One-way car rental from Orlando: Orlando's rental cars are inside the terminal garages
You can rent a car in Orlando and return it in another US city with any of the seven big brands. The drop fee, if any, shows in the quote. Tampa is the closest city on the list below, about 86 miles and 1 hr 42 min by road from MCO.
Key figures
Where do you pick up a rental car at MCO?
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Where the cars are. On airport, no separate centre. Terminals A and B: counters and pickup on Level R1 or R2 depending on company (Sixt on Level P1). Terminal C: counters and pickup at Parking C1 or C2 depending on company. Off-airport companies run free shuttles from Level 1 Ground Transportation (Terminal A spaces A11 to A13, Terminal B B60 to B62, Terminal C C277 to C278, Train Station C3 to C4). 2
Getting there. Rental car levels are inside the terminal complex; the rental car page gives levels only, no walking directions. Terminal Link people mover runs 24 hours between Terminal B and the Train Station beside Terminal C; a 24-hour shuttle bus also links Terminal C (C272) and Terminal B (B65). 3
Brands on site. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar Car Rental, Enterprise, Hertz Car Rental, National, Payless Car Rental, Sixt, Thrifty 2
Read on each airport's own website on 15 November 2026 unless marked reported elsewhere.
Tampa is 86 miles from MCO, Atlanta is 448
The list covers the nearest large cities outside the Orlando area and the big cities within a day's drive. Each one has its own airport if you want to fly on from there.
| Drive to | State | Miles | Drive time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa, FL | FL | 86 | 1 hr 42 min |
| Jacksonville, FL | FL | 153 | 3 hr 6 min |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | FL | 206 | 4 hr |
| Miami, FL | FL | 229 | 4 hr 24 min |
| Savannah, GA | GA | 291 | 5 hr 36 min |
| Atlanta, GA | GA | 448 | 8 hr 12 min |
Fastest road route from Orlando International Airport to each city centre, free-flowing traffic with no stops or rest breaks 4. Checked 15 November 2026. These estimates tend to run a little long against map apps, and real trips take longer.
Every brand at MCO quotes the drop fee at booking
National says there is typically no drop charge between airport locations, so an airport return in the destination city is worth pricing first. Avis says most locations charge no one-way fee. Enterprise, National and Alamo collect any drop charge at pick-up. Full rules for each brand are on the one-way car rental guide.
- Book the return location in advance. Budget and Sixt charge extra for an unannounced return elsewhere.
- The minimum age is 21 at most brands and 20 at Hertz, with a fee under 25.
- Add your flight number to any car booked at your destination, which waives the no-show fee at the brands AutoSlash checked 5.
Orlando on 13 and 14 November
- Saturday 14 November: 232 flights cancelled 1
Non-refundable hotel and ticket at stake for one traveller: Several hundred dollars. The only priced destination-end exposure found. 6
Vans Warped Tour: line-up changes: Some bands cancelled and others moved to Sunday. 6
Searches during the stop
- Florida ranked 3 of the 12 states listed for "rental car" (71 on a 100 scale). 7
- The Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne FL metro area ranked 5 for "rental car" (70). 7
- Florida ranked 2 of the 12 states listed for "one way car rental" (64 on a 100 scale). 7
- The Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne FL metro area ranked 4 for "one way car rental" (64). 7
- Florida ranked 4 of the 12 states listed for "hotel near airport" (53 on a 100 scale). 7
- The Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne FL metro area ranked 6 for "hotel near airport" (58). 7
Google Trends, United States, 7 to 14 November 2026. Values are relative, with 100 for the highest area. Only the top 12 states and metros were recorded for each term.
Trains and coaches leave Orlando too
Amtrak runs the Silver Meteor and Floridian from Orlando. Brightline runs between Orlando and Miami with a stop at Fort Lauderdale.
| Mode | Operator | Station or stops | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Amtrak | Orlando (ORL), 1400 Sligh Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32806. Amtrak's Auto Train stops at Sanford. | Silver Meteor, Floridian 8 |
| Train | Brightline | Brightline Orlando Station at MCO, adjacent to Terminal C, 10705 Jeff Fuqua Blvd. South, Orlando, FL 32827. Service to Aventura, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami. | Brightline (Orlando to Miami) 9 |
| Bus | Greyhound | Orlando Bus Station, 555 N John Young Pkwy; Orlando (The Florida Mall), 1634 Florida Mall Ave. | Intercity coach 10 |
| Bus | FlixBus | Orlando Bus Station, 555 N John Young Pkwy (Greyhound station); Orlando (The Florida Mall), 1634 Florida Mall Ave. | Intercity coach 11 |
| Bus | Megabus | Orlando to Miami service; route guide lists Orange Blossom Center, 4504 South Orange Blossom Trail (other Megabus pages give different Orlando stop addresses). | Intercity coach 12 |
Read on each operator's own station or city page on 15 November 2026 unless marked reported elsewhere. Check timetables with the operator.
Questions about one-way rentals from Orlando
Can I rent a car one way from Orlando?
Yes. Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, Alamo and Sixt all allow one-way rentals between US cities. All seven are listed on site at MCO. Any drop fee appears in the quote before you pay.
Where do I pick up a rental car at MCO?
On airport, no separate centre. Terminals A and B: counters and pickup on Level R1 or R2 depending on company (Sixt on Level P1). Rental car levels are inside the terminal complex; the rental car page gives levels only, no walking directions.
How long is the drive from Orlando to Tampa?
About 86 miles and 1 hr 42 min from MCO in free-flowing traffic, by a routing estimate on OpenStreetMap road data. Allow longer for traffic and stops.
Is there a train or bus from Orlando instead?
Amtrak and Brightline trains run from Orlando. Intercity coaches are run by FlixBus, Greyhound and Megabus.
More for travellers leaving Orlando
- One-way car rental rules at seven brands, and whether insurance pays for the car
- Ground stop status and the 13 November record
- MCO delays and cancellations
- Claim tool for refunds and receipts
Other cities: Chicago · Las Vegas · New York · Seattle · Atlanta · Boston · Fort Lauderdale · Denver · Nashville
Check your flight, then write the claim
The flight check takes about a minute and gives the rule that applies to your trip. The claim tool writes the letters.
- Check my flightWhat the airline and your insurer or card owe you.
- Write the claim lettersRefund, expenses and insurance letters that cite the rule.
- Airline phone lines and chatRebooking and refund contacts for 12 US airlines.
- Should I go to the airport?Live FAA ground stops and delay programmes, and what each means.
Sources for this page
12 sources
Numbers in boxes point to this list. "Checked at source" means the page itself was read on the date shown. "Reported elsewhere" means the wording came from a search extract, a secondary page or a page that only partly loaded, so check it against the original before relying on it. "Not confirmed" means sources conflict or the document is old. Event figures for 13 and 14 November are sourced in full on the methodology and sources page.
- Greater Orlando Aviation Authority via WESH 2 Checked at source
- Orlando International Airport rental car page Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Orlando International Airport transport page Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap road data Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026
- AutoSlash Checked at source · checked 26 May 2026
- The Baltimore Banner Checked at source · checked 14 Nov 2026
- Google Trends, US, past 7 days, collected Saturday 14 November 2026, 6:45pm to 7:03pm ET Checked at source · checked 14 November 2026
- Amtrak: Orlando (ORL), 1400 Sligh Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32806. Amtrak's Auto Train stops at Sanford. Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Brightline: Brightline Orlando Station at MCO, adjacent to Terminal C, 10705 Jeff Fuqua Blvd. South, Orlando, FL 32827. Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Greyhound Orlando stops Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- FlixBus Orlando stops Checked at source · checked 15 November 2026
- Megabus Orlando stops Reported elsewhere · checked 15 November 2026