Short answer
Renting a Mercedes-Benz S580 in Miami is $399 a day. The Mercedes-Maybach S580 is $899. Both use the same 496 hp V8, and the cheaper car is the quicker one — 4.4s against 4.8s. The extra $500 buys a longer wheelbase and a back seat that reclines, which is worth everything or nothing depending on where you plan to sit.
Miami has a particular talent for making two nearly identical sedans feel like different tax brackets.
They share an engine, and the cheaper one is quicker
This is the part that surprises people. The Mercedes-Benz S580 and the Mercedes-Maybach S580 run the same 496-horsepower twin-turbo V8. Not a related engine. The same one. Mercedes publishes the specification openly on its S-Class model pages, and nothing in the Maybach treatment touches the powertrain.
What the Maybach does add is length and weight, and the clock notices. The S580 reaches 60 in 4.4s. The Maybach takes 4.8s. Four tenths is not a number anyone renting an S-Class cares about, but it does settle one thing: you are not paying $500 a day for a faster car. You are paying it for a different seat.
| Mercedes-Benz S580 | Mercedes-Maybach S580 | |
|---|---|---|
| Per day | $399 | $899 |
| Power | 496 hp | 496 hp |
| 0–60 | 4.4s | 4.8s |
| Seats | 5 | 4 |
| Per day, 7+ days | $299 | $674 |
Telling them apart on sight is easier than the badge suggests. The Maybach wears its own monogram on the rear pillar rather than a model number, it is usually finished in two tones with the roof and upper body in a contrasting color, and the rear door is visibly longer than the front one. That last detail is the giveaway, because it is the stretched wheelbase showing itself. The car in the photograph at the top of this page is the Maybach, and all three tells are on it.
What $500 a day actually buys
The Maybach is a rear-seat car. The wheelbase is stretched, and all of that length goes behind the B-pillar. The right-hand rear seat reclines and raises a calf rest, there is a console between the two back seats instead of a third passenger, and the cabin is quieter because the insulation is heavier.
That is the whole product. It is a serious one — if you are being driven, the difference between the two cars is not subtle, and an hour in Miami traffic in the back of the Maybach is a different hour. Our chauffeur service runs on exactly this logic, and the Maybach is the car it runs on.
But notice what moved and what did not. The seat count went down, from 5 to 4. If you are a family of five, the Maybach is not an upgrade — it is a car with fewer seats that costs $500 more a day.
When to take the cheaper one, which is most of the time
We will say this plainly, because it costs us money to say it: most people asking about the Maybach should rent the Mercedes-Benz S580 instead.
If you are driving yourself — to dinner on Ocean Drive, to a meeting in Brickell, from the airport to a hotel — every dollar of the Maybach premium is spent on a seat behind you. The S580 has the same engine, the same badge on the hood, the same presence at a valet stand, and it is the quicker car. At $399 a day it is the most accessible car we run, and it is quicker to 60 than the Rolls-Royce Cullinan at $1,299.
“Amazing customer service from owner Robert. The car was beautiful and definitely one of the biggest highlight for my son's special day. Would definitely use this service again.”
The Maybach earns its rate in one situation: somebody else is driving, and the person in the back is the point of the booking. A client. A wedding party. A parent you want to impress without saying so. Outside that, the cheaper car is not a compromise — it is the correct answer.
What is identical on both
A lot, and this is where the decision gets simpler. The terms do not change between the two cars:
- Deposit: $1,000, flat on every car we run. Returned after the vehicle is inspected on return, less any applicable deductions.
- Mileage: 100 miles a day, pooled across the rental rather than capped daily. Three days is 300 miles in total, spent however you like — only the figure at return counts. A daily cap that resets at midnight is a materially worse deal at the same headline price.
- Minimum age: 21, with a valid license and qualifying insurance. Florida's requirements are set by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
- Delivery: $125 in Miami, $175 in Fort Lauderdale, each way. Collection at the end is a separate charge, typically the same figure again — a Miami round trip is about $250, not $125.
- Multi-day rates: 15% off at 3+ days, 20% at 5+, 25% at 7+ on both cars.
One thing neither rate includes: tolls. Miami is largely cashless, and the expressways run on SunPass. Worth knowing before you plan a run up to Fort Lauderdale.
The question that decides it
Forget the spec sheets. There is one question, and it settles the whole thing: who is sitting in the back?
If the answer is nobody, or a bag, rent the S580 and put the $500 a day somewhere it will be felt. If the answer is a person whose comfort is the reason for the booking, the Maybach is not an indulgence — it is the car that does the job. Both are on the full fleet page, and every rate, deposit and fee sits on one pricing page with nothing held back for the phone call.
Common questions
What is the difference between a Mercedes S580 and a Maybach S580?
Mechanically, almost nothing. Both run the same 496 hp V8, and the Mercedes-Benz S580 is actually the quicker of the two at 4.4s against 4.8s. The Mercedes-Maybach S580 has a longer wheelbase and gives the back seat the space that buys: 4 seats instead of 5, and a rear chair that reclines. You are paying for where you sit, not for how it drives.
Is the Maybach S580 worth $500 more a day in Miami?
It is if somebody is sitting in the back. For a client being driven from Brickell, or a wedding where the point is the arrival, the reclining rear seat is the entire product. If you are driving yourself, you are paying $500 a day for a seat you will never sit in.
Which is faster, the S580 or the Maybach S580?
The Mercedes-Benz S580, by four tenths — 4.4s against 4.8s. Same engine, more car to move. Neither is bought for pace, but it is worth knowing the cheaper one is the quicker one.
Do both cars have the same deposit and mileage?
Yes. The deposit is $1,000 on every car we run, refundable after inspection on return. Mileage is 100 miles a day on both, pooled across the rental rather than capped daily — three days is 300 miles in total, used however you like.
How many people fit in each one?
The Mercedes-Benz S580 seats 5. The Mercedes-Maybach S580 seats 4 — the rear console that makes the back seat what it is takes the middle position away. If you need the fifth seat, the decision is already made for you.
What is the minimum age to rent either one in Miami?
21 on both, with a valid license and qualifying insurance. Cancellations inside 5 days of the start date are non-refundable, which is worth knowing before you lock dates in.
Both cars are kept to the same standard and handed over by the same person, so the only real decision is the seat. Tell us your dates and who is travelling and we will tell you which one we would put you in — including when that is the cheaper one. What are you thinking?