Car hire in Madeiraairport desks, deposits, 'no deposit' offers and the roads (2026)

Terms and prices checked on 9 October 2026. Hire rates change weekly, so this page gives none. What it gives (desk hours, deposit rules, parking fees, the fuel cap) comes from the companies’ and authorities’ own pages, with the date. Check the current terms before you book.

Madeira airport has eight car hire companies with desks in the arrivals hall: Avis-Budget, Europcar, Goldcar, Guerin, Hertz, Madeira Rent, Rodavante and Sixt [1]. Smaller local firms deliver to the airport or collect you from it. The questions that matter more than the daily rate: how big the deposit is and what card it needs, what the excess cover costs, and whether you need a car for the whole stay. On an island where Funchal works well without a car but most trailheads have no bus, the honest answer is often “for part of it”.

Desks at the airport

All eight desks are “Before Security, Floor 0, Arrivals” on the airport’s page [1]:

Company	Listed desk hours [1]
Avis-Budget	08:00–24:00
Europcar	08:00–22:00
Goldcar	07:00–24:00
Guerin	09:00–18:00
Hertz	08:00–21:00
Madeira Rent	07:00–00:00
Rodavante	08:00–20:00
Sixt	08:00–22:00 (contract opening assured for bookings after 22:00)

On a late arrival, check the desk hours before you book. Some companies charge for airport delivery or out-of-hours handover: Rodavante lists €20 for airport delivery or collection in normal hours and €40–60 at night, plus 22% VAT [2]; Funchal Drive lists €35 for out-of-hours service [7].

“No deposit” and “no credit card”: what it means

Searches for car hire in Madeira with no deposit or no credit card are common, and some local firms offer a version of it. In every case we read, it comes with conditions:

Company (own terms, 9 Oct 2026)	Card for the deposit	Deposit	When there is no deposit
Rodavante	Physical embossed credit card in the driver’s name; no debit, virtual or prepaid cards [2]	€1,000–2,100 by car group [2]	Not stated; its reduced-excess cover is only for drivers aged 26–75 [3]
Guerin	Physical credit card “always” needed for the deposit [4]	Not stated in the guide we read	Not stated
Madpoint	Credit or debit card, or cash [5]	€1,100–2,700 with basic insurance [5]	Its FAQ lists a €500 deposit with its PLUS cover for two premium groups [5]; for other groups it does not say
RentADrive	No credit card needed with its SCDW [6]	Taken without its SCDW; up to €150 on 1–2 day rentals even with it [6]	With SCDW, except the 7-seat group C and the Renault 5 Electric, which its page excludes [6]
Funchal Drive	No credit card needed with a zero-deductible package [7]	Not stated in the excerpt we read	Not stated; only the credit card is waived [7]

What this means in practice:

• “No deposit” means you buy the company’s own top cover. That is usually the most expensive way to cover the excess. Which? found that cover bought at the hire desk costs on average eight times more than standalone excess insurance [8].
• The cheaper route needs a credit limit. With standalone excess insurance, the full deposit stays blocked on your card, typically £500–1,200 according to MoneySavingExpert, and if the car is damaged you pay first and claim back later [8][9]. Madeira deposits on the pages we read go up to €2,700 [5].
• Debit-card travellers have options, but read the company’s own terms, not the comparison site’s summary. Rodavante and Guerin say no [2][4]; Madpoint and RentADrive say yes, on their terms [5][6]. Card types and which currency to choose at the counter: paying in Portugal.
• Deposit release takes time. Rodavante says 24–48 hours after inspection [3]; Madpoint says its automated process can take up to 30 days [5].

Protect yourself the usual way: make sure every scratch is on the damage form, photograph the car at pick-up and return, and check your statement for the deposit release [9].

Roads, tolls, parking and fuel

Roads. The airport’s own FAQ is fair: “many roads are winding and steep”, and with mountain-driving experience “you shouldn’t have a problem” [1]. The VR1 expressway runs along the south coast between Ribeira Brava and Machico [11] and is the easy part. Off it, expect hairpins, narrow village lanes, steep hill starts and tight parking. A car with a bit more power than the cheapest group makes the climbs easier, especially loaded with a family.

No tolls on the VR1. The VR1 was operated for 26 years by VIALITORAL, whose concession ended at 23:59 on 28 July 2026; a new operator, AIGIH, took over under the VR1 brand [10][11]. When the change was announced, the regional secretary’s office told DNOTICIAS that no tolls were planned for the new 49-month contract [12]. The operators’ own pages say nothing about tolls either way, so this rests on that statement. The national rule that every hire car carries an electronic toll device, set by Decreto-Lei n.º 84-C/2022, is about paying tolls on tolled roads [23]; we found no toll-device fee in the Madeira company terms we read, but check your contract.

Parking at the sights costs money now. Since 1 January 2026 the forestry institute IFCN charges for its car parks [13]:

Car park (Portaria n.º 801/2025)	2026 rate	Free	Daily cap
Pico do Areeiro viewpoint	€4 an hour	First 30 minutes	€20
Queimadas	€2 an hour	First 30 minutes	€10
Other IFCN car parks	€2 an hour	First 30 minutes	€5

The same order raises the Areeiro rate each year, to €5 an hour in 2029 [13]. A sunrise at Areeiro plus the PR1 walk can easily run past four hours.

Rabaçal (25 Fontes and Risco levadas). You park on the ER 105 and either walk the 2 km of tarmac down to the forestry house or take the Calheta council’s van, daily 10:00–18:00, €5 one way or €8 return [14]. See Madeira levada walks for the trail rules and fees.

Rental-car usage fee. Every hire contract signed in Madeira from 1 June 2026 carries a regional fee of €2 per full day, capped at 10 days (so at most €20), or €1 a day for zero-emission cars. The company adds it to the invoice as a separate line [21]. Quotes on booking sites may not show it; check before you go.

Fuel. Madeira caps fuel prices every week. From 12 October 2026 the maximum is €2.003 a litre for 95 petrol and €2.091 for diesel [15]. Most companies’ fuel policy decides whether that matters to you: we did not compare policies.

Child seats and licences

• Child seats. Portugal’s Código da Estrada applies in Madeira: children under 12 and shorter than 135 cm need an approved child restraint, normally in the back; a child under 3 may sit in front only rear-facing with the passenger airbag off. The fine is €120–600 per child [16][22]. Rodavante lists child seats at €6 a day plus 22% VAT [2]; others were not checked.
• UK drivers. A photocard licence is valid for up to 185 days without an international driving permit, but GOV.UK says to check whether the hire company asks for one [17]. Funchal Drive, for example, accepts UK and EU licences without an IDP [7].
• US drivers. The State Department says a US licence is valid in Portugal for up to six months and points to AAA for an IDP [18]. Funchal Drive requires an IDP for licences from outside the UK and EU [7].
• The national rules: alcohol limits, phones, fines and what must be in the car are in driving in Portugal. That guide is written for the mainland: its toll, Lisbon and parking sections don’t apply here, and it doesn’t cover Madeira’s roads.
• Age. Minimum ages in the terms we read range from 19 (Madpoint, Funchal Drive) to 23 (Rodavante), usually with a young-driver surcharge [3][5][7].

Do you need a car at all?

For Funchal alone, mostly not: the Aerobus, city buses and the cable car cover it, while buses to Calheta are limited and we found no bus to Fanal or Rabaçal. Which bases and day trips work by bus, with timetables, is in Madeira without a car; on a month-long stay, compare a car for a few long weekends with one for the whole stay on the total price, insurance, handovers, parking and the deposit, which stays blocked on your card for the whole hire [9]. Which days of a week-long trip need one: Madeira itinerary.

Sources

Numbered references match the source list on this page. Read on 9 October 2026 unless stated.

1. Madeira Airport: Car rental
2. Rodavante: Terms and conditions
3. Rodavante: FAQ
4. Guerin: Alugar carro sem cartão de crédito
5. Madpoint: FAQs
6. RentADrive
7. Funchal Drive: Terms and conditions
8. Which?: Best car hire excess insurance 2026, read 4 October 2026
9. MoneySavingExpert: How to book cheap car hire, read 4 October 2026
10. VIALITORAL
11. VR1 Madeira
12. DNOTICIAS.PT: fact check on VR1 tolls, 19 May 2026
13. JORAM: Portaria n.º 801/2025, IFCN fees (PDF)
14. Câmara Municipal da Calheta: Transporte no Rabaçal
15. JORAM II Série n.º 183: Despacho Conjunto n.º 91/2026 (PDF)
16. Código da Estrada, art. 55.º
17. GOV.UK: International driving permit
18. U.S. Department of State: Portugal
19. OSRM demo router: airport to Porto Moniz; other destinations queried the same way
20. Horários do Funchal: Pico do Areeiro service
21. JORAM: Portaria n.º 214/2026, rental-car usage fee (PDF), read 10 October 2026
22. Diário da República: Código da Estrada, art. 55.º (consolidated), read 11 October 2026
23. Diário da República: Decreto-Lei n.º 84-C/2022, art. 27.º, read 11 October 2026