Locally owned, since a four-car lot in PB
We started renting cars to visiting surfers in 2009. Today we run six San Diego locations, still owned and staffed by locals.
Why we started
Marisol Vega spent her twenties working the counter at a national rental brand near the airport. She watched tired families get talked into protection they did not need and fees they did not understand, and she knew visitors deserved better from her hometown.
In 2009 she bought four used convertibles, rented a corner of a Pacific Beach parking lot and wrote every price on a whiteboard. That whiteboard rule still guides us: the price you see is the price you pay, and nobody on our team earns commission for selling you extras.
"If a visitor leaves San Diego thinking about the sunset instead of the rental counter, we did our job."Marisol Vega, founder
- 2009
Marisol Vega opens a four-car lot on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, renting mostly to visiting surfers.
- 2013
Second branch in Downtown and our first convertibles. Comic-Con week sells out in 40 minutes.
- 2017
We win a concession at the new SAN Rental Car Center and launch the 24-hour counter.
- 2021
La Jolla, Carlsbad and Coronado open, along with hotel delivery and our first Teslas.
- 2026
480 cars, 64 local employees and 1,284 reviews averaging 4.9 stars.
- 64local employees
- 480cars in the fleet
- 4.9from 1,284 reviews
- 22%hybrid or electric
What we promise every renter
- The price you see is the price you pay
- Every tax, airport fee and optional extra is shown before you confirm. No counter upsell scripts, no surprise fuel charges.
- Local first
- We are San Diego owned, hire from the neighborhoods we serve, and our staff will happily tell you where they eat fish tacos.
- Newer, cleaner cars
- Our fleet averages 14 months old. Every car is detailed, sanitized and safety checked between rentals.
- Help at any hour
- A real person answers our phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, usually in under a minute.
The people behind the counter
Born, raised or happily transplanted to San Diego.
Marisol Vega
Founder & General Manager
Grew up in Chula Vista, opened our first four-car lot in Pacific Beach in 2009.
Dev Patel
Airport Operations Lead
Runs the SAN counter and shuttle schedule. Has memorized every flight bank.
Keoni Akana
Fleet Manager
Keeps 480 cars under two years old and personally test drives every convertible.
Rachel Oyelaran
Guest Care Lead
Leads our 24/7 phone team and the car seat fitting program.
Credentials and commitments
SAN Rental Car Center concessionaire
Authorized operator at San Diego International Airport (demo placeholder).
California DMV registered rental company
Fleet registered and inspected under California Vehicle Code (demo placeholder).
Certified child passenger safety techs
Six team members certified to fit and check car seats.
Clean Air fleet goal
22 percent of our fleet is hybrid or electric, targeting 40 percent by 2028.
