5 Best Fort Myers Airport Car Rental Companies — Browse Tips on Renting a Car in Fort Myers in 2024

As a hub for travelers making their way to some of Southwest Florida’s best beaches, the Fort Myers airport, more formally known as Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), can be busy. With nearly 500 flights per day and more than 10 million passengers per year, this is one of the country’s top 50 busiest airports. 

While, on one hand, an airport’s busyness can often spell affordable, convenient, and plentiful flights for travelers, it can also spell headaches and annoyances. So, if you’re the type of traveler to groan at the sight of crowds, don’t let your rental car experience at Fort Myers be one of your travel headaches. 

To help you have the best rental car experience at this airport possible — and get to the beach faster as a result — we’re laying out everything you need to know about renting a car at the Fort Myers airport. We’re giving you the top-recommended rental companies, as well as our top tips for getting around, once you have your rental car. 

Which Car Rental Companies are Best at Fort Myers Airport?

RSW has a rental car service center located within the airport parking garage. There, you’ll find options from 10 different, well-known, national car rental companies. 

Additional service is also available from rental car companies without check-in counters on-site at the airport. For our purposes, though, we’re only focusing on the extra-convenient services offered by those companies with check-in counters located on-site. 

So which are the best of the best? Here are the top providers out of those 10, as determined by traveler reviews on Google and Kayak. 

1. National Car Rental

As the top-rated car rental provider at the Fort Myers airport, National has received rave reviews. People love the service and also find the employees at the check-in counter courteous and helpful. However, for those who prefer a hands-off, do-it-yourself service, additionally enjoy that National allows you to pick your car, skip the counter, and be on your way, with no lengthy check-in process required. 

The only issues that some travelers found? The cars aren’t in as great a condition as they could be. However, they’re by no means in bad shape — just less than stellar. 

While this location is open from early, early morning until after midnight, which is incredibly convenient if your flight leaves or gets in at an odd hour, after-hours return service is also available. 

Pros: Great service, with helpful and polite staff, and an easy check-in process. 

Cons: Cars could be in better condition.

Phone: (833) 603-0307

Hours: Daily from 4 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Google Rating: 4.5 stars

Kayak Rating: 10 (Wonderful)

Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at National

2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car

While not as highly rated as National, the Enterprise location at Fort Myers receives its fair share of glowing reviews, with especially high marks for car cleanliness. Reviewers report that the pick-up and drop-off processes are very easy and smooth, as well as fast. 

It’s also worth noting that your process can be even faster if you book ReadyPass — an amenity that’s only available to Enterprise Plus members (though signing up for this membership program is free). With ReadyPass, you can provide more details regarding your rental ahead of arriving at the rental check-in counter, for less of a wait. 

Primary complaints are limited to pricing and the occasional car issue.

Pros: Great, fast customer service and clean vehicles. 

Cons: Enterprise can be a little bit pricier than some of the other rental car providers.

Phone: (833) 763-1732

Hours: Daily from 4 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Google Rating: 4.4 stars

Kayak Rating: 7.6 (Good)

Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Enterprise

3. Sixt Rent a Car 

Sixt offers a nice selection of vehicles at moderate price points. Reviewers report that renting with the Fort Myers airport Sixt location is easy, simple, and also fast. Additionally, if you download the Sixt app ahead of your arrival, pick-up is even faster. 

The only downsides? Some report that the after-hours drop-off process here is a little confusing. Some reviewers also say that they’ve been charged unexpected fees after drop-off, for damage that was already done to the car, but that wasn’t caught in their initial, pick-up inspection. For this reason (and any time when renting a car), it’s important to do a personal thorough inspection of your rental vehicle, ahead of time, to make sure that any damages are noted in your paperwork.

Worried about encountering some of these problems during an after-hours drop-off? If so, you should realize that the Sixt check-in counter is open a little bit later than some of the other check-in counters at the airport. However, it’s not open as early as some of those other counters. If your flight leaves at, for example, 9 am and you want to get to your gate by 8, you’ll be left dropping off your car on your own, as no one from the staff will be on-site to help you.

Pros: Easy and fast pick-up process, with nice vehicles. 

Cons: Reviewers report a confusing drop-off process and extra, surprise fees. 

Phone: (888) 749-8227

Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Google Rating: 3.9 stars

Kayak Rating: 8.1 (Very good)

Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Sixt

4. Hertz

Much like Enterprise, Hertz offers a great level of service, albeit at a higher price point than you might find elsewhere. Additionally, also like Enterprise, Hertz often hides some of its best features behind its loyalty membership program. For this reason, you’ll want to be sure to sign up for the Hertz rewards program before booking your rental. 

Reviewers like the service and check-in process here, as well as the selection of cars. However, many note surprise fees and upselling upon pick-up, which, combined, drive Hertz’s prices up. 

Pros: Good service and extra perks with a rewards program.

Cons: Don’t be surprised if you encounter surprise fees and extra charges. 

Phone: (281) 209-6700

Hours: Daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Google Rating: 3.6 stars

Kayak Rating: 7.1 (Good)

Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Hertz

5. Avis

As the lowest-ranked of our top-ranked car rental providers at the Fort Myers airport, the Avis reviews are a bit of a mixed bag. Some travelers go on about the company’s premium level of service and also the fast check-in experiences. Others, however, complain about not getting the car that they booked, having to wait for a car like the one they booked, or receiving cars with damage or that are otherwise unsuitable. 

For this reason, Avis is a good pick if you can be flexible with the type of car you rent. If, however, you have specific car needs and you want a specific make, model, or size, you might be better off going with one of our other, top-ranked providers.

Pros: Great, fast service.

Cons: Not the greatest cars and there’s not much of a guarantee that you’ll always get the car you booked. 

Phone: (239) 225-2700

Hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Google Rating: 3.3 stars

Kayak Rating: 7.0 (Good)

Click Here to See the Best Car Rental Deals at Avis

Comparing the 5 Best Car Rental Companies at Southwest Florida International Airport

Get a quick glimpse of these five best car rental companies so you know which is best for you.

Brand/Rental Provider	Google/Kayak Rating	Types of available vehicles	Budget or Luxury?
Hertz	3.6/7.1	Cars, SUVs, luxury vehicles, trucks	Luxury
Avis	3.3/7.0	Cars, SUVs, luxury vehicles, trucks, vans	Mid-Range
Enterprise	4.4/7.6	Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, luxury vehicles	Luxury
National	4.5/10	Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, luxury vehicles	Mid-Range
Sixt	3.9/8.1	Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, luxury vehicles	Mid-Range

Tips for Renting a Car in Fort Myers

Before you pick the best rental car provider and the best rental car for your upcoming trip to Southwest Florida, you’ll want to know a few more things about the rental car experience in and around Fort Myers, like…

How to get to the rental car center inside the Fort Myers airport 

As shown above, 10 rental car companies do business inside the Fort Myers airport. These include: 

• Alamo
• Avis
• Budget
• Dollar Car Rental
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• National
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt
• Thrifty

The Rental Car Service Center sits within the airport’s parking garage, on the ground level. To reach the service center, after your plane arrives, go downstairs from your terminal to baggage claim. Then from baggage claim, go outside and walk across the street to the garage. There, you’ll find the service center. 

There’s no need for a shuttle or any other extra transportation. Just walk from the baggage claim, straight to the service center, before you drive away. 

If you’ve rented a car with another rental car provider and they offer shuttle service from the airport to wherever their rental car office is, you’ll find their shuttle nearby, too. The shuttle pickup point is on the parking garage’s lower level, on the east side. Walk to the end of the parking garage and around the side of the building, where you’ll find a small pickup point with a phone. You will have to arrange the pick-up time with your provider. 

How to return your rental car at the Fort Myers airport 

When you’re ready to return your rental car to the airport, the process is just as easy as pick-up. Just drive to the airport and then follow the signs marked “Rental Car Return.” The signs will lead you to the same parking garage where you picked up your vehicle, and you’ll park on the lower level. 

Your other transportation options in Fort Myers

If you plan on staying in Fort Myers for your trip — rather than traveling elsewhere around this region of Florida — you may be wondering if you can simply get around via public transportation, rather than renting a car.

Unfortunately, the Fort Myers public transportation offerings aren’t the greatest and the city and its attractions are quite spread out. If you want to see both the beach and the downtown areas, for example, you’ll be doing a lot of going back and forth and that’s just not very feasible via the public transportation offerings (at least not conveniently), and those trips will add up if you’re using a ride share service.

Your best bet is a rental car. However, if that’s truly out of the question, you can take the bus or trolley service that will ferry you through the city’s River District and to some of the beaches. 

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.