Do You Need a Car in Orlando?

If you’re visiting Orlando’s theme parks, you won’t need a car in Orlando—but if you want to take advantage of other attractions, it’s worth looking into.
Written by Alita Dark
Reviewed by Brittni Brinn
If you’re a theme park enthusiast going to Orlando to enjoy Disney World, Seaworld, and Universal Studios, you can almost certainly get by without a rental car. However, should you want to expand your journey, it’s advisable to have one.
Orlando is one of Florida’s top tourist destinations due to its abundance of food, culture, and attractions—the most well-known being Disney World. With around two million residents (and a visitor volume of 59 million tourists in 2021 alone), there’s a lot of traffic to contend with. Chances are, you’d love to avoid being stuck for hours on the freeway during what’s supposed to be a fun family vacation. 
Here’s the good news: rental cars simply aren’t necessary in Orlando for a lot of visitors. We’ll explain where to get a rental car if you want one, where public transportation can and can’t take you, and if you need to get rental car insurance for your trip. Let’s dive in! 
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Where to get a rental car in Orlando

Did you know that Orlando has the largest rental car market in the world? It’s safe to say that you’ll be able to find a vehicle to rent in multiple spots around the city—but the most convenient place to get one is the airport.
You’ll almost certainly be flying into Orlando through the Orlando International Airport (MCO), which has a variety of rental car services available both on- and off-site. Should you choose one of the myriad
off-site companies
, MCO offers free shuttle transportation to and from the pickup location. 
Don’t want to take a shuttle? No problem—rental companies like
Avis
,
Budget
,
Enterprise
,
Hertz
,
Sixt
,
Thrifty
, and more all have terminals in the airport itself. You can also check out
Disney World van rentals
if a member of your party is physically disabled and needs extra care. 
That sounds like a lot of options—and it is! You can find your way around Orlando’s massive airport using a
terminal map
or even the
MCO app
If you’re looking for a more budget-conscious option, you can book a car through
Sam’s Club
or
Costco
—provided you have a membership with them, of course. 
You can find cheaper flights through
Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)
, though it is not as central as the MCO and will require ground travel before you really get into the heart of the city. Should you choose to arrive at this airport, you will need to get a rental car. It’s a good 33 miles away from Disney World and other attractions. 
Not to worry, though! Like MCO, SFB has plenty of
rental car
companies on-site. 
MORE: 7 ways to save money on car rentals

Do you need rental car insurance?

Most rental car companies will try to sell you insurance on whichever vehicle you’ve booked, but do you really need it?  
If you’ve got your own full-coverage policy with add-ons like
collision
and
comprehensive insurance
, the answer is not really. Your upgrades will transfer over to the rental car, so you’ll be covered if you get into an accident. 
Check your credit card perks, too. Some offer free
rental car insurance
, in which case, you may as well take advantage. 
If you’ve only got a
basic liability policy
—or, worse, don’t have insurance at all—you should probably buy a collision damage waiver at minimum. This will protect you in case of a wreck or vehicle theft. It will be expensive, but it will save you from having to pay “loss of use” fees—daily charges to make up the money the rental company loses while the car is being repaired or replaced. 
MORE: How to avoid being unfairly charged for rental car damage

Do you need a car in Orlando?

Many, many tourists visit Orlando for the theme park extravaganza, bouncing between Disney World, Seaworld, and Universal Studios. If this is what you’re here for, you absolutely don’t need a rental car. Many of the parks operate their own private transportation systems that travel throughout the city, and Orlando itself has several public transit systems. 

Where public transportation can take you

Let’s start with the big one: Disney World. If you’ve flown into MCO and are staying at one of the many
Disney resorts
, all you have to do is hop on the
Mears Connect
shuttle—it runs exclusively from the airport to the resorts, and you can even reserve an Express service that runs you to your hotel without any other stops. Note that this takes the place of the recently retired Disney’s Magic Express and it is no longer a complimentary service.    
Fun Fact Late flight? You can stay at the
MCO Hyatt Resort
and catch the shuttle in the morning! There’s no travel required as this hotel is part of the airport itself. 
Getting to Disney World is all well and good, but what if you’ve bought passes to Seaworld or Universal Studios, too? Shuttles run to and from Disney World to each of these parks, and Universal has its own bus line that runs to and from Seaworld, as well as Aquatica and Volcano Bay water parks. Just remember to factor shuttle costs into your vacation budget!
Now that we’ve covered what the parks provide, let’s take a look at what services the city offers: 
  • Taxis: You’ll mostly find these at the airport, though you can always have your hotel call one for you if need be. These aren’t the cheapest option, as there’s a $2 to $4 fee for pickup and another $2.50 per mile (as well as a fee for idle time if you leave your driver waiting), and they have a pretty limited capacity, so if you have a large family or group, there are more cost-effective ways to travel. 
  • LYNX Bus Service
    : This bus service has a variety of routes that can take you to such attractions as the Florida Mall, Gatorland, Disney Springs, Orange County Convention Center, Universal Studios, Disney World, and Seaworld. You’ll want to
    plan your trip
    , as many of the locations require connections. 
  • LYMMO
    : This is a sub-line of LYNX that services downtown Orlando. It’s free to use and has stops along college campuses, City Hall, and the Bob Carr Theatre. 
  • SunRail
    : This is a train service with future plans to expand to MCO. Currently, there are four stations in Orlando: AdventHealth Station, LYNX Central Station, Church Street Station, and Orlando Health/Amtrak Station. 
  • Bike/Scooter share program
    : Sprinkled around the city of Orlando you can find public-use bikes and electric scooters to help you whiz around the streets. You have to pay to use them, but they are quite flexible as you can drop them off wherever you’d like once you’re finished with them. 

Where public transportation can’t take you

Obviously, the biggest draw for most tourists is going to be the theme park scene. But if you’re interested in the Orlando nightlife or other lesser-known attractions, you’ll probably want to look at renting a car. Orlando sprawls over 119 miles, so there are going to be some places a public transportation system just can’t get you. 
Entertainment venues like WonderWorks, Fun Spot America, and the Kennedy Space Center are all outside the parks. The Orlando Aquarium and dolphin tours allow up-close encounters with animals you won’t see in Animal Kingdom. And there are enough museums, shows, and eateries to keep you entertained for a very long time—many of which are out of reach of your hotel! 
There are also several nearby cities that might be worth a day trip, including: 
  • Tampa (1 hour, 20 minutes away)
  • Clearwater (2 hours away)
  • Cape Canaveral (1 hour away)
  • Gainesville (1 hour, 40 minutes)
  • Jacksonville (2 hours away)
If you are going to drive throughout Orlando, just be sure to avoid rush hour. With so many people on the road, you could find yourself inching along at a snail’s pace.  
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