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Chicago · United States

Car hire and driving in Chicago

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In United States traffic drives on the right. Picking up at MDW means 11 km (7 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.

Drives from Chicago

Car rental from Chicago: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Chicago to NapervilleUnited States42 km (26 mi)about 34 min
Chicago to JolietUnited States51 km (32 mi)about 41 min
Chicago to ElginUnited States56 km (35 mi)about 46 min
Chicago to AuroraUnited States56 km (35 mi)about 46 min
Chicago to South BendUnited States118 km (73 mi)about 1 h 36 min
Chicago to RockfordUnited States128 km (80 mi)about 1 h 44 min
Chicago to MilwaukeeUnited States134 km (83 mi)about 1 h 49 min
Chicago to MadisonUnited States198 km (123 mi)about 2 h 41 min
Chicago to Grand RapidsUnited States204 km (127 mi)about 2 h 46 min
Chicago to North PeoriaUnited States205 km (127 mi)about 2 h 47 min
Chicago to PeoriaUnited States207 km (129 mi)about 2 h 48 min
Chicago to Fort WayneUnited States225 km (140 mi)about 3 h 3 min
Chicago to New York CityUnited States1,146 km (712 mi)about 15 h 32 min
Chicago to TorontoCanada704 km (437 mi)about 9 h 33 min
Chicago to BrooklynUnited States1,152 km (716 mi)about 15 h 37 min
Chicago to QueensUnited States1,161 km (721 mi)about 15 h 44 min
Chicago to HoustonUnited States1,512 km (939 mi)about 20 h 30 min
Chicago to MontréalCanada1,200 km (746 mi)about 16 h 16 min
Chicago to PhiladelphiaUnited States1,069 km (664 mi)about 14 h 30 min
Chicago to San AntonioUnited States1,691 km (1,051 mi)about 22 h 55 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Chicago?

The right, as everywhere in United States.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.