We rented the 2026 Ford Transit 15-Passenger Van from Budget for our family trip to Disney World — a road trip from southern Vermont down to Orlando, Florida, and back. Over 3,000 miles, 11 passengers, and 65 hours behind the wheel, this van was put through its paces. The short version? I loved the vehicle. The rental experience? Not so much.

The Rental from Hell

Let me be upfront: this review is about two very different experiences. The Ford Transit itself? I was genuinely impressed. But getting it from Budget at Albany International Airport? One of the most frustrating consumer experiences I've had in a long time.

Three Hours in Line

When my family arrived at the Budget counter, we found a line of roughly 80 people — all renting vehicles on the spot. There was no expedited lane, no way to walk up and say "I have a reservation." Everyone, whether they'd booked weeks in advance or walked in that morning, was in the same queue.

We waited approximately three hours before reaching the counter. Three hours. With kids.

The Deposit Bait-and-Switch

I knew there would be a deposit required, so before our trip I called Budget's customer service to confirm the details. I was explicitly told that a debit card would be acceptable for the deposit.

After standing in line for three hours, the agent at the counter informed me that a major credit card was required for the deposit. No debit card. No exceptions. This was the exact opposite of what I had been told over the phone.

I was furious. I had done my due diligence, called ahead, confirmed the policy — and it didn't matter. The agent at the counter had different rules than the customer service representative on the phone.

After some back-and-forth, we managed to sort it out, but the experience left a terrible impression. If you're going to require a credit card for deposits, your phone representatives should know that and communicate it clearly.

"Your Vehicle Isn't Ready"

Once the deposit situation was finally resolved, I was told my vehicle wasn't ready. It wouldn't be available until around 6 PM.

My reservation was supposed to be ready by noon. It was now past 3 PM. I had paid nearly $1,600 for this rental, and the van wasn't even on the lot yet.

After speaking with the manager, we were assured the vehicle would be ready shortly — and to their credit, it was. We were directed to Budget's satellite office in the parking garage, where the van was waiting.

One more thing about Budget: they have several locations around the Albany area, but for some reason the airport was the only location where I could pick up the van. If other locations had been an option, I could have avoided the airport chaos entirely. Instead, I was locked into the worst of it.

The Van Itself

Not What I Reserved — But Better Than Expected

I had reserved the 12-passenger version of the Ford Transit, specifically because I expected some cargo room behind the last row of seats. What I got was the 15-passenger version, which has absolutely zero room behind the rear row. None. Not even a gym bag.

For a family of six heading to Disney World with luggage, a wheelchair, and strollers, that was a problem. And to be clear, this van was fully loaded — 11 passengers total, 5 kids and 6 adults, plus luggage for everyone. There wasn't an empty seat or an inch of spare cargo room.

Thankfully, the middle seats in the Transit are removable. I pulled a few seats out and left them in our living room for the duration of the trip. That gave us the cargo space we needed while still seating everyone comfortably.

And honestly? Despite the wrong configuration, the van was nicer than I expected. The interior felt more refined than I anticipated from a commercial passenger van. The ride quality was smooth, even fully loaded.

On the Road: Orlando-Bound

Our route from southern Vermont down to Orlando — over 1,300 miles each way.

Our trip took us from Albany south through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, then down the coast through the Carolinas, across Georgia, and into Florida via Jacksonville before cutting inland to Orlando. The route covers roughly 1,332 miles and about 29 hours with bathroom breaks and traffic — a serious road trip by any standard.

My wife drove the majority of the drive down. She handled all but about 8 hours of the southbound leg, which gave me a chance to experience the Transit as both a driver and a passenger. As a passenger, the ride is smooth and the cabin stays quiet at highway speeds, but those seats are a problem — more on that below.

And I have to say — we absolutely loved the Transit for a trip this long. It's one thing to test-drive a van around town; it's another thing entirely to live with it for over 3,000 miles round-trip. The space, the comfort, the highway composure — it handled everything we threw at it.

The One Thing I'd Change: The Seats

For all the Transit's strengths, the seats are its biggest weakness on a trip this long. They only recline about an inch — just like airplane seats. When you're driving through the night and half the van is trying to sleep, that inch might as well be nothing.

Everyone had trouble sleeping except our three-year-old, who was buckled into his car seat and slept like, well, a three-year-old on a road trip. The rest of us? Not so much. I really wish Ford offered seats with deeper recline, or at least made it an option. For a vehicle designed to haul people long distances, the inability to get comfortable enough to rest is a real miss.

The seats are firm but supportive — not luxurious, but comfortable enough for a full day of driving. The climate control kept the whole van comfortable, even in July heat with 11 people and all their luggage. The driving position gives you a commanding view of the road. Parking a 15-passenger van isn't anyone's idea of fun, but the Transit's visibility and relatively tight turning radius made it manageable.

On the Road: Home-Bound

The route home — Orlando to southern Vermont, roughly 1,281 miles.

The drive home was a different story. We left Orlando and headed north through Florida, then up through Georgia and the Carolinas before cutting through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and into New England. The home-bound route was roughly 1,281 miles — a bit shorter than the drive down.

This time, I drove the vast majority of the trip. I was behind the wheel for 24.5 hours of the drive home; my wife drove for just 2.5 hours. After experiencing the Transit as both driver and passenger on the way down, spending essentially the entire return trip in the driver's seat gave me an even deeper appreciation for how it handles long highway stretches.

The Transit is steady, composed, and surprisingly easy to drive for its size. Even after 24-plus hours behind the wheel, I never felt fatigued by the vehicle itself — just by the sheer distance. The driving position is excellent, the mirrors provide great visibility, and the van tracks straight and true at highway speeds without constant correction.

Of course, the seat recline issue was just as painful on the way home. When my wife took over for her 2.5-hour stretch, I tried to sleep in the passenger seat. It reclined further than the rear seats, but I was constantly worried about what was in front of us — hard to relax when you're watching the road even from the passenger seat. Sleeping in the back on the way down was much easier.

Lane Keeping: More Annoying Than Helpful

I typically love lane keeping assistance systems. They're a great safety net — alert you when you drift, nudge you back into your lane, and most importantly, they'll wake you up if you start to doze off behind the wheel. That cushion is genuinely valuable on a 3,000-mile road trip.

The Transit's LKAS, though, was overly sensitive — especially in construction zones where old lane lines cross over new ones. There were times the system tried to steer me around my lane because the cameras picked up a faded white line that was no longer active. I had to physically fight against the wheel a couple of times. It only happened once or twice, but when you're barreling down the highway at 70 mph in a 15-passenger van, even one unexpected steering input is one too many.

The other annoyance: I drive with one hand most of the time. The Transit's system can apparently detect this, because it kept nagging me to keep my hands on the wheel — even when both hands were already on it. The wheel just wasn't registering enough input from my usual driving style. After 24 hours of being told to put my hands on the wheel that were already on the wheel, it gets old.

Cruise Control: Great When It's Not Confusing Itself

One quirk I noticed — when cruise control was set and the van drifted close to a lane line, the LKAS would adjust the steering and the dashboard would flash "Cancelled." I assumed this meant cruise control had disengaged, but nothing was actually cancelled. Cruise kept right on going. This happened frequently enough throughout the trip that it became genuinely annoying — a false alarm every time the LKAS did its job.

But setting that confusion aside, I absolutely loved how the adaptive cruise control worked. It slows you down smoothly when cars pull in front of you, and when you manually lower the set speed, it applies the brakes immediately to get you there — no coasting down, just decisive, confident deceleration. On a long highway drive with 11 people on board, that responsiveness is exactly what you want.

Gas Mileage: The Pleasant Surprise

Here's where the Transit really exceeded my expectations. I had budgeted for terrible fuel economy — it's a massive van hauling 11 people and all their Disney gear, after all.

I estimated the Transit would get about 13–14 MPG fully loaded. On the drive down to Florida, which was essentially all highway, we managed 18.4 MPG — well above my expectations. Add in all the in-town driving around Orlando and the drive back home, and we still averaged 17.6 MPG over the entire trip. For a 15-passenger van loaded to the brim, that's genuinely impressive.

Ford's 3.5L V6 engine clearly isn't working as hard as you'd expect to move this thing down the highway. The gearing and transmission are well-suited for sustained cruising speeds.

The dashboard at the end of our trip: 3,040 miles driven, 65 hours behind the wheel, and still averaging 17.6 MPG — with 370 miles of range left in the tank.

The Verdict

The 2026 Ford Transit 15-Passenger Van is a solid vehicle for large families or groups who need to move people and stuff over long distances. The ride is comfortable, the gas mileage is better than expected, and the removable seats give you flexibility that a minivan simply can't match.

But I have to split this rating, because the Budget rental experience was genuinely awful:

Ford Transit: 4/5 — A capable, comfortable van that exceeded expectations on the road. The removable seats are a lifesaver for families who need both passenger and cargo space. Despite some frustrating driver-assist quirks and seats that refuse to recline, we liked it so much it's sparked conversations about buying one for future family trips.

Budget Rental (Albany Airport): 1/5 — Three-hour lines, contradictory deposit policies, and a vehicle that wasn't ready on time. For a nearly $1,600 rental, I expected dramatically better service.

If you're renting a Transit from Budget, bring a credit card, pack your patience, and don't expect your reservation to mean much. But once you're behind the wheel, you'll probably enjoy the ride.