Miami to Orlando by car: routes, tolls and stops

The two routes

1. Florida's Turnpike (the fastest)

This motorway runs up the middle of Florida, from Miami to Orlando. It's the most direct route, it has service plazas with fuel, restrooms and food along the way, and it's the one almost everyone takes. It's a toll road.

2. Along the coast, on I-95

You head north on I-95, close to the Atlantic coast. It takes longer, but you pass near West Palm Beach, Vero Beach and Cocoa Beach, and you can detour to the Kennedy Space Center. To get into Orlando from the coast you take SR 528, which is also a toll road.

If you want to avoid tolls altogether, you can stay on I-95 up to Daytona and reach Orlando on I-4. It adds more than an hour to the trip.

Tolls: what matters most

• On the Turnpike there are no toll booths and you can't pay cash. An overhead gantry reads the car's licence plate as you pass and the charge comes later.
• Florida's system is called SunPass. Rental cars already come with the rental company's toll pass linked to the plate.
• The rental company gives you two options: pay for each toll you go through, plus a fee for each day you use it, or a toll pass with a daily rate that covers all of them.
• If you're driving from Miami to Orlando and getting around Orlando, the pass is worth it. Orlando has many toll roads, starting with the ones out of the airport.
• You pay tolls and fines yourself, even if they arrive weeks after you're back home.

Read the full guide: Florida tolls with a rental car: how they work and what's worth it

Pick up in Miami and return in Orlando (or the other way round)

You can, and most people do. The rental company charges a one-way fee for returning the car in another city. We include it in your quote, so you know before you book.

The easiest option is usually to pick up at Miami airport and return at Orlando airport, or the other way round. Both cities have desks for the main rental companies at the airport.

Stops along the way

The Turnpike has its own service plazas, with fuel, restrooms and food, without leaving the motorway. Between Miami and Orlando they are Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie / Fort Pierce, Fort Drum and Canoe Creek.

The middle stretch, between Fort Pierce and Kissimmee, is long with little around it. Fill up at the service plazas and don't wait for the warning light.

Tips for the trip

• Leave before 7 am or after 10 am. In Miami, morning and evening rush hour can add an hour.
• Choose the right car. For a trip like this with luggage, count one large suitcase per person and make sure they fit. Four people with bags won't fit in a compact.
• Return it with a full tank, unless you bought the prepaid fuel option. Otherwise the rental company charges you more for fuel.
• Everything in the US is in miles. Speed and distance signs are in miles per hour and miles.
• Bring your physical driving licence and a credit card in the driver's name. The rental company asks for them at the counter.