Car rental · Spain · File no. 025
Rent a car in Costa Brava 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 (Girona, and Barcelona via their “barselona” slug). In Spain, only the agency's “super cover” or a no-deposit local truly cancels the deposit. Confirm “zero deposit” on the contract. | 15-40 €/day | 0 € | 0 € | Included by default (full coverage) | ✓ My pick | Book |
| Comptoir aéroport, grande enseigneEconomy hold around 1,000 to 1,500 € (up to 4,000 € by category), economy excess 600 to 900 €. Observed ranges. Sixt and Drivalia transparent; buy the waiver online, refuse it at the counter. | 15-70 €/day | 1,200 € | 800 € | “Super cover” 15-35 €/day (3-12 €/day online) | · | |
| Low-cost à note basse (Goldcar, Record Go, Firefly)Goldcar 1.3/5, Firefly 1.2/5, Record Go 1.4/5 on Trustpilot: two-step insurance, phantom damage (500 to 650 €) at return, overpriced Flex Fuel. Check the rating before the price, especially for off-airport desks. | n.c. | Varies | Varies | Imposed or big deposit blocked | ✗ Avoid |
⏲ Figures collected on 21 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.
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A transparent agency: Sixt or Drivalia via DiscoverCars
If you prefer a named agency, Sixt is the most cited for transparency in Girona (little insurance haggling), and Drivalia is the best non-major (walk-up desk, no shuttle). Expect a deposit hold on the card, buy the excess waiver online not at the counter. Avoid Goldcar (Trustpilot score 1.3/5).
Do you actually need a car in Costa Brava?
Recommended to essential. Girona and a single coastal spot served by the train (Barcelona-Girona-Figueres, about 1 h) work without a car, but the scattered coves and villages (Cadaqués, Begur, Sa Tuna) are poorly served: Girona to Cadaqués is 1 bus a day and none at the weekend.
When NOT to rent here
If you stay in Girona or a single coastal spot served by the train (Barcelona-Girona-Figueres): a car is useless. Rent for the scattered coves and villages (Cadaqués, Begur, Sa Tuna), poorly served by buses.
Where you pick up the car
→ Desk right at GRO airport
- 01At Girona airport (GRO), the desks are in the arrivals terminal; some agencies are on site, others via shuttle to an off-site car park.
- 02At Barcelona (BCN), the desks are in the T1 and T2 halls, cars within walking distance with no shuttle for the big chains.
- 03Film the car timestamped before AND after, and refuse out-of-hours returns without a signed joint condition report.
The fuel trap
Full-to-full at the big chains (fair, to prefer). To avoid: the full-to-empty / Flex Fuel of low-cost firms, where you prepay a tank at an inflated agency rate, poorly refunded (Goldcar case: 82 € to fill a Ford Focus, refunds dragging over three months). Photograph the gauge.
At the counter: what they will push
To refuse politely
- The counter “super cover” (15 to 35 €/day) if you already have cover, bought online at 3 to 12 €/day.
- The “our insurance or a 1,400 to 2,000 € deposit blocked” pressure, even with a third-party insurance already paid.
To insist on
- Timestamped photos and video before AND after the rental.
- A signed joint condition report, never an out-of-hours return without an agent.
What my analysis reveals
I have not yet rented a car in the Costa Brava myself: this page is an analysis, not a field report. It cross-checks TripAdvisor threads, Trustpilot reviews and the platform pages.
The dominant scam is the low-cost two-step insurance (Goldcar leading): at the counter you are faced with “take our cover, or we block a 1,400 to 2,000 € deposit”, even if you already have third-party insurance. If you refuse, phantom damage appears at return, billed 500 to 650 € (one case: an 80 € rental turned into 600 €, another: 650 € for three scratches at an out-of-hours return with no report).
The fix: Localrent's “no deposit” filter, or buying the excess cover online (3 to 12 €/day) rather than at the counter (15 to 35 €/day, that is 8 to 23 times more). Sixt and Drivalia stand out as the most transparent in Girona. Film the car timestamped before and after, and refuse out-of-hours returns. DiscoverCars' “Full Coverage” reimburses but leaves the deposit blocked.
The anxious questions (the real ones)
+Can you rent without a deposit in the Costa Brava?
Yes via Localrent's “no deposit” filter (Girona, Barcelona). In Spain, only the agency's “super cover” (which removes the excess) or a no-deposit local truly cancels the deposit. DiscoverCars' “Full Coverage” reimburses but leaves the hold blocked.
+What is the most common scam in the Costa Brava?
The low-cost two-step insurance: pressure to take their cover or face a 1,400 to 2,000 € deposit blocked, then, if you refuse, phantom damage (500 to 650 €) billed after return. Film the car before and after, and refuse out-of-hours returns.
+Do you need a car in the Costa Brava?
Recommended to essential: the train links Barcelona, Girona and Figueres, but the coves and villages (Cadaqués, Begur) are very poorly served by buses.
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