Renting a car in Barrow (Utqiagvik)
Tundra Transport Rentals is a locally owned car rental company in Utqiagvik, Alaska — the town most people still call Barrow. This page covers the things worth knowing before you book: why the town has two names, why almost everyone who flies in needs a vehicle, and what actually happens when you pick one up.
Barrow or Utqiagvik?
Both. They are one town. The city was named Barrow for most of the twentieth century and was officially renamed Utqiagvik — its Inupiaq name — in 2016. The new name is the legal and official one, and it is what you will see on maps and government paperwork. Barrow is still in wide everyday use, including by people who live here.
Nothing about a booking depends on which name you use. If you searched for a car rental in Barrow or a car rental in Utqiagvik, you are in the right place either way.
Why you need a vehicle here
Utqiagvik is not connected to the Alaska highway system. There is no road in from Fairbanks or Anchorage, so you cannot drive your own vehicle here and you cannot pick one up elsewhere in the state and bring it with you. Everyone arrives by air.
That makes a rental a different kind of decision than it is in a city with rail, rideshare and a dozen rental desks. Whatever you need to get to while you are here — a work site, a clinic, an office, a supplier — you get to in the vehicle you arranged before you landed. Arranging it in advance matters more here than it does most places, because the local supply is genuinely small.
Who we rent to
Residents, contractors working rotations on the North Slope, and government and agency personnel traveling for work. We are a local operator, not a franchise or a booking agent — the fleet is small, maintained here, and kept ready for road conditions through the year.
What is available to rent
The current fleet, with live availability on each vehicle’s page:
- 2014 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon — $180 per day, before tax
- 2012 Ford Edge — $150 per day, before tax
What to expect when you book
You will need a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance, both uploaded during booking, and a credit card. The rental is paid by card when you book; the refundable security deposit is authorized separately in person at pickup and released when the vehicle comes back undamaged.