Three on-airport car rental desks serve AFA’s small T terminal
At Suboficial Ay Santiago Germano Airport (AFA), rental counters sit inside terminal T’s arrivals hall, about 50 meters from the baggage carousel. Agencies typically open around 08:00 and close near the last scheduled flight, so late‑night walk‑ups after 22:00 can be hit-or-miss. For trips into central San Rafael, expect a 9–12 km drive depending on your hotel, with most routes following RP143 or RP150 straight into town.
Cars here make the most sense if you’re stringing together wineries along RP173, visits to Valle Grande and El Nihuil dam, or a loop to Cañón del Atuel over two to four days. Public buses to the dams and canyons can run only a few times per day, and some wineries sit 10–15 km apart on rural roads. With a rental picked up at AFA, you skip a separate taxi into the city, which usually runs the equivalent of 8–12 USD each way.
Most fleets at AFA skew to small manuals: think Fiat Cronos, Chevrolet Onix, or similar compact sedans with 1.3–1.8L engines and 5-speed gearboxes. Automatics are limited and can cost 25–40% more per day, especially in high season from December to February. Daily rates often drop when you book 3+ consecutive days, and agencies commonly include 200–300 km per day before extra per‑km charges kick in.
Fuel stations start about 5 km from the airport on the way into San Rafael, with a YPF and other brands clustered near RP143. Most rental contracts at AFA ask you to return the car with a full tank, and local pump prices for nafta súper usually sit lower than in Buenos Aires. Keep cash or a working chip card handy; some smaller stations on RP173 toward Valle Grande report occasional card terminal outages.
Step-by-step pickup at AFA is simple. 1) Land at T, clear arrivals, and walk straight 30–60 seconds to the counters. 2) Show passport and driver’s license; a physical plastic license is safer than a digital app screenshot. 3) Sign the contract, confirm included kilometers and excess, and add a second driver if you plan 200+ km days. 4) Walk outside with the agent 100–200 meters to the small on-airport lot. 5) Photograph all four sides, wheels, windshield, fuel level, and odometer before starting the engine.
For returns, build in 15–20 extra minutes at AFA: refuel in town, then follow signs to the terminal and drop the keys at the same arrivals-hall desk in T before check-in closes.