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Des Moines · United States

Car hire and driving in Des Moines

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 DSM means 8 km (5 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.

Drives from Des Moines

Car rental from Des Moines: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Des Moines to Cedar RapidsUnited States169 km (105 mi)about 2 h 18 min
Des Moines to OmahaUnited States198 km (123 mi)about 2 h 41 min
Des Moines to DavenportUnited States252 km (157 mi)about 3 h 25 min
Des Moines to LincolnUnited States271 km (168 mi)about 3 h 40 min
Des Moines to RochesterUnited States285 km (177 mi)about 3 h 52 min
Des Moines to IndependenceUnited States287 km (179 mi)about 3 h 54 min
Des Moines to Kansas CityUnited States290 km (180 mi)about 3 h 56 min
Des Moines to Kansas CityUnited States290 km (180 mi)about 3 h 56 min
Des Moines to Overland ParkUnited States305 km (189 mi)about 4 h 8 min
Des Moines to ColumbiaUnited States314 km (195 mi)about 4 h 15 min
Des Moines to OlatheUnited States319 km (198 mi)about 4 h 20 min
Des Moines to TopekaUnited States334 km (207 mi)about 4 h 31 min
Des Moines to New York CityUnited States1,641 km (1,019 mi)about 22 h 14 min
Des Moines to TorontoCanada1,184 km (736 mi)about 16 h 3 min
Des Moines to BrooklynUnited States1,647 km (1,023 mi)about 22 h 19 min
Des Moines to ChicagoUnited States495 km (308 mi)about 6 h 43 min
Des Moines to QueensUnited States1,655 km (1,029 mi)about 22 h 26 min
Des Moines to HoustonUnited States1,326 km (824 mi)about 17 h 58 min
Des Moines to MontréalCanada1,666 km (1,035 mi)about 22 h 35 min
Des Moines to PhiladelphiaUnited States1,561 km (970 mi)about 21 h 10 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 Des Moines?

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 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel 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.