Car Rental Minneapolis

Key Roads in Minneapolis

• I-35W: The primary north–south artery running through downtown Minneapolis, and one of the most direct routes for cross-city positioning when you’re moving between central neighborhoods.
• I-94: The main east–west route connecting Minneapolis with St. Paul, and a common backbone road for metro-to-metro drives.
• I-394: A major route into downtown from the west. It also includes optional E-ZPass express lanes on certain stretches, which can help you manage travel times when general lanes slow down.

Electric Car Hire

If you want a cleaner way to get around the city, Hertz electric car hire is an excellent fit for Minneapolis.

Considering how EVs are quiet on longer stretches, an electric car hire is comfortable for city driving and pretty easy to use when your day is built around planned stops like museums, parks, shopping blocks, longer meals, and big attraction visits.

Getting an electric rental car is also a smart match for Twin Cities-style itineraries where you return to the same base each night. That routine makes charging simpler to plan.

Charging Points

Minneapolis’s EV infrastructure is rapidly growing. Right now, there are 653 stations with 1748 charging ports in and near Minneapolis within 30 miles of the city. This includes all types of charging with DC or Level-2 Fast Charging options.

The number of EV stations set up in the city continues to grow as more and more people gravitate towards the usage of electric cars. This is also the reason why Hertz encourages the usage of electric car rentals.

Congestion Charges

Minneapolis doesn’t use a downtown cordon-style congestion charge. Instead, congestion charging in the Twin Cities mainly shows up as priced managed lanes, where you can choose to pay for a faster lane on certain freeways during busy periods.

Here’s what matters for trip planning:

• Priced express lanes (HOT lanes): Some corridors use demand-based pricing to keep traffic moving, including routes like I-394 and I-35W.
• Goal: MnDOT’s stated purpose is to improve traffic flow and travel-time reliability, not to generate revenue.
• Why it exists: The region treats congestion as a serious cost driver. The Metropolitan Council notes congestion costs the Twin Cities over $2.6 billion each year, including delay and wasted fuel.

Practical planning tip: Treat priced lanes as an optional time-saver. If your route includes I-394 or I-35W during peak commute windows, a priced lane can help you keep timing predictable. If you want to avoid extra charges when taking your rental car out on the streets, stick to general lanes and add a small buffer to your ETA.

Getting from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport to Spring Valley

Spring Valley is a great option for a longer drive from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport if you want to explore a smaller Minnesota town with local character. The trip takes under two hours by car, depending on traffic, and follows a clear highway route for most of the journey.

Here’s a simple way to follow the route if you have a rental car of your own:

• Get onto MN-5 E from Glumack Drive.
• Follow US-52 S and US-63 toward Frankford Township.
• Continue to 265th Street, then take County Highway 8 toward Spring Valley.
• Follow N Broadway Avenue / Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway into town.
• Turn left onto N Broadway Avenue, then continue via N Hudson Avenue to W High Street.

Getting From Downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America

The Mall of America is a very common add-on day for a Minneapolis trip. Local travel guidance notes it’s about 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, and it’s also only a few minutes from MSP Airport.

A commonly used driving approach (especially from the downtown side) with a booked rental car is:

• Start in downtown Minneapolis and head toward I-35W S.
• Stay on I-35W South, then connect to I-494 (toward Bloomington).
• Follow I-494 E and take the exit toward Mall of America access (Mall of America’s own directions commonly route drivers to I-494 E with an exit onto 24th Avenue S, depending on approach).

Mall of America days work best when you time your arrival outside the sharpest peak windows. If you’re combining it with other stops, visit the Mall of America first, then move on, because parking and exits can take longer once the complex gets busier.