All information you need to know to rent a car in Portugal and Algarve
GENERAL
We are based in Faro airport and we deliver rental cars directly in the Algarve, Portugal.
Besides the international airport of Faro we also deliver our rental cars at your accommodation, hotel, villa or resort upon request and subjected to a small surcharge depending on the location as shown in the booking form.
"Rent it here, leave it there" is possible throughout the Algarve subjected to a surcharge depending on the locations (see below).
Deliveries to a hotel, villa or other accommodations only between 9:00 and 18:00
Minimum rental period is 3 days.
Minimum drivers age is 22 years old. Drivers up to 25 years of age are subject to paying insurance for young drivers in the amount of 50.00 Euros.
Drivers license must be valid in Portugal and held for more than 2 years. Please ensure to have all necessary documents available for proof.
After your reservation is confirmed, if for any reason you are not able to go ahead with it we ask you please to send us a message canceling your reservation. This way we can have the car free for another client.
PERIOD OF RENTAL
The duration of your rental starts and finishes according to the pick-up and drop-off dates and times detailed on your voucher, the price of which will be confirmed at time of booking and is calculated on the basis of 24-hour units.
If you wish to extend the rental period after collection of the car, or if you return the car later than stated on your voucher, you will be charged locally at the local daily rate, which may be higher than our online rates.
If you want to return the car earlier than drop off date stated in your rental agreement you should inform the company as soon as possible. Unused days will not be refunded in the case of cars returned before the established drop off.
Bookings less than 7 days with pick up at location and drop off at Faro Airport, or vice versa, have an extra cost of €35,00.
LONG TERM RENTALS
Due to recently adopted legal requirements, it will not be possible to carry out contracts for periods exceeding 30 days. In other words, reservations for rental cars for several months are accepted as usual but the contracts to be carried out will be for 30 days or a fraction.
When collecting the car, a meeting place will be arranged with the customer to carry out the monthly contracts.
RESERVATIONS
To make a reservation for delivery, you must provide us with your flight number, flight time and departure airport.
Requests for non-airport delivery must include the delivery address and time. Clients MUST call our contact numbers at least 2 hours before the delivery time to confirm the arrival/booking.
When completing the reservation form, please confirm that your email address is correct and spelled properly. Without a valid email address we cannot reply to you.
Reservations should be made no less than 24 hours before your arrival in Portugal to guarantee a booking confirmation. Although we may try to deliver last minute bookings it is not guaranteed as it depends on the deliver schedule for the day and availability of cars.
Baby/child seats are available upon request. Please mention your need of a child seat within the reservation form to guarantee availability.
Each car may have more than one named drivers, maximum 4.
SECURITY DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT CARD INFORMATION
We require a valid credit card or debit card (under conditions below) to guarantee the security deposit.
A valid credit/debit card in the first name and surname (no abbreviations) of the lead driver must be presented at the rental desk in order to pre-authorise a deposit. Please be prepared to provide the PIN number of the credit/debit card.
In the event that you fail to present a valid credit/debit card, there is a lack of sufficient funds available on the credit/debit card or the credit/debit card is not in the lead driver's name, the car rental agent may refuse to release the vehicle.
We accept Debit / Credit card VISA or MASTER CARD from a bank, with enough funds for the deposit (see below deposit amount to pay according to car group and insurances subscribed)
We don’t accept AMEX, Maestro, Multibank- Pin cards, Dinners Club, virtual cards, prepaid cards, etc.
Cheques or cash cannot be accepted for the security deposit.
The credit/debit card deposit will be released when the car is returned damage and loss free (please read Q&A for more information about this subject).
WE ACCEPT DEBIT CARD for security deposit but in this case the subscription of Loss Damage Waiver (LDW = SCDW+SPI) is necessary. The Debit Card to be presented should allow pre-authorisations. If you are not sure your card accepts pre-authorisations you can ask your card issuer.
PLEASE NOTE: Without a valid credit/debit card deposit, no rental car can be delivered.
In the event of an accident, the excess amount of your vehicle will be charged. These are the excess amounts:
Groups A to D - € 1.250,00
Groups E to F1 - € 2.000,00
Groups G to O - € 3.500,00
To enjoy the ultimate peace of mind, by Purchasing the SCDW, in addition to zero excess, the security deposit will be:
Groups A to D - € 550,00
Groups E to F1 - € 950,00
Groups G to O - € 2.000,00
By purchasing the SCDW + SPI, in addition to zero excess, the security deposit will be only:
Groups A to D - € 350,00
Groups E to F1 - € 550,00
Groups G to O - € 950,00
And we will do insurance claims on your behalf. Call us if you have an accident.
HOW TO COLLECT YOUR CAR
At Faro Airport you will be received by our rep at Faro airport car park 4. For collections at your accommodation the car will be delivered to the address you wrote in the reservation form and after confirmed by a phone call. Anyway please stay tunned to receive the confirmation message after you made the reservation as it contains the full details for pick up.
Delivery or Collection of cars is not allowed in public places like "city center", "railway station", "bus station", etc. The cars are only delivered and collected at Faro airport, at the customer accommodation (own house or holiday accommodation like hotel, villa, resort) or at our office when applicable.
YOR CAR HIRE Representative, will be at PARK P4, from 08.30H-20.00H, and it is a free service.
Over time/ OUT of HOURS. When the pick-up time is from 20.00h-23.59H or the return time is from 20.00H-08.30H.
Extra 30 Euro - Car delivery service at the airport at night between 20.00H and 23.59H
Extra 30 Euro - Car return service at the airport at night between 20.00H and 8.30H
(means we can wait for delay planes until landing time maximum 23h59. In case a plane is delay for landing time at 01h00, this is not possible)
In case of delay, reservation will be held for 59 minute from the specified reservation time, after which they will be classed as a no-show.
There will be a 59 minute grace period for the return of all vehicles. If the car is returned after this time the insurance will no longer be valid and the customer will have to pay the late penalty fee + the daily rate.
PRICE INFORMATION
One rental day is equal to 24 hours. Any fraction of time beyond 24 hours is considered as an additional rental day.
The car hire prices quoted on this site are our best rates. Further discounts cannot be granted.
Rates for 3 days are 50 % of the 7-day rates.
Rates for rentals of more than 3 days and less than 7 days are based on the 6-day pro rate.
Rates for car rentals of more than 7 days are based on the 7-day pro rate.
Full payment is required upon signing of the rental agreement. Payment can be made in cash or with a valid credit card (Visa /Master Card) or debit card. Cheques cannot be accepted.
Our standard reservation (without any options) includes:
Free unlimited mileage within Portugal for rentals for more than 7 days
Collision damage waiver (CDW) with excess
Value added tax (VAT)
Available as optional extras are:
Excess waiver (known in Portugal as Super CDW)
Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) - Includes SCDW+TP+SPI)
Personal accident insurance (PAI) - € 4.00/day
Additional drivers (€ 30.00 each)
Insurance for driving in Spain - € 50.00
Young Driver (22-25) - € 50,00
SPI Insurance. All insurance, extra € 6/day, to cover locks, windows and tires. (Needs Super CDW).
These options should be included in the reservation to guarantee delivery availability when you collect the car.
Delivery/Pick-up charges:
Faro airport (Pick up OR Drop off) - Free of charge
In addition to Faro airport we can deliver and collect cars at the customer's accommodation (house, hotel, villa, resort, etc.) anywhere in Algarve.
Locations are selectable on the booking search form and the cost of delivery/collection service at these locations is added to the rental price and visible on the booking.
On certain occasions, however, the list of locations may be restricted due to increased demand or during busy times when the schedules for deliveries outside the airport are completely filled.
In any case, there will always be an option (On Demand) through which customers can inquire in advance about the possibility of delivery or collection in a location that is not listed in order to be able to analyze the possibility of delivery/collection for that date.
This way we will be able to meet schedules and provide the good service that we want to continue to offer our customers.
Deliveries to a hotel, villa or other accommodations only between 9:00 and 18:00
INSURANCE
In addition to compulsory third-party insurance, a collision damage waiver (CDW) and theft coverage are provided.
Personal accident insurance is not included in the standard rate. Insurance cover is subject to an excess and your maximum liability is indicated below. Here is the price for optional waiver of the excess:
Excess Liability
Gr. A, B, C, D - Excess €1.250,00 | Super CDW €10,00 | LDW €16,00
Gr. E to F1 - Excess €2.000,00 | Super CDW €15,00 | LDW €21,00
Gr. G to O - Excess €3.500,00 | Super CDW €20,00 | LDW €26,00
With Super CDW the Excess (Client Responsability) falls to 1/2
With Loss Damage Waiver the Excess (Client Responsability) falls to 0
Note: A Police report: "Auto de ocorrência" is always requested for the insurance company to cover, no matter the circumstances of the accident or damages to the car.
Security Deposit / Pre-Authorisation
When making the contract we will generally book a pre-authorisation for the security deposit amount of your rental vehicle on your CREDIT CARD. Please note that the security deposit may still be required even when you reduce the excess to zero. Depending of the purchase of additional insurance the security deposit can be lowered.
A deposit will be placed on your credit card to cover the excess in case of damage or theft.
Be sure to bring a credit card in the driver’s name, along with a credit limit sufficient to cover the excess/deposit.
If the car is not damaged or stolen, the excess deposit on your credit card will be fully refunded when the car is returned.
If the client doesn't have a credit card we accept a DEBIT CARD for the Security Deposit but in this case the purchase of the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) is compulsory.
SECURITY DEPOSIT
Gr. A, B, C, D - €1.250,00 | With SCDW - €550,00 | With Extra LDW - €350,00
Gr. E to F1 - €2.000,00 | With SCDW - €950,00 | With Extra LDW - €550,00
Gr. G to O - €3.500,00 | With SCDW - €2.000,00 | With Extra LDW - €950,00
Insurances:
- Loss Damage Waiver = Super CDW + SPI + Theft Protection
- SPI - Covers damages to the Wheels, Tyres, Windows, Keys and Locks not covered by normal accident insurance
- PERSA (Premium Emergency Roadside Service Algarve) = €5,00 / day
Our Premium Emergency Roadside Service is an extended breakdown protection during the car rental in Algarve and protects the contract holder against high service and repair costs for the following incidents:
1) Key locked inside the vehicle: In the event of the key being locked inside the vehicle.
2) Breakdown caused by lack of fuel.
3) Assistance due to flat battery.
4) Loss of key: In the event of a lost key.
5) Immobilization of the Vehicle, in the event that it is not possible to move the vehicle.
6) Misfuelled vehicle.
All services may only be ordered by a direct claim to the phone number in the contract. We will determine the type and extent of service required to ensure the client can continue the journey. If any damage on the rental vehicle occurs, which is not covered within the scope of the Roadside Protection, the renter is liable for such damage.
- Roadside Assistance - towing and replacement of stationary vehicle = €3,00 / day
- Insurance to drive to Spain - 50 Euro. The optional cross border insurance for Spain only provide road side assistance up to 200 km from the Portuguese border town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio (more or less until Seville). Beyond 200 km it is the renters responsibility to arrange repair or return of the rental car.
DRIVER OBLIGATIONS
In case of accident a Police report (AUTO DE OCORRENCIA in portuguese) is absolutely necessary. Without it the insurance company will not cover the damages. Click here for more information about what to do in case of accident.
The accident insurance does NOT cover:
Damages to the wheels, tyres, windows, keys and locks;
Damage to the underside of the car due to negligent or off road use;
Damages from deliberate violation of the terms and conditions of the rental agreement or gross negligence;
Further, a police report is always requested for the insurance to cover, no matter the circumstances of the accident/damage to the car.
We decline damages not report to the Police. It is compulsory that the client deliver the Police report when return the car hire.
The Vehicle must not be driven by anyone other than you and then only under the condition that your ability to drive is not in any way impaired by mental or physical incapacity or restricted by the Law.
If you wish to take the Vehicle outside the country of rental, you must check that our Terms & Conditions so permit you and, where necessary, obtain the car hire company prior written consent.
Some restrictions may apply with respect to:
Loading the vehicle on trains, boats, ferries or similar means of transportation
Taking the vehicle from the mainland onto an island;
Taking certain types of vehicles across borders.
You must take care of the Vehicle, keep it in good repair and condition, pay any fines for which you may be liable, reimburse the car hire company for any damage to the Vehicle, and refund the car hire company for any costs it incurs.
You are liable for all fees, taxes, fines and penalties incurred in connection with the use of the Vehicle and for which Car Hire may be charged, unless they have arisen through the fault of the company.
The Car Hire company will apply Administration charges for the answer of fines!
During the rental period you must carry out the usual checks (engine oil level, tyre pressure, etc.) as would any careful user and you must respect the maintenance cycle of the Vehicle as stated in the maintenance guide, if any.
When parking the Vehicle, even for a short period, you undertake to lock it and make use of the Vehicle's alarm and/or immobilisation equipment. You must never leave the Vehicle unoccupied with the keys in the ignition. Non-return of the keys will lead to invalidation of the theft cover.
You undertake to use the Vehicle in a responsible manner and in particular, only for the purposes for which it is intended. For a car, this means primarily carrying passengers other than for hire and reward.
In particular, you must not use the Vehicle under any of the following conditions or for any of the following purposes:
Driving the Vehicle under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any other type of narcotic substances
Transportation of inflammable or dangerous goods, as well as toxic, corrosive, radioactive or other harmful substances
Carrying anything which, because of its smell or condition, harms the Vehicle or causes the Car Hire company to lose time or money before it can rent the Vehicle again
Transportation of live animals (with the exception of domestic pets, subject to prior authorisation by the Car Hire company)
with a roof rack, luggage carrier or similar, unless supplied by us.
Re-rental to or use by other persons
Carrying passengers for hire or reward
Participating in rallies, competitions or trials, wherever they may take place
Giving driving lessons
Pushing or towing another vehicle (except those vehicles equipped by the Car Hire company with a towing-hook; maximum load 1,000 kg), or exceeding the authorised load weight.
Travelling on non-paved roads or on roads, the surface or state of repair of which could put the vehicle's wheels, tyres or its under body mechanics at risk.
Iintentionally committing any offence.
None of the goods and baggage carried in the Vehicle, including their packing and stowage equipment, will be permitted to damage the Vehicle, nor put the occupants abnormally at risk.
In any way which breaks the highway Code, road traffic laws or any other laws.
You will be liable for any offence committed during the rental period which relates in any way to your use of the Vehicle, as if you were the owner of the Vehicle. Upon the request of the Police or any official body YOR Car Hire-ARVI may have to transfer your personal data. Such transfer will be done in accordance with the data protection Laws of Portugal.
Vehicle use
The lessee agrees not to use the vehicle to transport passengers or goods in violation with the law (example of violation of the law: Ubers, taxis, transfers company, travel agency, paragliding school, wedding venues company, etc). As for paid transport of passengers or goods, in sublease, loan or transfers without prior permission if the lessor!
(means a Travel agency or transfer company or Ubers.. can´t rent a car and drive with clients etc, due to insurance company will not cover. They need to use proper cars with special insurances etc)
» Centro de Arbitragem de consumo do Algarve, Ninho de Empresas, Edif. ANJE, Estrada da Penha, 3º andar, sala 26, 8000 Faro, Portugal www.consumoalgarve.pt
DISCLAIMER
We reserve the right to alter or change the conditions on our webpage, confirmation email, contract agreement or cancellations, without prior notice.
Faro Car Hire Questions & Answers
BEFORE YOU BOOK
DURING YOUR STAY
DRIVING IN PORTUGAL
In general, driving in Portugal is not much different from other western European countries, where you drive on the right-hand side of the road and overtake on the left.
WHAT DOCUMENTATION DO I NEED TO DRIVE IN PORTUGAL?
Driving licence:
If you are a citizen from the EU, your regular licence is also valid in Portugal. But if you are coming from any other non-EU country, both in Europe and abroad, your driving licence must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit, which is basically a multiple language translation of your own driving licence.
WHAT VEHICLE DOCUMENTATION DO I NEED TO DRIVE IN PORTUGAL?
Vehicle documents – you should either have both the Registration Document (a blue paper named Título de Registo de Propriedade in Portuguese) and the Vehicle Registration Certificate, known as the log book (a green one called Livrete in Portuguese), or just the all-in-one document (Documento Único Automóvel), which comprises all the necessary information about the owner and the vehicle.
If you are driving a rental car these documents should be in the car.
WHAT INSURANCE DO I HAVE IN A RENTAL CAR?
Rental Cars have Third Party insurance and Collision Damage Waiver with a low excess. The excess can be waived by buying the usually called Super CDW which excempts you of any extra payment in case of accident.
WHAT ITEMS OR DEVICES THE CAR MUST HAVE?
Apart from the documentation, there are a few other items the car must have:
Reflective warning triangle – In case the vehicle breaks down or is involved in an accident, you should place this triangle behind your vehicle, to warn other drivers passing by.
Reflective safety vest – which you must wear in emergency situations when you are forced to leave the car.
ARE SEAT BELTS MANDATORY?
Yes. All the passengers must use a seat belt, which is compulsory both in the front and in the back seats.
WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR TREVELLING WITH CHILDREN?
If you are travelling with children under the age of 12, be advised that they cannot sit up front, unless they are taller than 150cm, and should be accommodated in appropriate child car seats.
The Right Carseat for Your Child:
Up to 1 year old and up to 20-22 pounds: Rear-facing Infant-only, Convertible or 3-in-1 seat
Ages 1-3 and 20 to 40 pounds: Rear-facing car seat until the top height and weight limit allowed by the manufacturer.
Ages 4-7 or until 4'9" tall: Forward-facing car seat until the top height and weight limit allowed by the manufacturer.
Age 8-12 or at least over 4'9": Booster Seat with lap and shoulder belts until the top height and weight limit allowed by the manufacturer.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR DRIVING AFTER DRINKING?
Portugal is known by its excellent wine and if you want to taste the excellent and still cheap portuguese wines you should consider not to drive
However, you might want to keep the intake of alcohol limited to a glass or two if you want to avoid being fined or, even worse, causing an accident. If you are stopped by the police, they may want you to take a breath alcohol test, which may result in one of the following:
- under 0.5 g/l (grams of alcohol per litre of blood) – you are within the law and will be able to continue your journey without further inconvenience.
- from 0.5 g/l to 0.8 g/l and from 0.8 g/l to 1.2 g/l - you will face a fine and suspension of licence, which will be determined by what range you fall in.
- above 1.2 g/l - you will be detained and taken before a judge. Penalties in this case include up to one year imprisonment and a three year driving ban.
WHAT ARE THE DRIVING SPEED LIMITS IN PORTUGAL?
Portuguese roads have different speed limits:
– 50 km/h for roads located in residential areas - 90 km/h in open roads
- 120 km/h in motorways.
CAN I PHONE WHILE I DRIVE?
Mobile phones may be used while driving but only can be used with a hands-free system.
CAN I LISTEN MUSIC WHILE I DRIVE?
Yes, but the sound volume should not interfere with the sounds around you and it is illegal to drive with headphones connected to a sound device.
TOLL ROADS IN PORTUGAL AND HOW TO PAY THEM?
You can drive throughout Portugal by the National Roads that re free. However, if you decide to take one of the many motorways that criss-cross the country, it is likely it will be a toll road. To pay for it, there are three possible systems:
- Toll booths – at the start of the route there will be a dispensing machine from which you should collect a ticket. As you are leaving the road, hand the ticket over at the toll booth and pay the fee, which varies from road to road and depends on distance travelled.
- Frequent user system – if you are a frequent user, which is probably not the case if you are just here for a quick visit, you can subscribe to the Via Verde system which allows drivers to avoid stopping at the toll booths and instead pay a monthly fee via ATM. For this, you will need to have an electronic device attached to your windshield, which then identifies your car.
- Electronic tolls – this is a relatively new system and, so far, has only been introduced on a few motorways and main roads – A28, A29, A44, A4, A41, A42, VRI – Via Regional Interior and parts of A25 and A17. On these roads, identified as “electronic toll only”, there is an overhead electronic system that reads information from a device located in the car’s windshield, much like the Via Verde system. To pay for the toll, you must either buy a permanent electronic device or get a temporary one, which can be leased from certain motorway service stations or post offices for use in foreign-registered vehicles. These may be used for stays of up to 90 days and will be either prepaid or charged to your credit card.
The major part of the rent a car companies in Portugal and Algarve have installed transponders for electronic payment on the electronic tolls.
Read here about the use of the transponders to automatically pay the A22 in our cars
GENERAL QUESTIONS
If you have any question that is not answered here, please drop us a note and we will respond you as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Your privacy is important to you and we respect that. With this short statement about our privacy policy we want assure you, the customer, that your information is safe with us and that we never share it with any other parties.
MyPortugalCar.com offers online rental car services through its own website, desktop and mobile accessible, and we need to know some of our customer's personal information to be able to complete the bookings they make.
Someone's visit to our website is totally anonymous and we don't collect any data from it.
When you make a rental car booking, you will be asked for the relevant pieces of information required to fulfil the rental car services requested; this may include the main driver’s name, age, contact details (email, address and telephone number), date and place of birth, passport information, driving licence information and payment information.
To make it easier to manage your bookings, you can open a user account. This allows you to save your personal settings, review previous bookings and manage future bookings.
We never collect and save any information about credit cards as the payments are only due at collection time.
From time to time we may use your email address to send you some information by email but it is always sent by us and never by any third party person or organization.
As you can see this privacy policy statement is very short because:
1 - We just need your minimal and absolutly necessary personal information to complete your booking.
2 - We never share your information with nobody else.
Our cars are delivered directly at the Faro airport car park 4. There is no need of taking a shuttle bus to remote depot.
When getting out from the luggage collection and out from the arrivals way out door, please head to the left to Car park 4 a short walkway distance of about 50 meters.