Miami Cruise Port Car Rental: What Most Cruisers Don’t Know

There are no car rental offices directly located at the Miami cruise port, aka PortMiami. However, that doesn’t mean you’re not in luck when it comes to renting a car to explore the area either before or after your cruise. There are many national car rental brands that operate near the port, some of which even offer free shuttle services to and from the port. 

Here’s what you need to know so you can reserve the best car rental for your Miami cruise vacation.

Car Rental Companies Near Miami Cruise Port

Avis

While the downtown Miami Avis office may be located just under 3 miles from PortMiami, Avis does provide shuttle service between the two, making this a convenient option for most cruisers. 

Depending on traffic and the number of ships in port, the shuttle will pass by the cruise terminals every 20 to 30 minutes. (An Avis ambassador is on-site to direct customers as to where to go to wait for the shuttle).

There’s no extra fee for the shuttle service, though available shuttle space may dictate whether or not the shuttle can stop right at that moment, and the number of ships in port determines when the last shuttle runs. 

Additionally, when you’re returning a car, you do have to actually take it back to the downtown Miami office and after-hours returns are not available (though, some other Avis locations may have a key drop box available).

• Address: 99 SE 2nd St., Miami
• Distance to cruise port: 2.9 mi.
• Offers shuttle service: Yes

Budget

Similarly, Budget offers shuttle service between the Miami cruise port and its downtown Miami rental office. 

Again, this is a free service and the shuttle swings by the port every 20 to 30 minutes or so, based on demand and busyness. Budget ambassadors change positions based on need, so you may have to flag down the driver of the shuttle yourself, if an ambassador is not around.

The shuttle service will take you not only to the rental office from the port, post-cruise, but also to port on embarkation day, if you’re returning your rental car ahead of your cruise rather than afterward. 

• Address: 93 SE 2nd St, Miami
• Distance to cruise port: 2.9 mi. 
• Offers shuttle service: Yes

Hertz

This Hertz office‘s rental location is a bit closer to the cruise pier and offers some pretty agreeable deals, with average prices for a car reservation at this location working out to about $158 per day.

While there is no advertised shuttle service to take you to and from the port, getting around shouldn’t be difficult, thanks to the wealth of rideshare services throughout the area.  

Note that some outdated articles and reviews will report that this office offers a shuttle, but as of 2024, this was no longer the case. 

• Address: 229 SE 2nd St, Miami
• Distance to cruise port: 2.2 mi. 
• Offers shuttle service: No

Sixt Rent A Car

One of the closest Sixt locations to the port is actually located at the Intercontinental Miami. This location offers everything from super budget-friendly compact cars starting at under $50 per day, to luxury vehicles.

You can easily find the rental counter on the first floor of the hotel’s lobby, where you’ll also find a Starbucks and a few stores and other food options.

• Address: 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami
• Distance to cruise port: 2.3 mi. 
• Offers shuttle service: No

Supreme Rent a Car

If you’d prefer to work with a smaller, non-national company, Supreme Rent a Car is a Florida-based provider. It may be located further away from PortMiami, but it does offer pick-up and drop-off services. Choose from standard and luxury cars, SUVs and vans, and convertibles. Rates start at under $50 per day.

In addition to serving the area around PortMiami, the business also serves Miami International Airport, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. 

• Address: 3995 NW 26th Street, Miami 
• Distance to cruise port: 7.2 mi. 
• Offers shuttle service: Yes 

What About Renting a Car from the Miami Airport?

You can, of course, choose to rent a car directly at Miami International Airport (MIA), which can be a good fit for those who are already flying into the airport (rather than driving in and parking at PortMiami).

A popular option is to pick up your car at the airport as soon as you fly in, enjoy exploring and sightseeing ahead of your cruise, and then return the car to the rental office of your choice.

You could return the car to an office closer to the port (often for a surcharge), or why not take it back to the airport rental center and then take a shuttle between MIA and the cruise terminal.

If you’re renting a car after your cruise rather than before it, you can plan for the same process, just in reverse, taking a shuttle from the airport to the ship, renting a car after disembarkation day, and later dropping your car off at the airport rental center before you finally board your flight home. 

As for getting that shuttle between MIA and PortMiami, the Port of Miami shuttle offers service between MIA and the cruise terminals, as well as between the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the cruise port of Miami — and it’s not the only business to cater to travelers going between the airport and their cruise ship.

SixtRide, for instance, is a service offered by Sixt Rent A Car that gives you a chauffeured ride to and from the port as well. So, you have options.  

The MIA Rental Car Center is accessible from the airport via the MIA Mover that is located on Level 3 between the Dolphin and Flamingo Garages. 

The MIA Rental Car Center offers a robust number of offerings, including rentals from ACE Rent A Car, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Carnival Rent A Car, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, Royal, Sixt Rent A Car and Thrifty.

What About Tolls for a Miami Rental Car?

A large number of major highways around Miami charge tolls. Luckily, you don’t need to carry a bunch of quarters or cash in your pocket so that you can pay those tolls as you drive around.

Miami uses the SunPass system, which uses license plate cameras and transponders for cashless tolling. It’s highly likely that your rental company has a toll-related fee already built into your rental agreement.

So, for example, if you rent from Hertz, Dollar or Thrifty, you can choose an unlimited tolling option that costs $14.99 per day. However, if you do not opt in after your trip, you’ll be charged $9.99 per day that tolls are incurred, as well as the cost of each toll. 

Avis, Budget, Payless, National, Alamo and Enterprise all have similar set-ups at different price points, and it’s generally in your best interest to take the unlimited toll option.

Getting from PortMiami to the Car Rental Office

If you don’t hire a shuttle service or book with a rental car office that provides free shuttle service, you’ll need to get to the car rental office on your own, from PortMiami. Thankfully, it won’t be too difficult.

As soon as you leave the cruise ship, you’ll find a plethora of options to serve the millions of cruise passengers that flow through PortMiami each year. Old-school taxis are waiting right there, but you can also pre-book a taxi or rely on rideshare services. 

You might have to wait longer for an Uber or Lyft than you would for a taxi that’s already ready and waiting by the curb, but you’ll find the pricing to be not too different. For example, if you’re traveling between the Miami cruise port and airport, you’ll pay about $20 for a rideshare and about $27 for a taxi.