The last fill-up before you hand back a rental is where most travelers overpay in Chicago. You are on a clock, you are following signs to the O’Hare Multi-Modal Facility or the Midway rental lot, and the first station you see on Mannheim Road or Cicero Avenue knows it. Chicago-area gas already carries some of the highest combined taxes in the country, and the stations closest to the rental returns price for people who have run out of options. This guide is about that one tank: what the metro is averaging right now, which stations sit within a few minutes of each rental return, and how the rental and Turo fuel rules actually work so you do not pay twice.
Updated October 22, 2026
Current averages
| Grade | Chicago metro average | Illinois average | US national average | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | $4.79 | $4.65 | $4.26 | Oct 21, 2026 | AAA |
| Premium | $6.01 | $5.83 | $5.18 | Oct 21, 2026 | AAA |
| Diesel | $6.62 | $6.54 | $6.32 | Oct 21, 2026 | AAA |
Chicago runs about 14 cents above the Illinois average and more than 50 cents above the national average for regular. Cook County and City of Chicago fuel taxes are the reason; the same brand across the county line in DuPage is usually cheaper, which matters if you are coming back to O’Hare from the west.
Stations near the airport
We do not list per-station prices because they change hourly. Check them live in GasBuddy, Waze or the AAA mobile app while you are still a few exits out. All O’Hare on-airport rentals return to the Multi-Modal Facility at 10255 W. Zemke Blvd., at the southeast corner of Zemke and Mannheim Roads. Midway rentals return to the Midway Rental Car Facility at 5150 W. 55th St., just west of Cicero Avenue.
Near O’Hare (ORD):
- BP, 2995 Mannheim Rd., Des Plaines: on Mannheim just north of Zemke/Higgins, the closest station to the Multi-Modal Facility.
- Mobil, 10999 W. Higgins Rd., Rosemont: Higgins Road (IL-72) at Mannheim, by the I-90/I-294 interchange.
- BP, 1990 Mannheim Rd., Des Plaines: Mannheim Road north toward Touhy Avenue.
- Speedway, 885 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines: Touhy Avenue just west of Mannheim.
- BP, 4111 Mannheim Rd., Schiller Park: Mannheim at Irving Park Road (IL-19), south of the airport.
- Sam’s Club, 101 W. Oakton St., Des Plaines (warehouse club, membership required): Oakton Street near Lee Street, roughly 3.5 miles north; fuel station confirmed on the Sam’s Club club page.
- Costco, 8400 W. North Ave., Melrose Park (warehouse club, membership required): North Avenue (IL-64) near Mannheim, about 7 to 8 miles south, so only worth it if you are already coming up Mannheim from the south; gas station confirmed on costco.com.
Near Midway (MDW):
- BP, 4401 W. 55th St., Chicago: 55th Street at Kostner, about a mile east of the rental facility.
- BP, 4759 S. Cicero Ave. and BP, 4629 S. Cicero Ave., Chicago: Cicero Avenue (IL-50) a mile north of 55th.
- Speedway, 6800 S. Archer Rd., Bedford Park: Archer Avenue (IL-171) near Harlem, about 3 miles southwest.
- Thorntons, 5900 S. Harlem Ave., Summit: Harlem Avenue (IL-43) near Archer.
- Costco Business Center, 7300 S. Cicero Ave., Chicago (warehouse club, membership required): Cicero at 73rd Street, about 2.5 miles south of the rental return; costco.com lists a gas station here with weekday hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sam’s Club, 2601 S. Cicero Ave., Cicero (warehouse club, membership required): Cicero at 26th Street, about 3.5 miles north; fuel station confirmed on the club page.
Rental refuel rules
Every major agency gives you the same three choices. Return it full yourself and you pay only the pump price. Prepay a tank and you get no credit for whatever is left; Avis says plainly that “no credit or refund will be given for unused fuel in the tank,” and Enterprise says prepaid fuel is sold only in full tanks and is not refundable. Let the agency refuel and you pay their per-gallon rate plus a service charge, which Enterprise describes as “the local Enterprise rate.” Prepaid fuel only wins if you are certain you will bring the car back on fumes, which almost nobody does at an airport.
Watch the short-trip rule. Avis’s EZFuel program charges customers who drive fewer than 75 miles a flat fee unless they fill up and present a fuel receipt at return, so keep the receipt from your last stop even if the gauge reads full. For Turo, the host’s listing sets the fuel policy, and Turo’s help center tells guests to refill to the same level as at check-in and to photograph the fuel gauge at check-in and checkout; hosts have 72 hours after the trip to invoice for missing fuel plus a $10 inconvenience fee, and the photos are what Turo reviews in a dispute.
Local quirks
Chicago’s quirk is geography. AAA’s Chicago metro average sits well above the Illinois average because of layered local fuel taxes, and the spread between a station in Rosemont or Des Plaines and one a few miles west in DuPage County is often larger than any brand loyalty discount. If you are returning to O’Hare from the western suburbs on I-90 or I-290, fill up before you cross into Cook County. Returning to Midway, the Cicero Avenue corridor between 26th Street and 73rd Street has two warehouse-club stations, which is unusual for a big-city airport. For more on the two airports themselves, see our guide to O’Hare vs. Midway for award travelers.
Pay with the right card
That last tank at $4.79 a gallon should at least earn you something back. Gas stations are a bonus category on several Chase Freedom cards, and the points move to Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you are adding a card, you can apply through our Chase referral link for the Chase Freedom cards.
Disclosure: This is our personal Chase referral link. If you’re approved through it, we may earn a referral bonus, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly on Chase’s website. See our Advertising & Referral Disclosure.
Our take
At O’Hare, the BP on Mannheim at 2995 is the convenient choice and the Sam’s Club on Oakton is the cheap one if you carry a membership and have 15 spare minutes. At Midway, the Costco Business Center on Cicero is close enough that it should be the default for members; everyone else should pull into the first Cicero or 55th Street BP after checking GasBuddy. Decline prepaid fuel, keep the receipt, and photograph the gauge before you drop the keys.
Related on Points Capital: How to find the cheapest gas and the best credit cards for fuel; Turo deals with Chase and Amex cards; Chicago at the holidays on points.
Sources
- AAA Fuel Prices, Illinois and Chicago metro averages
- AAA Fuel Prices, national average
- Chicago Department of Aviation, O’Hare Multi-Modal Facility
- Chicago Department of Aviation, Midway rental cars
- Sam’s Club Des Plaines, Sam’s Club Cicero
- Costco Bedford Park Business Center, Costco Melrose Park
- BP Mannheim Rd. listing, Mobil Higgins Rd. listing, BP Cicero Ave. listings, Bedford Park station listings
- Avis fuel plans, Enterprise fuel options FAQ
- Turo, returning a vehicle and checking out, Turo, refueling invoices for guests
Prices change daily; the averages above are as of the dates shown. Points Capital is not a financial advisor.
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