Quick Summary:
- Find Settings, then Language, then select English for menus and voice.
- Switch units to miles and Fahrenheit in Units or Regional settings.
- Test navigation voice, Bluetooth calls, and radio prompts before leaving the bay.
- Photograph the language screen and mileage if menus are locked.
Landing in Miami and collecting a car hire is often smooth, until the infotainment greets you in Spanish and the dash shows kilometres and Celsius. The good news is that most modern systems use a similar structure, even across different manufacturers. With a quick, brand-agnostic checklist, you can usually change the menu language, voice guidance, and units before you drive off.
This guide focuses on the practical steps to take at the pick-up area, plus exactly what to photograph if the system is locked, greyed out, or requires a dealer code. Those photos help you show you reported it at pick-up, which is useful if anyone later disputes that the setting was already restricted.
If you are collecting at an airport counter, you can also use this checklist while still in the car park at Miami Airport car hire. The aim is to leave the lot with readable menus, familiar units, and voice prompts you can understand.
Before you touch settings, do a 60-second safety and reset check
Parked, handbrake on, and engine running or in accessory mode are usually required for infotainment changes. Some cars disable deeper menus while the vehicle is moving, so do this before pulling away.
Now do a quick reset sequence that often clears a “Spanish by default” situation after a battery disconnect or profile mismatch:
1) Check the driver profile. Look for a small profile icon or a name at the top of the screen. Change profile to “Guest” or create a new profile. In many cars, language and units are tied to the active profile rather than the whole vehicle.
2) Confirm the phone connection is not overriding language. If your phone is connected via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the screen may look English but the car’s native system remains Spanish underneath. Temporarily disconnect USB and Bluetooth, make changes in the car’s own menus, then reconnect.
3) Reboot the infotainment. Hold the power or volume knob for about 10 seconds (varies by vehicle) until the screen restarts. This can make missing menus reappear.
Fast, brand-agnostic route to switch the menu language to English
On most systems the path is one of these:
Option A: Home, Settings, System, Language.
Option B: Home, Settings, General, Language and Keyboard.
Option C: Home, Setup, Display, Language.
If everything is in Spanish, look for these common Spanish labels to help you navigate:
Ajustes (Settings), Configuración (Configuration), Sistema (System), General (General), Idioma (Language), Idioma y teclado (Language and keyboard), Región (Region).
Once you are on the language screen, choose English (often listed as “English”, “Inglés”, or “English (US)”). If there are multiple English options, pick English (US) in Miami, as it usually aligns with miles, Fahrenheit, and US date formats.
After switching, back out to the home screen and confirm the main menu labels have changed. If only parts are English, you may need to change language in more than one place, for example “System language” and “Navigation language”.
Change voice prompts, navigation voice, and speech recognition language
Even when menus are in English, voice guidance can remain in Spanish, especially for navigation. Check these three areas:
1) Navigation settings. Open the built-in navigation app (not CarPlay or Android Auto). Go to Settings, Guidance, Voice, or similar. Look for “Voice language”, “Guidance language”, or “Voice”. Set it to English (US). Then play a test prompt if there is a “Test” button.
2) Voice assistant or speech recognition. Search Settings for “Voice”, “Speech”, “Recognition”, “Assistant”, or in Spanish “Voz”, “Reconocimiento”, “Asistente”. Set the recognition language to English so it understands place names and commands.
3) Text-to-speech and announcements. Some cars have separate toggles for traffic announcements, alert readouts, or message reading. If the car reads out alerts in Spanish, find “Announcements” or “Notifications” and change language where available.
Tip, when you test voice guidance, use an obvious instruction like “Turn left” to confirm you can understand it before leaving the pick-up area.
Switch units to mph and °F, plus time and date format
Units can be controlled by the infotainment, the instrument cluster, or both. In a car hire you want the speed display in miles per hour and temperature in Fahrenheit for driving in Florida.
Common menu routes:
Infotainment route: Settings, System or General, Units, then choose Miles and Fahrenheit.
Regional route: Settings, System, Region, then select United States. This often flips multiple formats together, miles, Fahrenheit, 12-hour time, and month/day date.
Instrument cluster route: Use steering wheel buttons to open Settings on the dash display, then Units, then mph and °F.
If you only change the infotainment units, the speedometer may still show km/h in the cluster. Always check the main driving display before you roll out.
If you are picking up around the city rather than the airport, do the same checks before merging into traffic near Miami car hire locations, where quick decisions and readable prompts matter.
What to do if menus are locked, greyed out, or keep reverting
Sometimes the language or units are locked by fleet settings, a valet mode, a restricted user profile, or a software bug. If you cannot change them in two to three minutes, stop digging and switch to documentation mode so you can show you reported it at pick-up.
Common signs it is locked: Language option is greyed out, the system asks for a PIN, the change works but reverts after restart, or the vehicle forces “Español” on boot.
Try these quick fixes:
1) Exit valet mode. Look for “Valet” in Settings. If it is enabled, language and personalisation can be restricted. You may not know the PIN, but you can at least photograph that valet mode is on.
2) Check for a “Reset to factory” option. In Settings, System, look for “Reset”, “Restablecer”, “Factory reset”, or “Borrar datos”. Do not do a full reset if it will erase phone data you still need for pickup paperwork, but a “Reset infotainment settings” can restore language options.
3) Change the driver profile to Guest. If the profile is tied to a previous renter, it may be locked. Guest profiles are often editable.
4) Use the instrument cluster as a workaround. Even if infotainment units are locked, many cars allow mph and °F on the dash display. Getting mph on the cluster is the priority for safe driving.
If you are at a neighbourhood branch, staff may be able to swap cars quickly. This is common at busy areas like Downtown Miami, where fleets turn around fast and settings can vary between vehicles.
Exactly what to photograph at pick-up if the language or units are stuck
If the system is locked, you want clear, time-stamped evidence that you noticed it before driving off. Take photos in good light, with the car stationary, and include the vehicle identification details where possible.
Photo 1: The language selection screen. Show the menu where “Idioma” or “Language” appears, especially if it is greyed out or requires a PIN. If there is an error message, capture it in frame.
Photo 2: Units screen or regional settings. Capture the page showing kilometres or Celsius selected, or showing that the toggle cannot be changed.
Photo 3: Instrument cluster with speed and temperature. Take a clear shot of the dash showing km/h or °C, ideally with the car in Park. This proves the units affecting driving are not what you expected.
Photo 4: Odometer and fuel level. Even though this is about language, include odometer and fuel as part of your pick-up record. It strengthens your overall documentation if anything is later questioned.
Photo 5: The infotainment home screen. Show Spanish labels on the main tiles, plus the time. If the system reverts after restart, record a short sequence of photos showing before and after reboot, using the same framing.
Photo 6: The rental agreement and the car details label. You do not need personal data in the image, but you do want a shot that ties the issue to the correct vehicle. A photo of the windscreen tag, plate, or the sticker inside the door jamb can help.
After photographing, report it immediately at the counter or kiosk, and note the name of the person you spoke to, plus the time. If you are collecting with family or a larger group, it can help to choose a vehicle where settings are easier to access, especially in people carriers and larger cabins such as minivan hire in Doral.
Quick checklist before you drive out of the lot
Use this short verification loop so you do not discover issues on the highway:
1) Menus: Home screen labels are English, Settings headings are English.
2) Voice: Built-in navigation test prompt speaks English clearly.
3) Units: Cluster shows mph, cabin temperature shows °F, time looks correct.
4) Safety: You can mute or lower guidance volume without hunting through menus.
5) Backup plan: If infotainment stays Spanish, you can still use CarPlay or Android Auto in English for navigation, but keep the dash in mph if possible.
When you pick up near the beach, do the same checks while parked, as it is easy to get distracted and miss a units setting. If your collection point is near Miami Beach, take the extra minute before joining busy local roads.
FAQ
Why is my hire car infotainment in Spanish in Miami? It is usually a leftover setting from a previous driver profile, a fleet default, or a reset after maintenance. In some cars, language is stored per profile, not per vehicle.
Will switching to English also change mph and °F automatically? Sometimes, yes, especially if you change Region to United States. However, many systems separate language from units, so always check Units and the instrument cluster settings too.
What if the Language option is greyed out or asks for a PIN? That often indicates valet mode, a restricted fleet profile, or an admin lock. Photograph the greyed-out option and the cluster units, then report it at pick-up so there is a record.
Can I rely on Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead of changing the car system? You can use them for English navigation and voice prompts, but the car’s own warnings, radio, and some menus may remain Spanish. Also, speed units on the dash may still be km/h unless you change cluster units.
What is the minimum I should fix before driving away? Ensure the instrument cluster shows mph, confirm you can control volume and mute prompts, and photograph any locked settings. Those steps protect safety and help document the issue early.
