How to Rent a Car at Fort Lauderdale Airport

Luxury Chevy Cameros and Teslas for rent through Hertz at the Fort Lauderdale airport.

From any terminal, follow the blue overhead signs toward Baggage Claim and Ground Transportation.

Continue following the signs through the glass door exits into the main hall.

From here, take the escalators or elevators (located to the left of the staircase) down to reach Baggage Claim and Ground Transportation. Ticketing and security checkpoints are upstairs.

Heading downstairs leads directly to Baggage Claim. There are luggage carts available for rent throughout all of the Baggage Claim area. Carts cost $3.00, payable by cash or credit. There is also an ATM and information desk here.

From Terminal 1 (where this picture was taken), the Rental Car Center is straight back past the luggage carousels. More on how to get to the Rental Car Center from Terminal 1 in a bit.

From Terminal 2, 3, or 4, head outside from Baggage Claim to reach the Rental Car Center shuttles. Shuttles are blue with the words “Airport Shuttle Bus” written in white on the sides. Shuttle stops are clearly labeled next to the curb.

The Airport Shuttle Bus drops off passengers on the curb directly outside of the third floor of the Rental Car Center, as seen here.

The front of the Airport Shuttle Bus as seen from a stop at the Rental Car Center.

Inside, the Airport Shuttle Bus is designed like a city bus with ample seating and handrails for standing passengers. A luggage rack is located about in the middle of the bus.

A closer look at the luggage rack on the Airport Shuttle Bus.

Entering the Rental Car Center from the shuttle bus, the doors open up to Level 3, where travelers will find an ATM right inside the doors, as well as a directory of all 12 rental car companies operating inside the Rental Car Center, plus contact information for popular off-airport rental car companies.

The Rental Car Center as seen from outside Level 3.

Passengers arriving in Terminal 1 will take a slightly different route to get to the Rental Car Center. After collecting luggage, continue past the baggage carousels and the last exit outside to Ground Transportation. Head back upstairs to reach the Rental Car Center. As before, elevators to the left of the staircase, as seen here in the background.

A closer look at the elevators with a list of each floor’s facilities. Head back up to Level 2 to reach the bridge to the Rental Car Center.

From the second floor, continue walking straight ahead to reach the Rental Car Center.

Signs will lead to a bridge connecting Terminal 1 to the Cypress Garage, where the Rental Car Center is located. County buses are also found outside the Rental Car Center.

Take the moving walkway across the bridge toward the Rental Car Center.

The bridge leads to Level 2 of the Rental Car Center, right in front of Alamo. Well-marked signs point the way to other rental car counters on this floor and upstairs on Level 3.

If taking the Airport Shuttle Bus from Terminals 2, 3, or 4, travelers will arrive at the third floor of the Rental Car Center.

If walking from Terminal 1, travelers will arrive at the second floor of the Rental Car Center in front of the Alamo rental counter.

No matter which floor you arrive at, there will be signs with detailed information on where to find each rental car counter, as well as info on flights, off-airport car rentals, county buses, and nearby restrooms.

Level 2 is the lowest floor of the Rental Car Center, with rental car garages and counters. National is right next to Alamo on this floor…

And Enterprise is on the other side of National.

The garages of each car rental company are located on the same floors as their corresponding rental counters. Follow signs down the hallways for “All Cars” to reach the vehicle pickup areas for each rental company.

Once in the garage, each rental car area is clearly marked with well-lit signs. All car rental companies have a staffed customer service kiosk inside the garage. Here, a Tesla is refueling in front of the Enterprise kiosk, just behind and to the right of the car.

A fun selection of Jeeps, a Mini Cooper, and a Dodge Challenger in the Enterprise lot.

Mid-sized SUVs and a sedan in the National parking garage area.

A row of economy cars in front with a row of full-sized passenger vans for up to 15 in the Alamo garage pickup area on Level 2 of the Rental Car Center.

Head up to Level 3 for the rental counters and garages of Payless, Avis, Fox Rent-A-Car, Ace, and Hertz.

The Avis counter is the leftmost rental car company on this floor.

Payless‘ counter is right next door.

Fox Rent-A-Car and Ace share space next to Hertz.

Hertz is all the way to the right on the third floor of the Rental Car Center.

As on the floor below, take the hallway behind the rental counters to reach the garages for each rental company.

A range of vehicles in the Hertz lot including a convertible Mustang coupe, GMC truck, and Infiniti and Nissan SUVs.

Sporty offerings from Hertz include Chevy Cameros and Teslas.

Child seats for rent at Hertz, with a variety of sizes and styles for infants up to 12-year-olds. All car rental companies offer car seats for children, though not all have a similar range of choices.

Some rental child seats at the Fox Rent-A-Car customer service kiosk.

Sports cars, SUVs, and sedans in the Fox rental car lot on Level 3 of the garage.

A selection of rentals at Avis in a broad range of prices and styles from Mercedes to Kias and including sedans, SUVs, extended cab pickup trucks, and minivans.

View of the Rental Car Center from the fourth floor. There are four rental companies on this level: Budget, Sixt, Dollar, and Thifty.

Budget is located all the way on the left of Level 4.

Sixt is in the middle, while Dollar and Thifty share a counter on the right.

As seen previously, the Level 4 garage is connected to the rental car desks by a hallway. In the garage, Dollar and Thrifty also share a customer service kiosk.

Sedans, SUVs, and a Jeep Gladiator in the shared Dollar/Thrifty garage area.

Assorted SUVs, trucks, and sedans in the Sixt area of the Level 4 garage.

Luxe Mercedes G-Class SUVs and Range Rovers in the Sixt lot.

Child safety seats in front of the Sixt customer service kiosk.

More child seats available in the Dollar/Thrifty lot.

Drive toward the airport and follow signs to the Rental Car Center. Each car return lot is labeled with the car rental company it belongs to. Follow signs for your car rental company, and pull into the garage. Stay within the single yellow lines and pull as far forward as possible.

Attendants (like the two here in light blue polo shirts and black lanyards) are at hand to check in each car as it arrives. Attendants will record drop-off time, mileage, and fuel level, as well as check for damage. It’s a good idea to take photos of the dashboard when you drop off your car in case of any discrepancies.

In case no attendant is available, just leave your keys in the car, take your belongings, and head toward the terminal. If in doubt about where to leave the keys, check with the customer service kiosk for your rental car company.

If you forget to leave the keys in the car, most car rental companies have key drop boxes near their kiosks like this one at Avis

If departing from Terminals 2, 3, or 4, follow signs saying “Shuttle to Terminal” to Level 3 of the Rental Car Center to reach the pickup points for the Airport Shuttle Bus. For Terminal 1, simply walk across the bridge on Level 2 to reach the departure area.

To reach off-site car rentals, follow signs to the Rental Car Center. From Terminals 2, 3, or 4, take the Airport Shuttle Bus to the Rental Center, or from Terminal 1, walk in the direction of the overhead signs labeled “Rental Cars” to reach the Rental Center.

From Terminal 1, walk across the bridge using the moving walkway to reach Level 2 of the Rental Car Center. Proceed up to Level 3 from here.

If taking the Airport Shuttle Bus, you will be dropped off right outside Level 3 of the Rental Car Center.

Shuttles for Off-Airport Car Rentals pick up in front of Level 3, the Rental Car Center. The curbside pickup area is Zone G.

Contact information for the most used Off-Airport Car Rental companies is listed next to the larger signs.

Head out the doors from Level 3 of the Rental Car Center and turn left to reach Zone G, seen here with a clearly-marked sign and one off-airport shuttle parked in the pickup area and passengers waiting on both sides of the road. Contact information for many off-site rental companies is also listed on the sign at the pickup spot.

A second off-airport car rental shuttle in Zone G with passengers loading their luggage into the back.

Yet another off-site shuttle in Zone G in front of Level 3 of the Rental Car Center with a closer look at the luggage storage area in the back.

Inside a shuttle van for off-airport car rentals. Vans are usually designed for up to 15 riders (driver included) with a small luggage storage space in the back

Shuttles take passengers directly to the rental car companies’ main office and parking lot. For example, here is the Priceless and JC Car Rental office with the blue airport shuttle parked in the lot.

And here is the Easirent office and lot.

Broward County bus Route 1 links the Airport to the north at Broward Central Terminal in the center of Fort Lauderdale to as far south as Aventura Mall, between Hollywood and North Miami. To reach the county bus, follow overhead signs labeled “County Bus” and “Rental Cars.”

The County Bus stop is located in front of the Rental Car Center. Look for the sign labeled “Bus Stop” near Zone G (seen above) at the curb in front of Level 3 of the Rental Car Center.

The front of a county bus. The digital display on the front and back of the bus will read “1 Central Terminal” (like this one) if northbound or “1 Aventura Mall” if southbound. Buses run from roughly 5:30 a.m. to midnight.

The back of a county bus; they come in different colors. One-way fares for adults are $2.00, payable by cash (exact change) when boarding or by card via the Broward County Transit Mobile App. Tickets are available as single tickets, all-day passes, or multi-day passes. More info on tickets can be found on the official site.

Taxis are plentiful and easy to reach from any airport terminal. Follow signs for Baggage Claim and Ground Transportation on for first floor (ground floor).

The signs lead outside through the glass doors directly across from the luggage carousels.

Taxis line up at the curb in front of Baggage Claim in all terminals.

Another angle on the taxi queue. Taxi rates are determined by mileage using a meter. Estimates for all major destinations near Fort Lauderdale can be found in Broward County’s Transportation Choices Chart available online or at the information desks in the Baggage Claim area. Note that taxis are not able to provide child safety seats.

The Tri-Rail is a commuter railway system that connects Fort Lauderdale to Miami and West Palm Beach. The 118-km-long (73-mile) track runs from Magnolia Park in the north to Miami Airport in the south, with 16 stations (including Fort Lauderdale Airport) in between. The pickup spots for the free shuttle to the Tri-Rail station are outside of Baggage Claim just past the taxi stand in Terminal 1 and outside of Baggage Claim between Terminals 3 and 4. Follow the well-marked signs to the shuttle pickup spot.

The free shuttle bus to the Tri-Rail station is well-marked. One-way adult tickets range from $2.50 to $8.75 ($5.00 to $17.50 round trip), depending on the distance traveled. Rates and maps are available on on the official Tri-Rail website.

Many hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport. Hotel Shuttles pick up passengers at all terminals at the curb on the ground floor in front of the Baggage Claim area.

Hotel shuttles and off-airport parking shuttles share the same pickup areas a few meters past the taxi zone. Signs will be in blue and red.

Rideshares pickup from two locations: between Terminals 1 and 2 and between Terminals 3 and 4. From Baggage Claim, follow signs leading outside for Ground Transportation.

The rideshare pickup spots are past the taxis near the hotel shuttles. Look for the blue signs with an image of a cell phone.

These areas are further divided into smaller stations, like this one marked “Station 5.” The exact station in the rideshare area will be assigned to you when you book your ride.

Ride Sharing stations 1 through 7 between Terminals 1 and 2.