Car rental · Spain · File no. 015
Rent a car in Andalusia without getting played
Deposits found per agency (platforms and customer reviews)
Amounts cross-checked between booking platforms and dozens of customer reviews, not just the advertised figures.
| Agency | Indicative price /day | Deposit blocked | Excess | Counter insurance | Verdict | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loueur local sans caution via LocalrentLocalrent's “no deposit” filter: local agencies with “no deposit / no excess” deals, excess waived in the rate. Confirm “no deposit, zero excess” on the contract. | 15-40 €/day | 0 € | 0 € | Included by default (full coverage) | ✓ My pick | Book |
| Comptoir aéroport, grande enseigneExcess typically 1,000 to 1,200 € (sometimes up to 3,000 €), hold of the same order. Observed ranges. Buy cover online, refuse the counter waiver. | 19-45 €/day | 1,200 € | 1,200 € | Excess waiver ~20 €/day | · | |
| Courtiers low-cost notés basClick&Rent type (low rating, “fraudulent behaviour” reviews at Malaga): low headline price, insurance upsell and high deposit. Check the agency's rating, not just the price. | n.c. | Varies | Varies | Sold under pressure | ✗ Avoid |
⏲ Figures collected on 16 June 2026
Average market prices for an economy car (low season to high season), indicative only: they vary with the season, the model and how early you book. This is not the price paid, just a benchmark to compare.
If you book through this link, FirstHand earns a commission from the merchant, at no extra cost to you. That is what funds the on-the-ground checks.
Prefer a rated agency: Centauro or Wiber via DiscoverCars
If you want a named agency, Centauro (around 8.6/10) and Wiber (around 8.4/10) are among the best-rated at Malaga on DiscoverCars. Expect a card hold: take the cover online and refuse the counter waiver. Check the excess amount before signing.
Do you actually need a car in Andalusia?
Recommended, not essential. Malaga and Seville are linked to their airports and well served in town (Seville's EA bus reaches the centre in 35 minutes for about 6 €). A car becomes close to essential for an Andalusia road trip (Ronda, the white villages), useless for a city-only stay.
When NOT to rent here
If your stay is urban (Seville, Granada, Cordoba): the centres are walkable, parking is expensive and awkward, and trains link the cities well. Rent the day of the road trip to Ronda and the white villages, not before.
Where you pick up the car
→ Desk right at AGP airport
- 01At Malaga (AGP), most desks are on level -1 of terminal T2 (Avis, Sixt, Europcar, Goldcar, OK Mobility…). At Seville (SVQ), the big agencies are at the terminal.
- 02Some low-cost firms operate off-airport by shuttle (SOLO, Centauro, Crown…), with a site that can be hard to find.
- 03Get a signed condition report and film the car before leaving: at Malaga, the high excess is the lever for the counter insurance sell.
The fuel trap
Healthy dominant policy: full-to-full, offered by the “no surprise” agencies. The reverse pattern reported: a car delivered not quite full to force an expensive fuel buy-back. Photograph the gauge at the start.
At the counter: what they will push
To refuse politely
- The “full coverage” pushed at the counter even when you have already paid for cover online: the upsell is reported aggressive at several Malaga low-cost firms.
- An excess waiver at ~20 €/day if your offer already includes zero excess.
To insist on
- The written excess amount (often 1,000 to 1,200 €, sometimes much more).
- A signed condition report and a video of every side before departure.
What my analysis reveals
I have not yet rented a car in Andalusia myself: this page is an analysis, not a field report. It cross-checks DiscoverCars reviews, TripAdvisor forums and the agencies' pages.
The dominant scam around Malaga is the counter insurance upsell: the high excess (often 1,000 to 1,200 €, sometimes up to 3,000 € at some firms) is the pressure lever to sell you cover, even when you have already paid for it online.
Yet a genuine zero deposit exists: some local agencies offer “no deposit / no excess” deals where the excess is waived in the base rate. Otherwise the usual fix: cover bought online, refuse at the counter, signed report and a video of the car. Avoid the low-rated low-cost brokers, where the disputes cluster.
The anxious questions (the real ones)
+Can you rent without a deposit in Andalusia?
Yes, through local agencies offering “no deposit / no excess” deals (reachable via Localrent's “no deposit” filter), where the excess is waived in the base rate.
+What is the most common scam at Malaga?
The counter insurance upsell, with the high excess (1,000 to 1,200 €, sometimes more) used as the pressure lever. Buy cover online, refuse at the counter and film the car.
+Do you need a car in Andalusia?
Recommended for a road trip (Ronda, white villages), not essential for a city stay: Seville, Granada and Cordoba are walkable and well linked by train.
An agency that is not in this table?
Thinking of booking elsewhere and wondering if it is safe? Give me the agency name and the city: I will tell you straight what I know, and add it to the file if it earns its place.
Ask me what I think