Miami car rentals from $5/day

Licensing and mandatory paperwork to rent a car in Miami: Assuming you have a valid driver’s license, anyone from the United States or Canada can rent a car in Miami. You must provide your physical license at the time of rental, and it must be in good standing.

The glut of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and other exotic cars that you see cruising down the strip in South Beach are by and large rented. This means that if you have a few hundred dollars and want to live like you’re in a music video for a few hours, Miami can make that dream come true. The city boasts plenty of exotic car rental agencies, many located right near the airport or in South Beach. Miami also has all the usual car rental companies right at the airport, who offer everything from compact economy cars to luxury sedans and SUVs. Your best bet is to poke around on KAYAK and see who has the car you’re looking for.

Miami International Airport’s rental car center is conveniently located in the Miami Intermodal Center, accessible via the MIA Mover from the main terminal. Follow the pink signs in baggage claim and take an elevator to the third floor, cross a small sky bridge, and listen to the sound of chirping birds. This is the soundtrack of the MIA Mover’s airport station, where trains arrive every minute or so. Take the train over to the Intermodal Center, and most rental car companies are just a few steps from the train. Some offsite exotic and discount car rental agencies run shuttles from the Intermodal Center to their lots.

Of course, it is. Consult with your rental car’s terms and conditions, but most will allow you to drive anywhere in the U.S. at no extra charge. That said, if you drop the car off in another city, you will usually incur a drop fee.

Car rental companies will try to sell you a collision damage waiver, or CDW when you rent your car. While it will protect the car you’re renting and property damage up to certain limits, if you have comprehensive collision coverage on your car, it will likely cover your rental car as well. Also, most major credit cards offer rental car insurance coverage if you rent the car using their card.

Miami, and most of Florida, is filled with toll roads. The tolls are payable via a SunPass, which rental car companies will rent you for varying fees. Some will charge you a flat rate per day for all the tolls you can rack up. Some will charge you a fee per toll, plus the toll charge itself. If you don’t agree to rent their SunPass, you’ll be charged via toll-by-plate, which incurs a hefty administrative charge from the rental car company for every toll you go through.

If you’re planning to drive much around South Florida, renting a SunPass from the rental car company is probably a good idea. Even the expressways from the airport to South Beach and Downtown have tolls, so you’ll be paying one way or another.

Driving in Miami can be challenging, especially if you are not used to the local conditions. The hot climate and diverse mix of drivers from various places can make the roads seem chaotic at times. However, with a bit of caution and awareness, you can navigate the roads safely.

It’s worth noting that turn signals are not always used, so it’s important to be vigilant and anticipate sudden lane changes. Some drivers may also merge into traffic without warning, so it’s essential to keep a safe following distance. Occasionally, traffic may be delayed due to accidents or incidents on the road, but this is not uncommon in any city.

Miami, and Miami Beach especially is filled with areas deemed residential parking only. Read signs word for word and think long and hard about whether parking there is legal. If it’s not, you will be towed almost immediately, and end up paying anywhere from $250-$500, in cash, to get your car back.

Beyond that, most parking spaces are payable through the PayByPhone, ParkMobile and ParkME apps, which you can download via a posted QR code. Miami Beach has several municipal parking garages that are considerably cheaper than parking on the street and are covered from heat and rain.

Miami has plenty of gas stations, though the ones in Miami Beach and near the airport are generally a dollar or more per gallon more expensive than the rest of the city. Coral Way (SW 22nd Street) between Downtown and Coral Gables has some of the best prices. As does Bird Road (SW 40th Street) west of the Palmetto Expressway.

Summer thunderstorms in Miami are no joke, and you may frequently find yourself leaving your hotel under a cloudless sky, then 30 minutes later driving in a blinding thunderstorm. Drive especially slow or pull over altogether. Also, the city floods almost instantly during severe storms, and some streets may have a foot or more of water in them. This is especially true in Brickell and parts of Miami Beach. Do not try to drive through these areas or you will damage your car.