Car rentals in Frankfurt am Main

Part of our guide to car hire in Germany.

Driving and Parking in Frankfurt am Main: What You Need to Know

• Rules of the road: Germany drives on the right. The limit is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h on rural roads, and 130 km/h is the recommended speed on Autobahn sections without a posted limit. Many stretches around Frankfurt carry a lower posted limit, so follow the signs rather than the advisory figure.
• The low emission zone: Frankfurt has a low emission zone that applies day and night, and only a green sticker is accepted. The city expanded the zone in 2017 to cover the whole urban area, and the Autobahn sections through the city are exempt. Entering without the right sticker is listed at €100, and a rental company passes on the charge to your card with an administration fee. Check the windscreen for the sticker when you collect the car, and ask the supplier if it is missing.
• On-street parking: Parking in the centre is paid, and one guide lists about €1 per 20 minutes, or about €3 an hour, although that guide dates from 2020. Some areas use a parking disc set to your arrival time, rounded up to the next half hour. Hire cars should come with a disc, so ask at collection if yours has none.
• Garages in the centre: The Parkhaus Hauptwache at Kornmarkt 10 is listed at about €2.50 for the first hour, with a night maximum of about €4.00 from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am and an entry height of 2.00 m. The Parkhaus Dom Römer at Domstraße 1 is listed at about €2.00 an hour from Monday to Saturday and is often full, and the Parkhaus Kaiserplatz at Bethmannstraße 50 to 54 is listed at about €2.50 an hour with a daily maximum of about €25. Tariffs come from listings that may be out of date, so confirm them at the entrance.
• Park and ride: Park and ride sites on the edge of the city are listed at about €1.50 to €3 a day, and some regional trains offer free parking at their stations. Leaving the car at an outer station and taking the train in is usually the simplest way to reach the centre.
• Motorway links: The A5, A3 and A661 run through and around the city, and the A66 connects Frankfurt with Wiesbaden. The airport sits on the A3 and A5 corridor, so most routes out of the city begin on one of these roads. Join early in the day, because the approaches slow at weekday rush hours.
• Trade fair weeks: Large events at the Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds raise traffic and parking demand across the city. If your dates coincide with a major fair, allow extra time for every journey and check your hotel for its own parking before you arrive.
• Keeping the car overnight: Ask your hotel whether it has parking and what it charges before you book, because garage charges in the centre add to the cost of the trip. A car left on the street should be parked in a marked bay with a valid ticket or disc, and never in a loading area or on a pavement.
• Equipment: German law requires a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a reflective vest in the car. Hire cars are normally equipped, and you can confirm this at collection.
• Winter driving: Tyres with the Alpine symbol are required in snow, ice, slush or black ice. Tyres marked only M+S have not been accepted since 1 October 2024, and winter hires normally come fitted correctly.
• Phone and alcohol: Holding a phone while driving costs €100 and one point. The alcohol limit is 0.5 per mille, and 0.0 applies to novice drivers and drivers under 21. Treat any alcohol before driving as a risk.
• Tolls: Germany has no general toll for cars. Private cars pay only on a few private tunnels elsewhere in the country, and none of the routes below carries a charge, so there is no vignette or transponder to arrange.
• Before you drive away: Photograph the car on all four sides, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior at collection and again at return.

Top Places to Visit from Frankfurt am Main by Car

• Mainz — about 39 km west, in roughly 28 minutes. The cathedral city on the Rhine makes an easy half-day, and the return drive keeps you in a single base. Mainz and Wiesbaden share a low emission zone, so keep the green sticker on the windscreen.
• Wiesbaden — about 40 km west, in roughly 32 minutes by the A66. The spa city is the capital of Hesse, and the drive suits a morning with time for the thermal baths and the old town.
• Heidelberg — about 89 km south, in roughly 59 minutes. The castle town on the Neckar is the longer trip of the four, so leave early and park outside the old town, where the streets are narrow.
• Würzburg — about 120 km south-east, in roughly 1 hour 30 minutes. The city on the Main suits a full day, or an overnight stay if you want to see the Residenz without watching the clock.

When is the Best Time to Hire a Car in Frankfurt am Main?

Peak season: June to August is the busiest period for visitors, with long daylight hours that suit the day trips above. Major trade fairs fill hotels and roads in the city for days at a time, and the weeks before Christmas bring Christmas market crowds. Collect the car on the day you leave the city for the day trips, because the centre is easier on foot, by tram or by train than by car.

Shoulder season: April to May and September to October bring steadier traffic and milder weather. Roads are easier to read, and a day on the Autobahn is less tiring than in the heat of July.

Low season: January and March are the quietest periods for visitors. Daylight is limited, and winter tyre rules apply in wintry conditions. Allow extra time on the Autobahn after snow, and plan longer drives to leave and arrive in daylight.

Advance booking: Book several weeks ahead for the summer, the pre-Christmas weeks and any major trade fair, and earlier for automatic cars or larger vehicles. Free cancellation means booking early carries no penalty.

How Payment Works for Car Hire in Frankfurt am Main

A rental prepayment confirms your booking online with Instant Confirmation, and you pay the balance directly to the supplier on arrival. The price and vehicle class shown at booking are the terms you receive at the desk, and cancellation is free. The supplier may place an excess hold on the main driver's credit card, so check that the card in the driver's name has enough available limit.

Car Hire Pick-Up Locations in Frankfurt am Main

Your booking confirmation from eCarBookers locks in your price and your vehicle class before you arrive. You pay the balance at the desk on collection, and the terms confirmed at booking are the terms you receive. Always confirm your hire in advance to guarantee your price from the moment you collect the keys.

• Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
• Frankfurt Central Station
• Frankfurt Downtown