Car rental · Canary Islands, Spain · File no. 013
Rent a car in Gran Canaria 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: Canarian agencies (Autoreisen, CICAR type) with the excess included and no hold. Confirm “no deposit, zero excess” on the contract. | 15-35 €/day | 0 € | 0 € | Included by default (full coverage) | ✓ My pick | Book |
| Low-cost à prix d'appel (type Goldcar)Hold reported around 800 to 1,100 € if you refuse their waiver, plus a possible fuel penalty. Observed ranges. Refuse the upsell, insist on the signed report. | 10-29 €/day | 1,000 € | 1,000 € | Super CDW 25-40 €/day or waiver 5-8 €/day | · | |
| Courtiers low-cost no-nameA broker's headline price that assigns you a no-name supplier, off-airport pickup, high deposit and fake damage after return. Avoid. | n.c. | Varies | Varies | Force-sold | ✗ 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.
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The local references: Autoreisen or CICAR via DiscoverCars
Autoreisen and CICAR are the reference Canarian agencies: zero excess included, no deposit blocked (Autoreisen advertises no card pre-authorization, CICAR asks only a refunded fuel deposit), offices at LPA airport. Excellent Trustpilot ratings. The safest named option to leave no hold.
Do you actually need a car in Gran Canaria?
Recommended to explore, not essential to stay put. You can live without a car in Las Palmas or a resort (Global buses, taxis), but buses inland are rare: a car unlocks the mountain villages, the isolated beaches and the Maspalomas dunes.
When NOT to rent here
If you stay in Las Palmas or Maspalomas with no day trips: the Global bus and taxis are enough in town and resort. The car makes sense the day you head inland or look for an isolated beach.
Where you pick up the car
→ Desk right at LPA airport
- 01At Las Palmas airport (LPA), the rental desks are in the terminal (north side, near the info point), the cars at car park P1 within walking distance, no mandatory shuttle.
- 02CICAR and Autoreisen, the reference locals, have an office at the airport. The low-cost firms often use an off-site lot.
- 03Get a signed condition report and film the car on every side before leaving: here the fake damage billed after return is the number-one trap.
The fuel trap
Dominant policy: full-to-full. The low-cost trap is full-to-empty or a fuel penalty (one review cites 61 € billed despite a full return). With CICAR it is a fuel deposit refunded at return. Keep the gauge photo.
At the counter: what they will push
To refuse politely
- The counter insurance sold aggressively, sometimes by refusing to honour your third-party insurance to force your hand.
- A “super CDW” at 25-40 €/day if your offer already includes zero excess.
To insist on
- The signed condition report BEFORE leaving the car park (do not leave without it).
- The “no deposit, zero excess” confirmation if you go through Autoreisen or CICAR.
What my analysis reveals
I have not yet rented a car in Gran Canaria myself: this page is an analysis, not a field report. It cross-checks Trustpilot reviews, the agencies' official terms and forums.
Like Tenerife, the Canaries' strength is the existence of genuine no-deposit agencies. Autoreisen states plainly “no cash deposit or credit card pre-authorization” with zero excess, and CICAR includes insurance with no excess (just a fuel deposit, refunded). By contrast, low-cost firms like Goldcar often block 800 to 1,100 € if you refuse their waiver.
The dominant scam: a rushed return with no signed report, then an email with a non-contradictory photo and damage billed, the average loss cited around 2,000 €. The fix: an agency with the excess included, a signed report before leaving, and a video of every side.
The anxious questions (the real ones)
+Can you rent without a deposit in Gran Canaria?
Yes. Autoreisen advertises no card pre-authorization and CICAR includes zero excess (just a refunded fuel deposit). Localrent's “no deposit” filter leads to these local agencies.
+What is the most common scam in Gran Canaria?
Fake damage billed after a rushed return with no signed report, plus force-sold insurance. Insist on the signed report before leaving, film the car, and go through a local with the excess included.
+Do you need a car in Gran Canaria?
Recommended to explore (mountain villages, isolated beaches, dunes), not essential to stay in Las Palmas or a resort where buses and taxis are enough.
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