What a car hire deposit is
A deposit is the sum the car hire company holds on your bank card, or takes in cash, when it hands you the car. It's the company's security: traffic fines and, if the car gets damaged, the cost of repairs can be taken from it. When you return the car undamaged, the hold on your card is released and a cash deposit is handed back.
You pay for the hire itself separately: an advance payment of 15-20% of the price on our site when you book, and the rest when you pick up the car. The deposit isn't part of that amount.
How much the deposit is
The amount depends on the car class and the car hire company. Each car's card shows it on the "Refundable deposit" line, and our search has a "Deposit amount" filter.
When you search for a car on our site, you can set the maximum deposit you're prepared to pay for the hire, and the results will show only cars with a deposit up to that amount.
| Class | Most often |
|---|---|
| Economy | about €300 |
| Standard | about €350 |
| SUVs and people carriers | about €300 |
| Premium | about €850 |
The lowest deposit in our catalogue is €70 and the highest is €3,500. Figures based on catalogue cars in November 2026.
Insurance affects the size of the deposit. With full cover (Super CDW), the car is often handed over with no deposit at all or with a small one to cover traffic fines. How the deposit and the excess are linked is explained in our guide to insurance and excess.
Example: deposit and excess
The excess is €800, and the deposit is held for the same amount. A scratched bumper costs €300 to repair, so €300 is taken from the deposit. A dented wing costs €2,000 to repair, and €800 is taken (the maximum): the insurance covers the rest, as long as its conditions are met.
How to pay the deposit
The car's card lists the ways to pay the deposit on the "Deposit payment methods" line.
Across the cars in our catalogue:
- Credit card - accepted for almost every car with a deposit.
- Debit card - accepted for 8 cars out of 10.
- Cash - accepted for about one car in four. Most often a cash deposit is handed back as soon as you return the car, and some companies refund it by bank transfer within 14-45 days. The car's card shows when you get it back.
If the car's card says "A credit card in the driver's name is required", that car's deposit can't be paid by debit card or in cash.
The card for the deposit must be in the main driver's name, with enough available funds to cover the whole hold.
Deposit without a credit card
On our site, you can pay the deposit by debit card for most cars and in cash for some. Around 2 cars in 10 come with no deposit at all, so nothing is held when you pick up the car. You'll find them with the "No deposit" filter, and their cards carry a "No deposit" label. How to get a car with no bank card at all is covered in our guide to car hire without a bank card.