Car rentals in Alcoa, Tennessee

Most travelers searching for flights say 'Knoxville' because TYS's official name is McGhee Tyson Airport, and it serves the Knoxville metro. But the airport property is in Alcoa, Tennessee — not in the city of Knoxville, and not in Maryville. The airport address is on Alcoa Highway (US-129) in the city limits of Alcoa.

This creates a common search problem: someone flies into TYS, needs a car, and searches 'car rental Alcoa TN.' The major booking sites sometimes return Knoxville results, sometimes return nothing useful, and sometimes return the on-airport counters at TYS without making it clear those are also in Alcoa. Drive865's TYS pickup at Economy Lot C is, physically, in Alcoa. If you're searching for Alcoa car rental, this is it.

The other thing worth knowing: Alcoa and Maryville are essentially the same place from a travel logistics perspective. The two cities share a border; the downtown areas are two miles apart. Our Maryville pickup location is 5 minutes south of the TYS lot. Either pickup gets you the same fleet.

Drive865 is not at the TYS terminal. There is no Drive865 counter in the airport. Instead, the car is already in Economy Lot C when you arrive. From baggage claim, take the Economy Lot shuttle (far-right curb, free, every 15 minutes) to Stop C-1A. Walk to Section Orange 1 — we send a photo of the exact spot the night before. The lockbox is on the door handle with a four-digit code from your booking confirmation. Take the key, put the lockbox in the glove box, drive.

The whole process takes 5–15 minutes from baggage claim to the car. No counter wait, no upsell, no inspection walk-around with a tablet. You've already signed the rental agreement before arriving. The car is there when your flight lands, whether you're on time, delayed, or arriving after midnight.

Alcoa, Tennessee takes its name from the Aluminum Company of America, which built a major smelting facility here in 1914. The Alcoa industrial corridor along US-129 remains an active aluminum manufacturing area. Alcoa is a small city of about 10,000 people, surrounded by Maryville to the south and east and by TYS to the north.

Most visitors to Alcoa are passing through — arriving at TYS or en route between Maryville and the airport. The city has a tight residential and commercial area around its downtown, but it's Maryville that has the restaurants, the retail, and the longer lodging options. For practical trip planning, Alcoa and Maryville are one travel zone.