▷ BEST Car Rental in PORTUGAL in 2023

Portugal might not come to the mind of travelers as often as its neighbor Spain, but those who have decided to give an opportunity to this country in western Europe, next to Spain, have fallen deeply in love with it.

There is a lot to see and do in Portugal: it has beautiful beaches, amazing food, some of the best wine, a vibrant artistic and night scene, and very nice and interesting cities such as Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Amadora, Setúbal, or Coimbra. Though Portugal is much more than its beautiful capital, and you can discover its charming cities and villages by renting a car.

Tourists’ interest in Portugal is growing steadily and with good reason. Portugal has all the beauty of Western Europe, with much lower prices, and it is safe to explore by walking and by car; just be careful and get used to the Portuguese driving style!

Give an opportunity to Portugal and fall in love with the country, but before, do make sure to learn about the best car rentals companies in Portugal, so that nothing stops you from exploring Lisbon, Porto, and beyond.

Whether you want to visit Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira or Azores, we have made a Ranking of the Best Car Rental companies in Portugal in 2023 to help you choose your next car rental booking, which, by the way, you can do easily and at the best price on this website.

#1 – Amoita Car Rental (9.2/10) 🏆

Amoita is a Portuguese car rental company that has been working since 1988, and even though you might not hear about it as often as the big names, those who have rented with them have been very happy with their customer service.

Amoita car rental is especially known for their great customer service, which is a common complaint among renters regarding the different car rental options, making it a good option if you are concerned about the unfriendly or difficult staff.

They own a good fleet of cars of different sizes, brands, and types, from small cars to luxury and SUVs, and their rates are often lower than those of other car rentals in Portugal, which is another reason for considering renting with them.

Car rentals with Amoita are free of charge for any number of extra drivers, which might be quite convenient if you are thinking about sharing the steering wheel but you wouldn’t like to pay more for that, and you can also drive their cars to Spain, always that you get a Spanish Green Car.

Amoita is a local car rental company with a surprisingly good reputation, with many customers happy to rent with them again, and they have a fair amount of locations across the most popular destinations in Portugal.

As usual, make sure to ask enough questions, read their FAQ, and get informed about driving in Portugal in order to have a great experience with Amoita car rental.

Amoita customer ratings:

⭐ Excellent cleanliness of the car
⭐ Excellent service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
⭐ Excellent overall value for money

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#2 – Luzcars Rent a Car (9.1/10) 🥈

For those travelers who want to spend their time in Portugal in the city of Faro, in the popular region of the Algarve, Luzcars is a great local car rental company, with many happy customers under their belt.

There are things that you might miss from Luzcars, such as a more modern website, or the possibility of adding a GPS to the rent, which they do not provide. But their excellent service, their prices, and their good reputation rest of importance to those.

Another great thing about renting with Luzcars is that you can take your car anywhere in Portugal, and even to Spain, but not other European countries (get informed about the need for a Spanish Green Card), but you must drop-off it at their location in Faro.

Even though it might miss some of the good things one gets from renting with a major car rental brand, Luzcars is an honest local car rental, and most travellers have said very good things about them, giving peace of mind to those who might be wary worried about renting a car in Portugal.

Luzcars customer ratings:

⭐ Excellent cleanliness of the car
⭐ Excellent service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
⭐ Excellent overall value for money

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#3 – Europcar (8.5/10) 🥉

The French car rental company Europcar is one of the most popular options for renting a car in Europe and other countries in the world, and they have a fair share of the best companies to rent a car in Portugal.

As a major car rental, you should expect Europcar’s rates to be higher than with a local or smaller car rental company, though you might still find lower prices than with other major companies in Portugal.

When looking for reviews and experiences with Europcar in Portugal, we found rather mixed reviews and opinions, with several negative experiences, but also positive ones that are reassuring.

It is fair to say that bad reviews are common when talking about the most popular car rentals, and some of these have happened due to a lack of knowledge about renting cars and driving in Portugal.

Europcar is a very popular company to rent a car in Portugal, but you should make sure to do your research, compare prices, and get informed about tolls and the particularities of driving in Portugal so that you can make sure to have a great experience with Europcar Portugal.

Europcar customer ratings:

⭐ Excellent cleanliness of the car
✔️ Very good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
⭐ Excellent overall value for money

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#4 – Hertz (8.3/10) 🔝

As it would be expected from those who have rented cars somewhere else, Hertz is an important name among car rental companies in Portugal, so you should expect to find several offers from it, and find offices across several locations in the country.

One thing to consider if renting with Hertz in Portugal is that their rates are often higher than the competence, especially in a country like Portugal, which is cheaper than other destinations. However, you can be sure you will receive a car in very good condition.

As Hertz is by far one of the most popular car rental companies, many people choose them when travelling to Portugal, so there is no shortage of reviews and experiences regarding renting with them, and an alarming amount of these go to the negative side of the spectrum.

It is common for big international car rental companies to receive many negative reviews, as more people choose to rent with them, and in many cases, the extra fees charged were in the contract or it was due to an infraction of the particular driving laws of Portugal.

However, it is a good idea to get informed about car rentals in Portugal, in general as well as Hertz specific, as well as getting familiar with the differences in driving in Portugal versus your country, such as tolls and how to pay them.

Hertz is a renowned car rental all over the world, and though it is true that they are franchises and might operate slightly differently in Portugal, they still have a name, so you should have a great time in Portugal if you decide to rent with Hertz.

Hertz customer ratings:

✔️ Very good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Very good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Very good overall value for money

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#4 – Alamo (8.1/10) 🔝

Alamo is a car rental company with a great reputation worldwide. Alamo offers a wide variety of vehicles from numerous cities and airports around the world to meet your rental needs, including economy, large, hybrid, luxury, sport utility vehicles and minivans.

Alamo customer ratings:

✔️ Very good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Very good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Very good overall value for money

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#5 – Enterprise (8.0/10) 🔝

Enterprise is a recognized brand as a world leader in the car rental industry. Today, Enterprise continues to drive success through a simple but effective set of beliefs to become a leader in car rental, as well as sustainability and innovation.

With an extensive network of offices and fleet size, Enterprise is positioned as one of the world’s leading providers of transportation solutions. They offer their customers car and van rentals both in the city and at airports. They have offices in more than 30 countries with more than 7600 offices, and of course also in the main cities and airports of Portugal.

Their customers value very highly the cleanliness of the vehicles, the customer service, and their vehicle collection and delivery process is very agile.

Enterprise customer ratings:

✔️ Very good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Very good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Very good overall value for money

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#6 – Avis (7.7/10) 🔝

Avis is a very popular car rental option all over the world, and Portugal is not the exception, as you will find their offices in most airports, as well as in all major cities and popular tourists destinations of Portugal.

One thing that is remarkable about renting with Avis is that their booking process through their website is quite straightforward, and it is clear what you will get, as well as what you can select, such as insurance, Wi-Fi, and other extras.

There is an ongoing thread in travelling forums of customers who rented with Avis in Portugal and were charged an extra fee after drop-off for alleged damage to the vehicle, which might get those considering renting with Avis concerned.

As usual, it is a good idea to learn from these situations and to be careful, but it is also a reminder of how important it is to understand what are we paying for when renting a vehicle. With Avis, the standard insurance that is included with all cars does not cover damage to the windows.

Overall, Avis is a good car rental company for renting a car in Portugal, with many locations and a fleet of cars in very good conditions, as well as an international reputation that might be reassuring.

However, do make sure to take good pictures of your car during pick-up and drop-off and understand the coverage of the insurance you are getting, so there won’t be unexpected charges to your credit card and you have a great time driving across Portugal.

Avis customer ratings:

✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Good overall value for money

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#7 – Sixt (7.6/10) 🔝

Sixt is a German car rental company that has become increasingly popular in Europe, and it is one that you will find often among the options for renting a car during your time in Portugal.

The rates with Sixt are not considerably lower than those of its major competitors like Hertz or Europcar, but you could find a great offer with them that could be a deal-breaker, and make you decide to go with Sixt in Portugal.

Overall, Sixt is a well-reputed car rental company with a good presence in Portugal, with locations in all of the most popular places of this seaside country. However, there have been several negative reviews on travelling forums you should be aware of.

The reviews are rather mixed though, and many customers have reported having had a very good experience renting with Sixt during their time in Portugal, while others have been charged unexpected extra fees.

For this reason, do make sure to do your research, understand tolls and car rental insurances in Portugal, ask in a forum about renting with Sixt in Portugal, and take photos during pick-up and drop-off. By doing these, you will be good on your way toward a great time in Portugal.

#8 – Auto Rent Rent a Car (7.5/10) 🔝

Auto Rent is a family-owned car rental company that was established in 1976 at Praia da Rocha, Portimão. With over 40 years of experience, its current vehicle fleet consists of more than 500 vehicles, from small and cheap cars to cargo vans. offering car rental service at Faro Airport and Praia da Rocha, Portimão.

The staff is trained and work hard every day in order to provide a different car hire service to the tourists that visit the Algarve region.

Auto Rent customer ratings:

✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Good overall value for money

#9 – Global (7.4/10) 🔝

Global Rent a Car is present in more than 100 countries in Europe, America, and Asia. In total, you can find more than 5,000 offices around the world.

Global Rent a Car has a wide and varied fleet of rental cars that you can easily access at the best price with Pepecar. In its fleet, you can find all the categories of cars you need, such as large, medium, executive, luxury, family, and compact 3, 4, or 5 door cars.

In terms of customer opinions, in general, their ratings are positive for the cleanliness and general condition of the vehicle. The customer service is good and the waiting time at the desk is not much.

Global customer ratings:

✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Good overall value for money

#10 – Drive on Holidays (7.3/10) 🔝

Drive on Holidays is a 100% local company with more than 10 years of experience in the industry. Their business model is aimed to provide the leisure market inbound Portugal, with a low-cost operation, operating off terminal on the 3 main airports in Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, and Faro) with a very competitive price, a fleet serving the needs of the leisure market and a very good level of service, guaranteed by experienced staff.

Their main goal is customer satisfaction, providing a fast and professional service as well as an answer for all their requests.

Drive on Holidays customer ratings:

✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
✔️ Good service at the rental desk
✔️ Quick pick-up process
✔️ Quick drop-off process
✔️ Good overall value for money

We hope you liked this article. Now you can continue reading our article about the differences between Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Payless, Sixt, Thrifty, Dollar, Alamo, National, and more, or use our search engine below to book your car.

Best Car Rental Companies in Portugal