Car rental at Fort Lauderdale Airport

Where you pick up the car

• The rental companies are not inside the terminals. They are all at the Rental Car Center, a building next to Terminal 1.
• The best-known companies are there: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt and Thrifty, among others.
• Address, in case you need it for the GPS when you return the car: 600 Terminal Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315.

Step by step: from the plane to the car

The airport has 4 terminals. How you get to the Rental Car Center depends on where you land:

• If you land at Terminal 1: you can walk. Follow the "Rental Car Center" signs to the pedestrian bridge on Level 2, near the Concourse B security checkpoint.
• If you land at Terminal 2, 3 or 4: collect your luggage and go to the lower level (Arrivals). Then follow the "Rental Car Center" signs to the free shuttle stop. The shuttle runs every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day.

Once at the Rental Car Center, find your rental company's counter, show your documents and pick up the car. Nobody will be waiting for you with a sign at the terminal: we only work with the airport's official rental companies.

What to have ready at the counter

• A valid physical driver's license. A digital license on your phone is not accepted.
• Your passport.
• A credit card in the driver's name, with enough limit for the security deposit.
• Your booking number, which we send you on WhatsApp.

We cover everything in detail in our guide to car rental requirements.

If you land at night or early in the morning

The shuttle to the Rental Car Center runs 24 hours, but not every counter does. Some companies are open 24 hours and others close at night, usually between midnight and 4 or 5 a.m. If your flight lands late, tell us when you ask for a quote and we'll book you with a company that is open at that time. And if your flight is delayed, message us on WhatsApp: we're available 24 hours a day.

Leaving the airport: tolls

Some highways in the area, such as Florida's Turnpike and the express lanes on I-95 and I-595, have electronic tolls, with no booths and no cash. The car is already set up: just choose at the counter how the rental company charges you for them. We explain it in our guide to Florida tolls.

How to return the car

1. Set your GPS to the Rental Car Center (600 Terminal Drive) and follow the "Rental Car Return" signs.
2. Fill up the tank first, as the contract requires. Otherwise the rental company charges you much more for fuel.
3. Drive into your rental company's area and leave the car where they tell you. Ask for the return receipt.
4. Go back to the terminal: walk to Terminal 1 over the Level 2 bridge, or take the free shuttle to Terminals 2, 3 and 4.

Allow extra time: add at least 30 minutes to the time you would normally get to the airport, to return the car and get to your terminal.