electric cars

Will be in Key West on the Empress of the seas in June. which place is the best to rent an electric car from. we were there last June and thought it would be nice to get one to travel around the island. Let me know your experiences with these.

thanks

100+ people have viewed this an no one has rented an electric car in Key West.

First off, I have never rented an electric car in Key West. When I drive my own car there, I park it and leave the keys in my room for the duration of my trip. I'll walk anywhere from Mallory Square to the Southernmost point. To me, having an electric car for a port day would be a burden.

Old town Key West is a walking town. Parking spaces are few and far between, and generally expensive. Unless you have a specific destination in mind far away from Duval, there is virtually no reason to get one.

If you insist on getting one, shop around based on price and location. Most will probably pick you up. All have pretty much the same 6-8 person golf carts.

I agree with the prior post. Electric cars have all the same parking and driving issues a regular car has. In my opinion unless you have mobility issues, it is better to walk or if you want to go further, rent bikes.

If you decide on the electric car, A&M has a good reputation. Pretty much any place will have similar pricing.

We are going on Empress on May 28th and thinking about renting an electric too. My mom has some mobility issues and we thought it would be fun to drive around and see the sights :)

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We will be in Key West in December and are also considering renting an electric car because my husband has mobility issues. My concern is that parking spaces are so few and far between that we will wind up having to walk farther than is comfortable for DH. The upside is that we would be able to see what we want to see while in port. The hop on/hop off Trolley is also an option. I would love to hear from someone who has rented an electric car in Key West and read of their experiences.

We will be in Key West in December and are also considering renting an electric car because my husband has mobility issues. My concern is that parking spaces are so few and far between that we will wind up having to walk farther than is comfortable for DH. The upside is that we would be able to see what we want to see while in port. The hop on/hop off Trolley is also an option. I would love to hear from someone who has rented an electric car in Key West and read of their experiences.

Your concern is a valid one as parking and destination are often several blocks apart.

For a first time visitor (or anyone with mobility issues) I would strongly recommend City View Trolley due to ease of access and the more comfortable padded seats.

Mike:)

I'd be happy to give you our experience. We rented with Sunshine Scooters. We arrived in Key West around 7 am and Sunshine did not open until 9 am. So we walked down Duvall Street looking at stores that weren't even open yet. Once Sunshine opened, we gave them a call and they came with a van to pick us up on Duvall Street. It took a good 30-45 minutes to sign all the paperwork and insurance forms and such before we were able to hit the road. While it was fun driving around in an open air electric car, our time was limited on Key West. We had to find a place to park and then walk to the Southernmost Point which chewed up our time. There we waited in line for a photo op. Walked back to the car and then drove down Duvall Street to the marina. Parked again and walked around the marina. After that we took the car rental back to Sunshine and they dropped us off at the front of Duvall Street. We hit a few souvenirs stores before walking back to grab the shuttle back to the ship. We were docked out by Mole Pier. All this before 12:30 as the ship sailed at 1:00.

My opinion...it was fun. But we did not get to see all that I wanted to see. My sister and I are going back next Nov and plan to take a hop on hop off trolley so that we get around to see more. Since you've been there before I would say go for it. We drove all the way out to the start of Highway 1 which the trolleys will not take you to. This will give you some options to see other parts of Key West.

Note Duvall Street traffic is extremely heavy while the ships are in port.

Have a great return visit.

I'd be happy to give you our experience. We rented with Sunshine Scooters. We arrived in Key West around 7 am and Sunshine did not open until 9 am. So we walked down Duvall Street looking at stores that weren't even open yet. Once Sunshine opened, we gave them a call and they came with a van to pick us up on Duvall Street. It took a good 30-45 minutes to sign all the paperwork and insurance forms and such before we were able to hit the road. While it was fun driving around in an open air electric car, our time was limited on Key West. We had to find a place to park and then walk to the Southernmost Point which chewed up our time. There we waited in line for a photo op. Walked back to the car and then drove down Duvall Street to the marina. Parked again and walked around the marina. After that we took the car rental back to Sunshine and they dropped us off at the front of Duvall Street. We hit a few souvenirs stores before walking back to grab the shuttle back to the ship. We were docked out by Mole Pier. All this before 12:30 as the ship sailed at 1:00.

 

My opinion...it was fun. But we did not get to see all that I wanted to see. My sister and I are going back next Nov and plan to take a hop on hop off trolley so that we get around to see more. Since you've been there before I would say go for it. We drove all the way out to the start of Highway 1 which the trolleys will not take you to. This will give you some options to see other parts of Key West.

 

Note Duvall Street traffic is extremely heavy while the ships are in port.

 

Have a great return visit.

Just to clarify something, The start of Highway 1 is downtown on Whitehead street walking distance from the cruise ship dock, and Route One runs through Key West. I'm not sure what you mean by "seeing the start of highway one." If you mean seeing the New Town area of Key West, Old Town Trolley does go out there and loops around the whole island. City View Trolley stays in Old Town which is really where most points of interest for a visitor are.

Please do not take electric cars off Key West on Highway One. The speed limit quickly goes to 45 MPH and then 55 MPH and it would not be safe for you or other drivers.

For a group of people for which one person has a mobility issue, you could contact Island Mobility and have them bring you one of their scooters ---> http://www.islandcomfortmobility.com/

Pjk

I know you've already gone by now and just saw your post, but we did rent a little electric car last year when we went. There are places all over to rent them and I wouldn't suggest one over the other, they seem about the same. We weren't planning on it, but were tired of walking and wanted to see more, so we stopped in at a place, asked how much, it was reasonable so we rented one. It was myself, husband and 2 young adult kids. 2 in front, 2 in back.