Do You Need a Car as a Student in San Diego?
The real cost of owning a car at school — payment, insurance, gas, campus permits — versus the free transit, e-bikes, scooters, and walkable campuses that already get you there. With the honest math.
Need a ride home or to the airport? (858) 522-0264The honest TL;DR
For most students at San Diego's walkable, Trolley-connected campuses, a car is an expensive thing you mostly don't need. AAA puts owning a new car near $11,577/year; campus permits add hundreds more (SDSU ~$207/semester). Meanwhile UCSD's Triton U-Pass is free transit with student fees, SDSU has its own Trolley stop, and e-bikes/scooters cover the last mile. Skip the car, keep the money for tuition and your future — and book a ride the few times you actually need one (airport, trips home, a night out).
What a car actually costs a student
| Cost | Typical amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Own & operate a car (all-in) | ~$11,577/yr (~28.9¢/mi) | AAA 2025 |
| Campus parking permit (SDSU) | ~$207/semester (~$414/yr) | SDSU Transportation |
| Young-driver insurance | Among the highest age brackets | Industry norm |
| The IRS reference rate | 72.5¢/mile (2026) | IRS 2026 |
That's real money — money that could go to tuition, the bar exam, a deposit on a first apartment, or simply not graduating with extra debt. For a student, "do I need this?" is a fair question to ask before buying a car.
What you already have instead
Free & cheap transit
UCSD's Triton U-Pass gives current students unlimited MTS & NCTD bus and Trolley access, included with student fees (U-Pass). Other students can buy discounted MTS College Passes (MTS). The Trolley reaches UCSD (Blue Line) and SDSU (its own station), and all three lines serve Downtown — where the law schools sit.
E-bikes, scooters & walking
San Diego's campuses and the neighborhoods around them are highly walkable, and shared e-bikes and scooters handle the last mile cheaply. For day-to-day campus life, that's usually all you need.
By campus
- UC San Diego (UCSD) — free Triton U-Pass, Blue Line Trolley, no parking permits for 1st/2nd-years
- San Diego State (SDSU) — own Trolley station, ~$207/semester to park
- University of San Diego (USD) — near Old Town transit, walkable hilltop campus
- California Western School of Law — downtown, Trolley-adjacent, highly walkable
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law — downtown, Trolley-adjacent, highly walkable
For the trips transit doesn't cover
Even car-free, a few trips a year aren't a bus or a scooter: the airport with luggage, a trip home, a late night out when safety matters, or moving in/out. For those, a pre-booked flat-rate ride is far cheaper than owning a car year-round — and easier, too. No circling for a parking spot, no one stuck being the designated driver, no worrying about your car while you're away. EGT covers those trips so you don't have to own a car for them. The rest of the time, keep your money.
Car-free, but need the occasional ride?
Airport runs, trips home, safe rides at night — flat-rate, no surge, only when you actually need it.
Call (858) 522-0264Sources: AAA 2025 Your Driving Costs; IRS 2026 standard mileage rate; SDSU Parking & Transportation; UC San Diego Triton U-Pass; San Diego MTS College Passes. Verify current permit/transit rates with each school and MTS. Last updated June 2026.
Parents: the move-in window books out — reserve early
EGT's small all-electric fleet is the same one that sells out San Diego's concert and event calendar — twelve dates are fully booked as of July 11. August/September move-in weekends at UCSD, SDSU and USD stack airport pickups, luggage runs and campus drops into the same few days, and slots go to whoever reserved first. A named, vetted driver is confirmed before pickup — the rate never changes with demand. Book the airport pickup the day the flight is ticketed: call or text (858) 522-0264, or see student transportation plans.