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Washington · United States

Car hire and driving in Washington

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

OverviewFlightsHotelsHostelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In United States traffic drives on the right. Picking up at DCA means 5 km (3 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.

Drives from Washington

Car rental from Washington: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Washington to BaltimoreUnited States57 km (36 mi)about 47 min
Washington to RichmondUnited States154 km (95 mi)about 2 h 5 min
Washington to PhiladelphiaUnited States199 km (124 mi)about 2 h 42 min
Washington to East HamptonUnited States216 km (134 mi)about 2 h 55 min
Washington to HamptonUnited States216 km (134 mi)about 2 h 56 min
Washington to Newport NewsUnited States219 km (136 mi)about 2 h 58 min
Washington to AllentownUnited States232 km (144 mi)about 3 h 9 min
Washington to NorfolkUnited States237 km (147 mi)about 3 h 13 min
Washington to ChesapeakeUnited States240 km (149 mi)about 3 h 15 min
Washington to Virginia BeachUnited States245 km (152 mi)about 3 h 20 min
Washington to EdisonUnited States288 km (179 mi)about 3 h 54 min
Washington to PittsburghUnited States306 km (190 mi)about 4 h 9 min
Washington to New York CityUnited States328 km (204 mi)about 4 h 27 min
Washington to TorontoCanada570 km (354 mi)about 7 h 44 min
Washington to BrooklynUnited States328 km (204 mi)about 4 h 27 min
Washington to ChicagoUnited States956 km (594 mi)about 12 h 58 min
Washington to QueensUnited States338 km (210 mi)about 4 h 35 min
Washington to MontréalCanada788 km (490 mi)about 10 h 41 min
Washington to ManhattanUnited States336 km (209 mi)about 4 h 33 min
Washington to The BronxUnited States347 km (216 mi)about 4 h 42 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 Washington?

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.