Compare cheap car hire Miami at MIA Airport from £18/day. Economy from £18/day, Compact from £21/day, SUVs from £28/day with low deposit, free cancellation and instant voucher in 60 seconds. 15 mins to Downtown, 20 mins to South Beach, 40 mins to Fort Lauderdale.
Miami International Airport (MIA) is the main gateway to Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale and the Everglades. All rental cars at MIA are at the off-site Rental Car Center (RCC) at 3900 NW 25th Street. You get there free on the MIA Mover automated train from any terminal – 5 minutes, runs every 3 minutes, no shuttle bus needed. Follow signs to MIA Mover on Level 3. At the RCC all major brands are under one roof – Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt and Thrifty. VPS Rental Cars compares 800+ live prices at MIA so you see the real GBP total with CDW, theft protection, liability and all Florida taxes included, not a headline US rate that doubles at the desk with toll package and extra liability insurance.
Allow 25-30 minutes from landing to driving away – 10 minutes to clear US immigration with ESTA, 5 minutes on the MIA Mover, 10 minutes at the desk. Have your UK photocard licence, passport, credit card for the deposit block and your VPS voucher ready. Best rated at MIA is Alamo at 8.4/10 for fast kiosk check-in and clean cars. Cheapest is usually Dollar, Thrifty and Sixt USA from £18/day for economy and £28/day for full-size SUV. Miami is almost exclusively automatic – 99% of the fleet is auto, so you do not need to filter for automatic like in Europe. All cars have A/C as standard which is essential when it is 32C and humid year-round.
Prices change daily but this is what to budget in GBP for Miami. Economy such as Mitsubishi Mirage or Chevrolet Spark, 5 doors, auto, A/C, is from £18 to £24 per day low season and £26 to £38 per day December to April high season. Good for solo travellers and couples staying in South Beach where parking is tight. Compact such as Nissan Versa or Toyota Corolla is from £21 to £28 per day. This is our most booked size for Miami. Boot space for two large suitcases, comfortable for I-95 to Fort Lauderdale and Sawgrass Mills. No-excess or zero-deductible with premium cover starts from £29 per day and reduces your excess to zero. Intermediate SUV such as Ford Escape or Toyota RAV4 is from £28 to £42 per day low season and £45 to £65 per day high season. Most popular for Miami families. Higher driving position for I-95 traffic, big boot for strollers and beach gear, better for the long drive to Key West. Full-size SUV such as Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Explorer or Jeep Grand Cherokee is from £45 to £72 per day – ideal for 5-7 people, Everglades trips and Orlando runs. Convertible such as Ford Mustang Convertible is from £52 per day – Miami is the number one city in the US for convertible hire for Ocean Drive and A1A.
Deposit in Miami is different to Europe. Most US suppliers block $200 to $500 (£160 to £400) on your credit card at pickup plus the cost of rental. This is not a charge, it is a hold for tolls, fuel and damage. VPS filters low-deposit options from $200. If you only have a debit card, Alamo, Enterprise and National accept debit with a return flight printout and an extra $200 block – Budget and Avis credit card only. Excess in the US is called deductible – without extra cover it is $0 for liability but $500 to $1,000 for damage to your own car. Take full protection from £8 per day extra – this gives you zero deductible and includes roadside assistance. All our free cancellation deals start from £18 per day and allow cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup.
Tolls are the most important part of Miami driving. Almost all highways around MIA are tolled – Dolphin Expressway SR-836 to Downtown and Brickell, Airport Expressway SR-112 to Miami Beach, I-95 Express Lanes and Florida's Turnpike to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. There are no cash booths – it is all electronic SunPass. Every rental car has a toll transponder in the windscreen. You have three options. Use the rental company's toll program at $12.99 per day capped at $64.99 per week plus tolls – convenient but expensive. Bring your own SunPass Mini transponder from Publix supermarket for $4.99 plus preload $10 – cheapest for a week. Or set GPS to avoid tolls and take US-41 and Biscayne Blvd – slower but zero tolls. For a typical Miami Beach week, expect $25 to $40 in tolls. If you drive to Key West, $15 in tolls. To Orlando via Turnpike, $35 each way.
Driving in Miami. Drive on the right, overtake on the left. Speed limit 70mph on I-95 and Florida's Turnpike, 45mph on Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive, 35mph in Downtown. Police are strict on speed in school zones – 15mph when lights flash. Right turn on red is legal after full stop unless signed No Turn on Red – this is different to UK. Miami Beach parking is $4 to $6 per hour in city garages on Collins and Washington Avenue – use ParkMobile app. Hotels in South Beach charge $45 to $65 per night valet parking. In Brickell and Wynwood use SpotAngels app. Gas is around $3.40 per gallon – fill at Wawa or Costco, not at stations next to MIA which charge $1 extra.
Distances from MIA Rental Car Center. Downtown Miami and Brickell 15 minutes via SR-836, South Beach 20 minutes via SR-112 and Julia Tuttle Causeway, Coral Gables 10 minutes, Coconut Grove 15 minutes, Fort Lauderdale Beach 40 minutes via I-95, Sawgrass Mills Mall 35 minutes, Everglades National Park 45 minutes, Key Biscayne 25 minutes, Key West 3.5 hours via US-1 Overseas Highway, Orlando 3.5 hours via Turnpike, Tampa 4.5 hours.
Licence rules. UK photocard driving licence is valid in Florida up to 12 months for tourists. You do not need an International Driving Permit. Minimum age is usually 21 with 1 year licence held, under 25 surcharge is £18 to £27 per day with most US brands. Under 21 cannot rent SUV or convertible in Miami.
