Tips about Rental Car

If you are able to choose your own rental, choose one with an out-of-state license plate. Then, when there are many cars of the same color and same make, you can identify your car by the state it is from. - Joyce Troxell

I always ask for a rental car in an "unpopular" color -- I clarify this to the clerk by explaining that I don't want black, silver, or white. Red is okay, but green is great, because so few rental cars come in green! - Elizabeth Smock

Like many folks do, we rent a car when visiting WDW. So many of these rentals look the same in the mega-sized parking lots. What my family does is make our rental stand out from all the others. I will tie a few streamers of orange surveyor's tape from the radio antenna and hang a gaudy colored bandanna from the rear view mirror. I have also tried tying a balloon from the antenna, but sometimes it popped before our return. - Pete Gerry

When booking a rental car for our upcoming trip, I did a lot of research on the web. I happened to check the Southwest Airlines website to see what their rental rates were, and their rate for a minivan for the week from Budget was less than you could get from any other site, including Budget's! There is no mention anywhere that you have to be FLYING Southwest to get their rates. Plus, unlike some sites (Expedia-type sites), you don't have to pay up front. Just a heads up! - Jody LaFerriere

If you are going to rent a car at the airport and drive to WDW yourself, make sure you have change in your pocket before you get on the toll road. Some exit booths have no attendant on duty to make change for you.

When renting a car you never know if you should prepay for gas, or try to refill it on your own. If you rent an electric vehicle, this won't be an issue. You can return it with a nearly depleted battery. Some electric vehicles can travel about 40 miles on battery power and then an engine comes on to take you another 300+ miles. With more than 150 public charging stations in Orlando, including several within Disney, you'll likely not use much gas, if any. You also won't have to worry about returning the car with a full tank of gas. Enterprise Rent-A-Car at the Orlando International Airport has a number of electric vehicles in its fleet, which rent for the same price as a standard class vehicle. - Sara

I just wanted to comment about the tip to fill up at the Disney resort gas stations. This year, Dollar Rent-a-Car changed its policy to say that you must fill your tank within five miles of the airport and present a receipt showing this. I was informed of this when I picked up the car. I do not know how well they monitor this though, because I was not asked for proof when I returned my car. - Nicole Streit

I just thought I'd let people know that there is a Circle K gas station that, while not specifically on the way to the airport, is not difficult to get to. Essentially, if you are taking the 417 from WDW, you will normally exit onto Boggy Creek Road and turn left to get to the airport. To get to the gas station, turn right off the exit ramp and follow the road about 1-2 miles. The Circle K will be on your right at a traffic signal. The gas here is normally $0.10-$0.15/gallon cheaper than the Car Care Centers. - Pam K.

Here is a tip for anyone renting a car. There are no convenient gas stations near the airport, so plan to fill up at one of these three convenient locations: 1) Magic Kingdom Car Care Center, easiest access leaving MK or any MK resort. 2) Boardwalk gas station, easiest access from any Epcot resort. 3) There is a gas station on 536 just before you get on 417. This is perhaps the most convenient since the best way to get back to the airport is to take 536 to 417 directly to the airport. Also, don't worry about refueling charges, fill up at any of the above locations and after the short 15-mile trip to the airport your tank will still read FULL. - Jason Diffendal

Even though you have a confirmed car rental reservation made, keep checking back with all the car rental companies online until right before you go. You can often find a better price has appeared than what you have reserved. - Jack Marshall