Family SUV Rental for Disneyland from LAX: Telluride vs Equinox
Two AWD family SUVs from our LAX delivery program — picking the right one for a Disneyland family trip.
Families flying into LAX with a Disneyland trip planned are some of our most-common bookings. The decision between the Kia Telluride and the Chevrolet Equinox comes up every week, and the right answer almost always depends on how many people are actually in the car. We wrote the broader version of this comparison [here](/blog/telluride-vs-equinox-family-suv-rental-la). This is the Disneyland-specific version.
The fast answer
Four people including kids and a stroller: Equinox. $123 a day. Five people including a third kid in a third car seat: Telluride. $157 a day. Six or seven people including grandparents: Telluride.
The decision is almost entirely about how many seats you actually need.
The LAX-to-Disneyland drive
LAX to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim is 35 miles, 45 to 75 minutes depending on time of day. The 405 to the 22 is the canonical route. Friday afternoon southbound on the 405 from LAX to Long Beach is the worst stretch of the trip; leave LAX before 2 p.m. or after 7 p.m. to avoid the worst of it.
Both SUVs handle the drive easily. The Telluride has the better highway ride and the quieter cabin; the Equinox has the better fuel economy. On the 35-mile drive, the fuel difference is meaningful only over a multi-day trip.
Anaheim hotel parking
Disneyland-adjacent hotels have a parking-quality problem that matters more for a 196-inch Telluride than a 183-inch Equinox.
The Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel, and Pixar Place all have valet that handles either SUV without complaint. The off-property Good Neighbor hotels (Marriott Anaheim, JW Marriott Anaheim Resort, Westin Anaheim Resort) all have valet or self-park with standard-size spaces; the Equinox slots without thinking, the Telluride takes precision.
The older Anaheim motels along Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue — many of which are family-favorite cheaper picks — have tighter, older lots. For those, the Equinox is the smarter choice on parking ease alone.
Strollers and car seats
Three car seats across the second row of the Telluride: yes. The Telluride SX has captain's chairs in the second row plus a third-row bench — three car seats fit if you put one in the third row and two in the second, but installing them is awkward because the captain's chairs do not have LATCH points in the right places for three-across.
Three car seats across the second row of the Equinox: yes, easily. The Equinox has a bench rear seat with three LATCH positions. For a family of two adults plus three kids in car seats, the Equinox is actually the easier installation.
A full-size stroller plus a Disney-day backpack plus a small cooler in the Equinox: yes, behind the rear seat without folding. In the Telluride with the third row up: same, with room to spare. With the Telluride's third row down: enough cargo for a multi-week trip with bikes.
The five-person question
If your group is five people — two adults, three kids — the Telluride is the right call regardless of car-seat math, because the third row gives you a buffer. Three kids across the second row of the Equinox works, but it is tight, and one kid will get the middle seat without LATCH which most parents avoid for trip-length stretches.
If your group is five and one of them is a Pacific-Northwest-tall teenager: definitely Telluride. The Equinox second row is fine for two kids and a small third; it is not fine for three teenagers.
The grandparent variant
Six adults — two parents, two kids, two grandparents — is the canonical Telluride family trip. Captain's chairs in row two, two adults in row three, kids in middle, parents up front. The Telluride was designed for this exact configuration, and at $157 a day it is one of the better-value three-row family SUVs on the rental market.
Daily rate and the five-day math
Equinox: $123 a day. Five days: $615. Telluride: $157 a day. Five days: $785.
The $170 difference is real, but for a family with five people, it is a third of a Disneyland Park Hopper for two adults. The decision is almost never about the daily rate; it is about whether the third row is actually needed.
Disneyland park-and-drive logistics
Both SUVs fit standard Disney parking structures (Mickey & Friends, Pixar Pals) without trouble. The Telluride takes a slightly more deliberate approach to the spiral ramps; the Equinox parks itself. Either way, plan for a 15-to-25-minute walk-and-tram from car to park gate on a normal day, longer in peak season.
What both rentals include
Free delivery to LAX curbside or LAX-it lot. AWD, child-seat-anchor LATCH at the correct positions, 150 miles per day (more than enough for the LAX-Disneyland-back loop with a couple of day trips to Huntington Beach or San Diego). Detailed and fueled at delivery. Renters bring their own eligible insurance, or add coverage at booking through our broker.
Tell us the family count and the ages. We will recommend the SUV we would book for our own family. See more on the [LAX family SUV landing](/family-suv-rental-lax) or the [LAX BMW landing](/bmw-rental-lax-delivery) if your trip changes shape.
