Tips for Renting a Car in Portugal

You’ve sorted your flight details and accommodations in Portugal and now you need to get around to booking your car rental. You need to get on with it as soon as possible because nowadays, just like airlines, companies that rent out cars charge less for early bookings especially during the peak holiday periods. However, hiring a car is only a straightforward experience when you have the right information on how to minimize your car rental Portugal costs.

To begin with, buy separate excess waiver insurance so that if there is any damage to the car, you have a better insurance than you would have with standard insurance. Taking out a standalone excess waiver vehicle insurance cover, be it annually or for a single trip is quite affordable and likely means fewer exclusions. It is wise to consult your credit card companies and personal car insurance company regarding the rental car insurance in Portugal. Your credit cards likely offer limited rental car insurance in Portugal and your private insurance might extend to rentals in Portugal.

Go for affordable fuel options when hiring car rental services. Among the most cost effective options is picking up the car with a full tank of fuel and returning it full, without making any fuel payment to the rental company. This is opposed to a “full-empty” option where you pick up the car with a full tank and are encouraged to return it empty or with as little petrol as possible left. The best way to get the former arrangement is using car rental Portugal broker sites that allow you to filter companies based on their fuel policy.

Search through rental car agency and rental car websites in Portugal to compare rates and determine what cars are available and where in Portugal you might pick them up. A number of reputable and well established car rental chains operate in Portugal as well as local companies. Searching through the websites of these companies can be useful for making cross-comparisons. Look at the cost of additional drivers. Established companies typically have a policy on sharing the driving with someone else and will usually charge a little extra. So be sure to check for a car rental Portugal company that charges additional driver costs you are comfortable with. Some companies include a second driver in their standard rates.

Visit the offices of the car hire agency. This may be as simple as walking across the airport. However, if you are already in Portugal, you might need to use the public transportation, take a taxi or walk a few blocks. Some agencies in Portugal offer a drop-off service for their rental cars for an additional charge. Once you reach the agency offices, present your driver’s license and fill out all the required paperwork. You may be required to make a cash deposit or leave an imprint of your credit card. Note that under Portuguese law, an American driving license is valid for rental car services of six months duration or less.

Mark Bennett is the author of this article on Car Rental Portugal. Find more information, about Services here