National Rental Car

National Car Rental operates out of the consolidated rental car facility at Key West International Airport on South Roosevelt Boulevard. The counters sit in front of baggage claim, within walking distance of the terminal, so there is no shuttle bus and no waiting at a curb with your luggage.

Whether you need a car at all depends on your trip. Key West itself is about four square miles of mostly flat, mostly walkable streets, and parking in Old Town is genuinely difficult, so plenty of visitors who stay put never start the engine. A car earns its keep the moment you want the rest of the Keys: the Seven Mile Bridge, the state parks, the backcountry boat ramps, Bahia Honda, and the roadside stops between here and Key Largo that no shuttle will take you to.

Practical details. Renters and additional drivers must be 21 or older, and renters between 21 and 24 pay a young driver surcharge and are limited to certain vehicle classes, generally economy through full size cars, minivans and cargo vans, pickup trucks and the smaller SUVs. After-hours returns are available: the branch gives you instructions at pickup, and you lock the car and drop the keys in the National box near the main entrance, with your responsibility ending once staff inspect it the next business day. Emerald Club members can use their membership here.

Call the branch to confirm counter hours before a late arrival or an early departure, since this is a small airport and the counters are not staffed around the clock.