Orlando International Airport (MCO) is situated 10km southeast of Downtown Orlando. It’s the busiest airport in the state of Florida and the tenth-busiest in the United States. The airport acts as a major international gateway for the mid-Florida region, with over 850 daily flights on 44 airlines, of which Southwest is the largest carrier.
The sun sets as a plane departs from Orlando Airport (Photo: Michael Seeley via Flickr)
Orlando Airport consists of a Main Terminal and four airside concourses. The majority of the car rental companies can be found on the A-Side and B-Side on the ground transportation level of the Main Terminal. To reach the car rental companies off site, a free shuttle is provided by the respective companies.
To determine which rental car companies offer the best options across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com has carefully conducted research into all of the agencies at MCO airport across several dates. Our findings are as follows.
If you’re willing to shop around, it’s worth taking note that both Ace and passenger van specialists Bandago are situated outside in the parking lot. Nevertheless, on our sample dates, we found the best cheap car rentals at Alamo, Avis and perennial U.S. favourite Enterprise. Your final choice may be influenced by your preference of car; for a Mitsubishi Mirage, expect to pay anywhere between $181-232 per week while Avis’s Ford Fiesta and Hertz’s Fiat 500 were both less than $200 per week. With a reputation for new cars, Hertz scores additional points by offering a “NeverLost” GPS program with their car rentals.
At MCO Airport, we found Alamo cars were consistently cheaper than their competitors in the luxury car category. Alamo tends to be very popular with millennials, offering unlimited free mileage and far better rates for a second driver than the rest of the competition. Many of their cars come from Asia, with their Toyota Rav 4 and Nissan Pathfinder being the most economical in this category. Hertz, renowned for hybrid cars and luxury “dream cars”, have rental prices that ascend in a logical manner, culminating in the Ford Mustang and the Cadillac XTS, which have daily rates of $67 and $77 per day respectively.
Renting minivans in this part of the world can be an expensive business, but if you’re ready to head out of the airport, you’ll find a good selection of vans at competitive prices at passenger van specialists, Bangdalo. On our sample dates, Bandago had a Chevy Express from $70 per day while their 15-seater Ford Transit was being offered at $145 per day. Inside the airport, Alamo were offering their Dodge Caravan at under $60 per day, so it’s definitely worth hunting around before making a reservation.
