I’m planning a trip to Universal Studios Orlando and a few other nearby attractions, and I’m thinking about renting a car to get around. I’ve never booked a rental in the area before, any tips on where to look for the best deals or avoid surprises?
I’m especially curious if any smaller local agencies might be easier/cheaper than the big brands.
Welcome!
Are you staying onsite or offsite?
I recommend using Autoslash! You have to give them your email address and then they send you a list of deals. I think you can provide preferences such as “only pick up from MCO,” etc. (which I usually do, but you might find better deals if you are willing to travel somewhere offsite).
A lot of times the best deals come from Costco, so if you have a Costco membership, give that a try.
I’m planning to stay Offsite, near Universal
Welcome to the Forum!
If you are a Costco member, it tends to have the best rates, which includes a second driver. I find that if I am not renting from the airport, it searches best if I enter the zip code for about where I want to rent the car. For example, at WDW I tend to enter 32830.
I’m not much help. I would do Costco. If onsite, I might recommend the onsite company to avoid the parking fees.
You can definitely find cheaper local spots, but some are a 15-minute shuttle ride away. I always use Vipcars because they filter everything by location and price, so you can decide if the savings are worth the extra travel time. Also, look into the visitor Toll Pass app, it’s a lifesaver for driving around Universal and Disney.
Absolutely the best!
I rarely rent, but also recommend AutoSlash.
Also, if you have EZpass for your state it will work in FL.
Thanks. That’s really helpful. I didn’t even know about the visitor toll pass app, will definitely look into that.
I believe this is only available if you get it from MCO.
This is the way to go, if you have it.
I’m on the West Coast but I got a FL SunPass, which works in all of the Atlantic coast states and then some. I just need to remember to take it off the car when I return it! 
I set a timer on my phone to remind me to remove the SunPass from the rental car.
I was happy to just use the standard pay-as-you-go tolls with Alamo. For my recent trip, it was $40 total (including ~$5 daily service fee + all tolls) for 3 toll days (we were not charged on days with no tolls), which included driving to and from Port Canaveral. If we had just gone to and from the airport it would have been < $20.
For me personally, it was nice for peace of mind and easier than renting a device or even bringing one from home or setting up an app. But it’s enough that some people would prefer to go through that hassle.
Do NOT do the Unlimited Tolls from any provider unless you are basically going to be driving non-stop on toll roads each day.