Chicago Midway (MDW)
Best for: Begin a southwest Chicago or regional drive
Collect at the 55th Street rental facility by shuttle, then return through the booked operator.
Chicago Midway airport car rental by shuttle
Chicago Midway airport car rental uses a consolidated facility at 5150 W. 55th Street, separate from the terminal. After baggage claim, follow signs to the authorised rental-car shuttle on the lower level. Shuttle service is scheduled every 15 minutes around the clock, but allow waiting time. For return, use the booked operator instructions for the 55th Street facility and travel back to the terminal by shuttle. A downtown-only start may suit the CTA Orange Line before collecting a car for a later road trip.
Editor: Ane
Chicago Midway Airport at a glance
- Facility
- 5150 W. 55th Street, Chicago
- Shuttle
- Authorised rental-car shuttle at signed lower-level terminal stop
- Scheduled frequency
- Every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day
- City alternative
- CTA Orange Line from Midway Transportation Center
Search Chicago Midway airport car rental by shuttle
Search starts at Chicago Midway Airport [MDW], with the same return location and USD as the requested currency. Check the exact branch, collection instructions and full conditions in the selected offer.
Preparing live car hire search
Choose when to collect in Chicago Midway Airport
Supplier collection arrangements
Selected airport rental operators and collection arrangements. Check availability in your search. Your selected offer and voucher identify the booked branch.
Consolidated Rental Car Facility, 5150 W. 55th Street
- Midway rental companies
Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Corporate Rent A Car share the facility. Use the terminal rental shuttle, then find the booked company desk and vehicle bay.
Ride the rental shuttle to 55th Street
The facility is away from the terminal baggage claim.
Follow lower-level rental shuttle signs
After collecting bags, go to the signed lower-level rental-car shuttle area. The dedicated service runs to 5150 W. 55th Street and is scheduled every 15 minutes, day and night. Use the signed stop on the day of travel rather than a door number saved in an old itinerary. Do not board a parking, hotel or regional bus in place of the rental shuttle.
Use one facility, then the correct desk
The named operator still controls the vehicle handover.
Find the company named in the offer
Midway groups its rental companies at the 55th Street facility. The roster includes Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Corporate Rent A Car. At the facility, check the booked company, car class, fuel level and condition before leaving. A company name in the airport roster does not prove a vehicle is available for your dates.
Consider the Orange Line for a Loop-first stay
A downtown hotel can make early rental days unnecessary.
Compare the train with city parking
The CTA Orange Line connects Midway Transportation Center, reached from the terminal by an enclosed walkway, with downtown Chicago. A Loop-only first day may be easier without a rental car. Compare train travel and a later named branch against an airport pickup and hotel parking. For a first drive into the suburbs or beyond Chicago, immediate hire may save another collection trip.
Compare MDW and later city pickupDo not swap Midway for O Hare
Chicago has two separate airport rental systems.
Check the flight code and return airport
Midway uses a shuttle to the 55th Street facility. O Hare uses its Multi-Modal Facility and airport transit system, a different collection and return process. A trip landing at MDW and departing ORD needs the correct one-way airports in the quote. Add transfer or repositioning time rather than treating Chicago airport names as one pickup. Choose the airport that matches the ticket before opening an offer.
Compare O Hare rental collectionPrice the Chicago drive beyond the day rate
Parking and route charges can outweigh a small rate difference.
Include the booked route and return
Check the total, security hold, damage excess, fuel, mileage, additional driver and child-seat terms. Add downtown parking and any toll roads on the chosen route. A different return airport, including O Hare, must be quoted as a one-way rental. Do not infer a common price or after-hours key policy from the shuttle timetable; each operator sets its own offer conditions.
Estimate the Midway rental totalChoose space for bags and Chicago streets
The first parking place matters as much as the first highway.
Check category and trunk capacity
For a short city-adjacent drive, a smaller category may be easier to park if it fits all passengers and luggage. For a family or longer regional loop, confirm trunk space, seats and child-seat availability before booking. Keep the rear view clear after airport collection. If the car will spend most of the first days in a garage, compare those costs with delaying pickup.
Plan passenger and bag space from Chicago Midway AirportDrive back to the 55th Street facility
The rental handback is separate from a passenger drop-off.
Use the operator return entrance
Navigate to the booked company return at the consolidated facility, 5150 W. 55th Street, and follow its signs or agreement for the correct bay. The airport rental page does not provide a complete customer driving route into each company lot, so confirm that detail with the selected operator. Finish fuel and inspection, unload, then take the rental shuttle to the terminal with enough flight buffer.
Compare the first arrival with the route
Start closer to central Indiana
If central Indiana is the first destination, compare an IND flight with the drive from Midway. IND has walkable Terminal Garage rental options and separate off-airport providers; select the actual branch before comparing transfer time and a one-way return.
Compare Indianapolis International Airport collectionStart nearer Milwaukee
For a southeast Wisconsin first stop, compare arriving at MKE with the journey from Midway. Milwaukee’s rental desk is across the road from baggage claim on the garage’s ground level, followed by the assigned car on floor 1 or 2. The first overnight address may matter more than the flight fare alone.
Compare Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport collectionChicago Midway Airport rental questions
Where is the Midway rental car facility?
The consolidated facility is at 5150 W. 55th Street, reached by the signed lower-level rental shuttle.
Which Midway door has the rental shuttle?
Follow the current lower-level Rental Car Shuttle signs to the authorised stop beside baggage claim.
Is Midway the same rental pickup as O Hare?
No. Midway uses the 55th Street facility and a shuttle; O Hare uses a separate Multi-Modal Facility and airport transit system.
Compare Chicago Midway airport car rental by shuttle
Choose your dates and compare the total price, pickup arrangements and rental conditions. Check the branch and return plan before confirming an offer.
Search Chicago Midway airport car rental by shuttle