque—has a pretty clear answer: Yes.

We’ll explore the whys below, but the verdict isn’t terribly ambiguous in ABQ. Everything is spread out here, and many of the most popular attractions in the area are found well outside of bus lines.

The only exception might be if you’re spending your entire trip in Old Town or Nob Hill. But that doesn’t describe most visitor itineraries.

Let’s examine Albuquerque up close and discover why a rental car is the best transportation option for most people.

Albuquerque Infrastructure

You’ve got the Sandia Mountains to the east and the Rio Grande to the west. In between, growing longways to the north and south, sprawls the ever-expanding city of Albuquerque. While you can walk around little pockets like Old Town, parts of downtown, and Nob Hill, you’ll need to hop on major thoroughfares like Central Avenue and I-25 to get from one to the other, not to mention all the attractions and businesses that stretch into the surrounding suburbs.

And do you want to wait for a bus in the hot New Mexico sun? No, you probably want to rent a car for vacation in Albuquerque.

Are there toll roads in Albuquerque?

Nope. There are no toll roads in the entire state of New Mexico. You can take any route without fear of accidentally stumbling onto a toll road.

Comparing Vacation Transportation Options in Albuquerque

Not very. Walk Score gives it a 43, labeling it a car-dependent city where residents need a car to run most errands. Most visitors will be in the same boat. As we mentioned earlier, there are some small walkable zones like Old Town, but renting a car in Albuquerque is a good idea if you plan to explore at all.

There are buses run by ABQ RIDE, but they run limited routes with varied service availability. Walk Score rates Albuquerque’s public transit at 29, a fairly dismal score. It reinforces the need to rent a car in the city. You won’t get far without one, unless you’re willing to let bus schedules dictate your itinerary.

There’s good and bad news here. The average congestion level is only 19%, which is less than a lot of large cities. But WalletHub ranks Albuquerque at only 51—squarely in the middle on its list of the best cities to drive in. The roadways suffer in the ranking because of the low safety score, which measures factors like the number of accidents.

Bottom Line: Should You Rent a Car in Albuquerque?

Do you need a car in Albuquerque? Absolutely. Only visitors with extremely limited plans of sticking exclusively to Nob Hill or University Heights could get away without one. 

Choose a rental if: 

  • You plan to visit popular experiences like Petroglyph National Monument or Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. 
  • You’re a business traveler who wants to break out of the downtown hotel in the evening and see the city.
  • You don’t care to spend your trip baking in the sun while you wait for the next bus.

Time to book with Budget! We have rental locations throughout the ABQ area. If you’re flying into town, make your reservation with Budget at Albuquerque International Sunport.