Car Rental in Miami – My Best Tips for Getting the Lowest Price

Petr Novk

For a cheap car rental in Miami, it usually pays to visit one of the airport car rental companies. In my comparison, this is where the prices are the lowest, perhaps due to the high competition.

Car Rental in Miami – My Best Tips for Getting the Lowest Price

  1. Getting the Best Price for Car Rental in Miami

    The price of car rental in Miami is influenced by a number of factors, plus it changes continuously in both directions.

    🗓️ How Far in Advance?

    I recommend booking your car approximately one to two months before you plan to pick it up, when prices are lowest.

    If you make your reservation through RentalCars.com, you can cancel it at any time, completely free of charge. This is worthwhile if your travel plans change at the last minute. In addition, RentalCars guarantees the lowest rental price.

    ⏳ Rental Date and Time

    In times of higher demand, car rental prices may rise. Rental companies usually experience increased demand for rental cars during the summer months or around public holidays when people travel more.

    When choosing a time to pick up and return your car, make sure that both times are the same. All rental companies calculate the rental price for every 24 hours started. If you picked up your car at 8am but didn’t return it until 9am, you’d be paying a whole extra day unnecessarily.

    🗺️ Car Rental Locations

    There are differences between rental prices in city centres and airports. I tried comparing rental rates depending on location, and airport car rentals worked out better for me.

    Airport car rentals have one other advantage, even though they are slightly more expensive. They make the car available to you immediately upon arrival, eliminating the cost of an Uber to downtown and back to the airport on the last day.

    🏎️ Class of Rental Car

    Economy class cars are the cheapest, which are smaller models with basic amenities and limited luggage space. Mid-range cars are around 10% more expensive than these, but offer more comfort, especially for longer journeys.

    SUVs with a high chassis offer even more comfort for longer road trips and are about 25% more expensive than the economy class. Cabriolets and other premium class cars are among the most expensive, costing 100% or more.

    A number of factors influence the price, including current stock availability. Sometimes it can happen that cars from higher classes are cheaper than the smallest models.

    The table below shows approximate prices for car rental in Miami for 24 hours. Compared to other cities in the USA, Miami is among the cheapest.

    Economy Large SUV Convertible
    Economy Car Rental Car Rental Medium or Large Size SUV Car Rental Convertible Rental
    from $33 from $33 from $37 from $46
    🔁 Update Price 🔁 Update Price 🔁 Update Price 🔁 Update Price

    🔞 Age of Drivers

    Young drivers aged between 21 and 24 years old must pay an extra fee to compensate for the higher probability of causing an accident. The specific amount of the fee varies from rental company to rental company, usually ranging from $16.00 to $37 per day.

    For drivers aged between 18 and 21, rental companies will either not give the car at all or ask for an even higher fee.

    ☂️ Insurance Included

    Car rental companies in Miami include SLP and CDW insurance in the calculated price of the rental car. The driver’s deductible is always zero, so in the event of damage, he pays nothing. However, when renting a car, always check the amount of coverage and if it is insufficient for any of the risks, pay extra for additional insurance.

    🛰️ Additional Charges for Accessories

    You can add additional accessories and services to the car itself for an additional fee. The most useful is the additional driver, with whom you can take turns driving the car. The fee for a second and additional driver varies from company to company, with the usual amount ranging from $13.00 to $15.00 per day, with Avis paying no more than $65 for the whole time.

    Mentioning an additional driver in the rental contract makes sense. If he or she causes damage without being named, the insurance will not cover it. When travelling with children, a child car seat or booster seat is useful, both of which are offered by rental companies in several sizes.

    I consider it unnecessary to rent a GPS navigation, which you can replace for free with the Google Maps app on your phone. Car rental companies very often also offer a wi-fi modem with internet, which you can replace with an eSIM from Airalo.

  2. Get the Current Price for Car Rental in Miami

    Never book a car with the first company you come across. The likelihood that a given car rental company will end up being the most affordable is slim. RentalCars.com, for example, compares prices from more than 200 car rental companies and also guarantees customers the lowest rental price.

    Still, I don’t recommend betting on one card, but rather making a no-obligation quote with all rental companies in Miami. Just use the following form to do so:

  3. Cheap Car Rental Brands in Miami

    ◻️ Car Rentals at Miami Airport

    The advantage of renting a car directly at Miami Airport is that you won’t have to deal with a transfer to the city centre. Well-known car rental companies such as Sixt, Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, Alamo, Dollar, Avis, National, Payless, Thrifty and Royal are all represented at the airport. The rental companies are located in a separate building, the “MIA Rental Car Center”, to which free shuttle buses will take you.

    ◻️ Car Rentals in Miami Beach

    There are less than a dozen car rental companies directly in Miami Beach, with the biggest presence of small brands such as Tyrex Rent A Car, Lucio Car Rental, Premier Auto, Paramount Luxury Rentals, Falcon Car Rental or EMCR. Among the more well-known rental companies you can use the services of Sixt, Zipcar or Avis.

    Car rental Rating
    Alamo Rent a Car Alamo Rent a Car 8.7/10
    Avis Car Rental Avis Car Rental 8.2/10
    Budget Car Rental Budget Car Rental 8.1/10
    Dollar Car Rental Dollar Car Rental 8.3/10
    Enterprise Rent-A-Car Enterprise Rent-A-Car 8.6/10
    Hertz Rent a Car Hertz Rent a Car 8.3/10
    National Car Rental National Car Rental 8.6/10
    SIXT Rent A Car SIXT Rent A Car 8.3/10
    Thrifty Car Rental Thrifty Car Rental 8.3/10
  4. Tips for the Best Road Trips Around Miami

    1️⃣ Everglades National Park

    Everglades National Park is known for its endless wetlands and mangroves, allowing visitors to see nature at its wildest. What you may not want to see in the Everglades are the alligators, of which there are around 200,000 in the area. They keep company with the Florida cougar, whose population is estimated at around 200.

    To explore the national park, you can opt for the popular airboats – boats with huge propellers that can reach speeds of up to 135 mph. Experiencing much lower speeds is possible from the deck of a rented kayak or on land while birdwatching.

    2️⃣ Key West

    The island of Key West is the southernmost point of the continental USA, a reminder of the often-photographed monument from which it’s only 87 mi north of Cuba. Key West is connected to the rest of Florida by a series of bridges, so you can easily make the entire trip by car.

    The same can’t be said for Dry Tortugas, which I think is one of the most interesting national parks in the USA. It lies on a separate island and includes Fort Jefferson, which dates back to 1847. To see it in person, you have to board either a boat or a seaplane.

    3️⃣ Orlando

    Three and a half hours (and therefore 236 mi) drive north is Orlando. If you’ve ever heard of this city, I’ll bet my hat it was in the context of theme parks.

    They have Disney World, Sea World, Epcot, Legoland, Universal Studios, Hollywood Studios… just the theme park capital of the world for the whole family.

    4️⃣ Key Biscayne

    Key Biscayne is a small island just 7 mi from downtown Miami, known for its beautiful beaches, topped by a 95 ft tall white lighthouse from 1825.

    Time spent relaxing, snorkeling and grilling on the beach can be interspersed with a tour of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, which hides several hiking trails in its western section.

    5️⃣ Biscayne National Park

    Biscayne National Park is located 41 mi driving distance south of downtown Miami and is known for its mangroves, coral reefs and abundant marine life. Approximately 95% of the park is water, so snorkeling and diving are among the park’s main attractions.

    If you prefer a quieter pastime on the water, you can rent a kayak and paddle through the mangrove channels.

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