Car rentals in Knoxville, Tennessee

Drive865 is a direct-booking car rental company based in the Knoxville/Maryville area. We're not a counter-based rental agency — there's no Drive865 booth at the airport. Your car is already parked in Economy Lot C at McGhee Tyson Airport (or at our Maryville location for local pickups) with a lockbox on the exterior, and we send you the code the night before your trip.

Our fleet is intentionally different from what national chains offer. Enterprise, Hertz, and Avis at TYS rent sedans, crossovers, and full-size SUVs. We rent sports cars, a classic Miata convertible, a capable FJ Cruiser, and practical family vehicles — the cars that match what East Tennessee's roads and attractions actually reward.

Knoxville is the gateway to some of the best driving roads in the eastern United States. Tail of the Dragon (US-129) is 65 miles away. The Cherohala Skyway entrance is 75 miles away. Cades Cove is 52 miles. The Foothills Parkway is 48 miles. These aren't generic rental-car destinations — they're roads worth building a trip around, and we build our fleet around that fact.

Local renters — Knoxville residents, UT students, and Blount County residents — use Drive865 for weekend driving trips, special occasion rentals, and one-day experiences. You don't need to be flying in to rent from us. Our Maryville location serves local pickup without the airport logistics.

The most common local use case: Knoxville resident wants to drive the Dragon for the first time. They book the BRZ for a Saturday, pick up at 7am, are at Deals Gap by 9am, run the road three times, and are back in Knoxville by 4pm. It's a 200-mile day, and it's the best day they've spent in East Tennessee.

Wedding bookings are the other major local category. The Miata convertible and Supra are both frequently booked by local wedding photographers, couples planning their getaway car, or grooms who want something memorable on the morning of. Same contactless process — no need to go to an airport.

Knoxville's geography is anchored by I-40 (east-west), I-75 (north-south), and the Tennessee River. The university and Old City are on the western edge of downtown. West Knoxville (Farragut, Bearden, Hardin Valley) is the commercial corridor toward the airport. Getting from anywhere in Knoxville to TYS takes 20–30 minutes by highway.

The practical logistics for a TYS pickup: drive to the airport, take the Economy Lot shuttle from baggage claim to Shuttle Stop C-1A, find the car in Section Orange 1. For a Maryville pickup, we'll communicate the exact location after booking confirmation. Both work the same way — lockbox code, photograph at pickup, done.