Rental Car Advice for Sao Miguel, Azores

I have been renting cars in the Azores for 30 years and hesitate to make a recommendation for Sao Miguel, or any island. All of the agencies have reviews that would sway a visitor to choose elsewhere. There are many factors that go into my decision on every trip. I always use due diligence when renting from any of them, and it appears you do the same!

Many times the very low rates you see are true and available, albeit with a large deposit. The deposit never dissuades me. A zero deductible insurance is certainly what I recommend on any island in the Azores. Factor this cost into your rental for peace of mind. However you purchase this policy does not matter. The easiest method is directly with the company you are renting from, either when making the reservation, or at the counter. You will simply hand over the keys at the drop-off and walk away. Every other method will involve you needing to pay for the damage up front, and then submit a claim and get reimbursed from the company that has issued your policy. That will involve time and aggravation, but probably will be cheaper than what is offered by the car rental company. If using your credit card, always read what is specifically covered, and more importantly, NOT covered. I recently found out that many credit cards do not cover any liability for injuries or damage to anything BUT the car. That could be a very costly catastrophe in most cases!

I have rented with Sixt at the airport location in Ponta Delgada, and would personally have no issues doing it again.

Everything you need to know about renting cars in the Azores is in the free section of my Azores guide. The is no obligation to purchase the entire guide. The webmaster wrote a post at the top of this Portugal forum with a link referring to it.

I am always available for any Azores questions you have. :-)

If you have a travel credit card (Chase Sapphire, Capital One Venture, etc.), check its benefits. It likely has free coverage on rental car collision and damage. You can use it to book the rental car and don't worry about paying for the expensive damage coverage from the rental car company.

The roads are super narrow in Sao Miguel and it's very difficult to not put a scratch or dent on your rental car. It happened to me during one of my trips in 2024. The rental car company charged me 500 euros for some scratches. I put the charge on my Chase Sapphire (which already paid for the original rental cost), and when I got back to US, filed a claim and got the money back a month later.

Thank you both for the sage advice! I am a bit apprehensive about being "taken for a ride" when it comes to renting a car on Sao Miguel! I will be extra diligent. Thank you!

I have never been to the Azores. However, for Portugal, I trust and recommend Zest Car Rental. Take a look and compare. Good luck.

Hope its OK to jump in here to ask a related question. I too have been struggling with understanding the rental car situation in Azores. Even the more highly rated co's like Ilha Verde and Autatlantis seem to have their share of reviewers who were charged for fake or extremely minor damage that was present when they picked up the car. Whats not clear is if these people purchased the insurance coverage from the rental company or not. My Visa has very good cdw and other travel benefits, but if I was assured that buying their insurance would prevent getting bogus charges, then I think I would do it. Keeping my mellow vacation mood throughout the whole trip might be worth spending a few extra $$$ !

kaskakat99

You still need to read the fine print no matter what type of insurance is bought from any provider. I do not want to provide information that I cannot be 100% sure of.

In theory, buying the zero deductible directly from the rental agency (such as Ilha Verde) means you will have nothing to do when returning the car if you sustain any damage. I have done this, and family members have also done this. I was told that there is no need to take a video before picking up the car or when dropping it off. Granted, if you think a police report should be filed if there is extensive damage, do it to be absolutely safe. I would still take photos and a video when picking up and dropping off a rental car, even if I have a zero deductible policy. Trust, but verify.

I will no longer rely solely on using any credit card insurance outside of the United States, because none of mine include liability or damage to any property, aside from the rental car. Be sure your credit card covers liability and property damage to anyone/anything you might injure or damage. Lastly, if your card does, know what the amount of coverage is, and if you are comfortable with that amount.

I hope this helps.