A rental car in Key West is a parking headache. A bike is fine until you have five people or a full cooler. A golf cart is what the island actually runs on — small enough to park anywhere, big enough for the family, and fast enough to skip the Duval traffic. Here's everything you need to know.
Old Town has narrow one-way streets, permit-only residential parking, and a paid municipal lot system. A car makes every stop a 15-minute find-a-spot exercise. A golf cart fits in a compact spot or a metered space.
Duval to the airport is 3.5 miles. Even the farthest corner is a 15-minute cart ride. You do not need a car and a bike is slow if you're bouncing between six spots in a day.
This is the actual reason. Golf carts turn errands into a good time. Locals drive them to work. You'll see 6-seaters full of retirees on their way to happy hour. It's part of the island.
A golf cart driven on Key West streets is a low-speed vehicle under Florida law. That means specific requirements — all handled for you by a legitimate rental operator.
Any golf cart driven on public streets in Key West must be titled, tagged, and equipped with headlights, brake lights, turn signals, seat belts, and a slow-moving-vehicle triangle. Rentals from real operators are already compliant.
Every driver must be 21+ with a valid driver's license. Renters typically also need a credit card in the driver's name for the deposit.
Golf carts are treated as cars in Key West. Same street rules, same paid meters, same permit zones. No parking on sidewalks. No parking in residential-permit blocks.
Fits four to six people. Faster than walking or biking. No parking headaches. Fun. Delivery to your hotel is standard.
Weather-exposed. Slow for out-of-town trips (25 mph max). Requires 21+ driver.
Cheap. Great for Old Town only. Feels like part of the island. Fits any age.
Slow when you're covering the whole island. Sweat and heat. Bad for groups of 4+.
AC, storage, day trips up the Keys. Necessary if you need to get somewhere out of Key West.
Parking is a nightmare. Costs pile up (rental + parking + gas). Overkill for Old Town.
Four-seaters fit two adults + two kids comfortably, or three adults tight. Six-seaters fit five adults plus a cooler. Don't oversize — bigger carts are harder to park and cost more.
The best operators drop the cart at your hotel and pick it up when you're done. You never have to touch a rental counter. Conch Cart Rentals delivers island-wide.
A 24-hour rental is usually 10-15% cheaper per hour than a half-day rental, and you'll almost always want it longer once you have it. Book two days if you're on the island three or more.
Electric carts run 20-30 miles per charge, which is enough for a full day in Old Town but not two days without plugging in. Gas carts refuel at any station. Ask before you leave the lot.
Old Town is a grid of one-ways. Simonton and Whitehead are one-way north. Duval is one-way south south of Truman. Look for arrows painted on the pavement — the street signs are half missing.
Four-, six-, or eight-passenger gas carts. Locally owned by MDKW. Delivery + pickup at your hotel — the buttons below open live availability with one-click checkout.
Two adults + two kids, or a couple with room to spread out
The standard family cart — best value if you're 4-6 people
Bachelor / bachelorette groups, extended families, wedding parties
Locally owned, delivery-and-pickup to your hotel, all-day flat rate. This is the one we use ourselves.
The way locals actually get around Old Town. Four- and six-seaters, delivery to your hotel, all-day flat rate. Skip the Duval traffic and park anywhere a car can't.
Prices depend on the size and rental length. Four-seaters run in the low-to-mid range for a full day; six-seaters run higher. Multi-day rentals get a per-day discount. Ask your operator directly — prices shift by season.
Yes. Every driver must be 21+ with a valid driver's license. A credit card in the driver's name is usually required for the deposit.
On any street with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or lower. That covers all of Old Town, most of Mid-Town, and most of New Town. You can't take a golf cart on US-1 up the Keys and you can't take it on Cow Key Bridge to Stock Island in most cases.
No. Golf carts follow the same parking rules as cars. Metered spots require payment. Residential-permit zones require permits. No sidewalks. The nice thing is a cart fits in a smaller spot than a car does.
For 3+ days on the island with a group of 3+, the golf cart wins. For a solo or couple trip that's mostly Old Town, a bike is cheaper and more fun. Skip the car unless you're driving up the Keys.
Yes, when everyone's belted in. All legal Key West carts have seat belts. Kids under 4 need a car seat. Kids under 6 have to be in a booster or car seat per Florida law — same as any vehicle.