Quick Summary:
- Look for Settings, System, or General to find Language quickly.
- Use the globe, gear, or “A/文” icon if text is unfamiliar.
- Change units under Units or Preferences, then confirm mph and °F.
- If locked, try a soft reset, then ask the desk to unlock.
You collect your vehicle at Orlando and the screen greets you in Spanish, French, or something you cannot read. It is common on fleet cars that were last used by international travellers. The good news is that most infotainment systems let you switch language in under two minutes, if you know where to look and what icons to follow. This guide focuses on practical, step by step menu paths, how to switch units to what you expect in the US, and what to do if the language menu is locked by a driver profile or fleet setting.
If you are collecting from the airport, you will often have limited time in the garage, so it helps to do a quick “language and units” check before you drive away. For travellers arranging car hire in the area, the pick up location and supplier can vary, but the on screen logic is usually similar across brands. If you are comparing Orlando airport options, these pages provide useful context for pick up logistics: Orlando MCO airport car rental and car hire Orlando MCO.
Before you tap anything, do two safety checks
1) Park and set up power correctly. Make changes with the vehicle in Park, parking brake applied if available. Many systems will block certain settings once you start moving.
2) Check if you are on CarPlay or Android Auto. If the screen shows Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the language you see might be coming from your phone, not the car. Exit to the car’s “home” screen first. Look for a physical Home button, a house icon, or an icon that looks like a grid of squares.
Fast recognition: the icons that usually mean “language”
When the current language is unfamiliar, stop looking for English words and start looking for icons. The most helpful are:
Gear icon usually Settings.
Globe icon usually Language or Region.
“A” with another character (often “A/文”) typically Language.
Wrench, sliders, or three dots often “Options” where System settings live.
Also, many systems place language under “System”, “General”, “Device”, or “Preferences”. If you find any of those, you are close.
Step by step menu paths that work on most rental cars
Below are common menu paths that appear across many vehicles in Orlando rental fleets. The exact wording changes by manufacturer, but the structure is consistent.
Path A: Home, Settings, System, Language
From the Home screen, open Settings (gear icon). Choose System. Then choose Language, Languages, or Language and Keyboard. Select English. If you are offered regional variants, pick English (United States) to match units, date formats, and voice prompts.
Path B: Home, Settings, General, Language
Open Settings. Look for General. Inside, find Language or Region. Confirm and accept any prompt that restarts the system.
Path C: Home, Setup, Voice, Language
Some systems bury language under voice or speech. Choose Setup or Settings, then Voice, Speech, or Recognition. Set Voice language to English, then look again for a separate “Display language” setting.
Path D: Profiles, User, Language
If you see a person icon or Profile name at the top, tap it. Switch to “Guest” or “Default” first. Then go to Settings and change Language. On certain cars, language changes are tied to the active profile, so changing to Guest prevents the system from reverting on the next ignition cycle.
How to switch units quickly (mph, miles, °F)
Even after you set English, the vehicle may still show kilometres or Celsius. In Florida, most drivers expect mph and Fahrenheit. Use one of these common paths:
Units Path A: Settings, System, Units
Open Settings, then System, then Units. Set Distance to miles, Speed to mph, Temperature to °F, and Fuel economy to mpg. Save or confirm.
Units Path B: Settings, Vehicle, Display, Units
Open Settings, then Vehicle (sometimes called “Car”). Choose Display or Instrument cluster. Find Units. Confirm mph and miles.
Units Path C: Instrument cluster buttons
Some cars change units from the steering wheel controls rather than the centre screen. Use the left or right arrows to navigate the instrument cluster menu. Look for Settings, then Units. This is especially common when the infotainment system is basic but the cluster is configurable.
Tip for car hire in Orlando: verify units on both the centre screen and the driver display. It is possible to set one while the other stays in kilometres, which can lead to speed mistakes.
If settings are “locked” or greyed out
Sometimes you can open the menu but cannot change anything. Common causes include valet mode, a restricted driver profile, a safety lock because the car thinks it is moving, or a fleet policy setting.
1) Confirm you are fully in Park. Put the vehicle in Park, then turn the wheel slightly to ensure the car is not rolling. If the system still thinks it is moving, switch the engine off and on once.
2) Exit valet mode. Valet mode often locks settings and hides personal options. Look in Settings for “Valet” (or a key icon). It may require a PIN. If you do not have it, do not guess, ask the rental desk.
3) Switch user profile to Guest. Tap the profile icon, then select Guest. Recheck the Language menu. If the system was tied to a previous renter’s account, Guest often frees basic settings.
4) Check for “Driver assistance” screens. Some cars display a pop up that blocks menus until you accept a warning. Dismiss it, then reopen Settings.
If you are dealing with a specific supplier counter, it can help to know where your pick up arrangements sit. For example, if you are using a particular partner page such as Avis car rental Orlando MCO or Thrifty car hire Orlando MCO, the staff are used to quick “screen setup” requests and can advise whether the model has fleet restrictions.
Soft reset: the fastest safe reboot when the UI is stuck
If the system is frozen, menus will not open, or language changes do not apply, try a soft reset. This does not erase your data, it just reboots the infotainment.
Method 1: Power and volume button hold. Many cars reboot if you press and hold the power or volume knob for 10 to 15 seconds until the screen goes black and returns.
Method 2: Power button hold plus Home. Some systems require holding two buttons, often Power and Home. Hold for about 10 seconds.
Method 3: Engine cycle. Turn the car off, open and close the driver door, wait 30 seconds, then restart. This can fully power cycle certain head units.
After reboot, go straight to Settings and recheck Language and Units. If the system keeps reverting, it is likely profile related or restricted by fleet settings.
Hard reset and factory reset: use with caution in a rental
A factory reset can solve stubborn issues, but it can also remove paired devices, navigation history, and sometimes radio presets. In a rental, that is usually fine, but you should avoid changing anything that looks like security, anti theft, or account ownership.
Typical path: Settings, System, Reset, Factory data reset or Restore defaults. You may see separate options for “Reset settings” and “Reset infotainment”. Choose the most limited reset that mentions settings only, not security modules.
If a reset screen asks for a PIN, do not proceed. That indicates a protected mode that the rental company should handle.
Fast translation trick when you cannot find Settings
If the language is unfamiliar and icons are not obvious, use your phone camera translation. Point it at the screen and look for the word that matches Settings, System, or Language in that language. Do this while parked, and avoid tapping random options. Two minutes of careful searching is better than changing something like region that alters radio bands or navigation behaviour.
Prevent it happening again during your Orlando trip
Save it to your profile. If the vehicle supports profiles, keep “English (US)” under your selected profile and confirm it stays after you turn the car off and on.
Check voice language separately. Some cars have a separate voice assistant language. If the display is in English but voice prompts are not, go to Settings, Voice, then set English (US).
Confirm navigation voice and keyboard. In built navigation can keep its own language settings. Look for Navigation settings, then Guidance, Voice, or Keyboard language.
Verify units after tyre pressure warnings. Some alerts show pressure in kPa or bar even when speed is mph. If you need psi, look under Vehicle settings, Tyres, then Units, if available.
When you should ask the desk for help
If any of these happen, it is quicker to ask the rental team to switch the setting or swap the vehicle:
Language option missing entirely. Some basic head units only support one language or have it hidden behind dealer menus.
Settings require a PIN. This suggests valet or fleet lock.
Screen is unresponsive after soft reset. That is a maintenance issue.
Units cannot be changed. If the cluster is fixed to metric, it may be a market specific configuration.
Knowing your exact pick up arrangement helps the conversation. If you are using Hola Car Rentals for an Orlando airport collection, the location pages can help you confirm the right desk or shuttle process, such as car rental Orlando MCO.
FAQ
Q: I changed the language to English, but it switched back after restarting. Why?
A: The vehicle likely uses driver profiles and you changed a non default profile. Switch to Guest or Default, then set English again. If it still reverts, the system may be fleet managed and the desk can unlock it.
Q: The screen is in English, but the voice assistant speaks another language.
A: Display language and voice language are often separate. Go to Settings, Voice or Speech, then set Voice language to English (United States). Also check Navigation guidance voice settings if the built in maps are talking.
Q: How do I switch from kilometres to miles and mph?
A: Look for Settings, then System or Vehicle, then Units. Set distance to miles and speed to mph. If the centre screen changes but the instrument cluster does not, use the steering wheel buttons to find cluster Settings and Units.
Q: Is it safe to do a factory reset on a rental car?
A: A factory reset usually only affects infotainment preferences, but it can remove paired phones and saved settings. Use it only if a soft reset fails, and avoid any reset option that asks for a PIN or mentions security modules.
Q: What is the fastest way to find the language menu when I cannot read anything?
A: Start from the Home screen, tap the gear icon for Settings, then look for a globe icon or the “A/文” symbol. If you are stuck, use your phone’s camera translation while parked to locate “Language” or “System” without guessing.
