Full size

Full size is the largest conventional saloon in the Florida fleet and the last class before you move into SUVs and people carriers. Seats stay at 5 and doors at 4, as they do a class below, but the boot grows to 3 large cases and 2 smaller bags and the cabin grows with it.

That third case is the reason people choose it. A UK family of four checking a case each arrives with four, and a full size car takes three of them plus the soft bags in what is left, which usually means nothing rides on anybody's lap. Nobody kneels on the floor of an airport garage repacking, and at the end of a nine hour flight that is worth a great deal more than it looks on a booking form.

Typical models are the Toyota Camry and the Chevrolet Malibu. Both are proper American saloons, wide across the shoulders, quiet at speed and set up soft for long distances rather than for corners. Three adults sit across the back without touching, which an intermediate cannot manage for more than twenty minutes before somebody says so.

Long drives are where the class earns its keep. Orlando to Miami is around 230 miles, Orlando to Key West around 390, and Orlando to St Augustine and back is a comfortable day out. Doing any of those in a full size car is a completely different experience from doing them in a compact, and Florida hands you plenty of straight, flat, hot motorway on which to notice the difference.

Families of four self catering in a villa are the biggest group here, and the reason is three cases plus a boot that still swallows a weekly shop. Villa holidays generate more cargo than hotel holidays do, and a full size car absorbs it without anybody being asked to leave something behind.

Five adults travelling together also fit properly, which is the other thing this class does that an intermediate does not. The rear bench is wide enough for three grown adults on a run to the Gulf coast, and the front seats have enough travel for a tall driver and a tall passenger at the same time.

Touring itineraries suit the class better than staying put in one place does. If you are driving Orlando to Naples, across to Miami, down to the Keys and back up the east coast, you will spend real hours in the car and the quieter cabin and softer ride matter more than any other feature on the spec sheet.

Grandparents in the party push a lot of bookings up to this class. A higher, wider seat with a big door aperture is easier to get in and out of than a compact, particularly several times a day across a fortnight of park car parks.

Where it does not work is with three children in restraints, or with seven people. Three car seats do not fit across a saloon bench, however wide it is, and five seats are five seats. Both of those are SUV or minivan problems, and the classes above solve them properly rather than at a squeeze.

Rates come in two shapes in Florida and the difference is not cosmetic. A basic rate covers the vehicle and the minimum the law demands. An inclusive rate adds collision damage protection, the liability cover American law requires, unlimited mileage and usually an additional driver allowance.

Comparing a basic price against an inclusive price is the commonest mistake made when booking Florida car hire. The cheaper number leaves several items to be bought at the counter in dollars at the supplier's own price, which is always the worst place to buy them. The excess sitting behind any protection differs by supplier, by rate and by branch, so we confirm yours in writing against your booking instead of publishing a general figure.

Mileage is worth reading carefully on this class in particular, because a full size car is usually booked by people planning to cover ground. Unlimited mileage is standard on inclusive rates and is not universal on basic ones, and a Keys round trip plus a Gulf coast day adds up quickly.

Toll charges are billed after the holiday under whichever programme your supplier operates, generally with an administration fee per day of use. Orlando International offers the alternative of a Visitor Toll Pass hangtag from a terminal vending machine, which charges the electronic rate without a service fee. Take one route or the other, never both.

Additional drivers matter more here than on a small car, because a long touring itinerary is far easier with two people sharing. Some inclusive tiers include one extra driver and some charge per day, and every additional driver must attend the desk in person with their own licence. Ask us to price that in before you travel.

Children aged 5 and under must travel in a crash tested, federally approved child restraint under Florida law. Birth through age 3 requires a separate carrier or an integrated child seat, and ages 4 and 5 allow a separate carrier, an integrated seat or a booster. A seat belt alone is legal from age 6.

British parents work from height and weight bands at home, so the age based Florida rule reads as generous. Treat it as the legal floor rather than the recommendation. A five year old in a high back booster is safer than a five year old in a lap and diagonal belt, and nothing in Florida law stops you doing the better thing.

Full size cars take two child seats across the rear bench with room to spare, and a slim adult or an older child can genuinely use the middle position on a short journey. Three full restraints still will not fit, because the width of the seat is not the constraint so much as the position of the buckles. Families with three children under six should look at a seven seater or a full size SUV.

Hiring seats from the supplier costs per seat per day and must be reserved on the booking. Turning up on a busy Saturday and asking is a gamble, and a family who cannot get a legal restraint cannot legally drive away.

Bringing your own seats is straightforward on a long trip. Transatlantic airlines carry them free, UK seats work with American belts in the great majority of cases, and there is enough space in a Camry or a Malibu that a rear facing infant seat does not force the front passenger into the dashboard.