Can I hire a car without a deposit?
First things first – yes! Car hire with no deposit is one of our specialties. We know better than most how inconvenient it can be to put down a hefty deposit when you just want to get on the road. Let us help alleviate this stress with a car rental policy that doesn’t require a deposit.
At this stage, you likely have a number of questions about car hire with no deposit, particularly how the process works and what criteria you need to meet. But, there’s no need to worry. On this page, we’ll walk you through the whole process of car rental without a deposit.
What Criteria Do I Need to Meet for Car Rental With No Deposit?
Purely by way of example, if you’re located in the UK, then you’ll need to meet the following criteria in order to qualify for our car hire with no deposit offers:
- The payment card needs to be in the driver’s name
- Payment for hire must be arranged on pick up
- Offers are available on Mini, Compact, Economy, Intermediate, 7 & 9 Seaters (excludes Luxury cars)
- Aged 23+ (up to Compact cars) or 25+ (Intermediate and above)
- You must contact us directly via email, phone or chat to arrange this
In Spain, the conditions for car rental without a deposit differ slightly. Most importantly, you must:
- Take the Super CDW / Zero Excess cover
What Happens When I Rent A Car With A Deposit?
Deposits can often catch people out when they hire a car. This is because many people either don’t expect to pay a deposit or have not realised how much the deposit amount is actually going to be (it can range into the thousands, depending on the vehicle).
When you hire a car, the deposit money gets frozen on your card. This means that it cannot be taken out or touched during the rental time. This specifically causes an issue when a car is hired using a debit card.
How Much Is a Typical Car Hire Deposit?
The deposit is typically between £250 and £2,000. The exact amount depends on the type of car you are renting. Deposits are taken as security against the vehicle you are planning to borrow for loss or damage.
Large deposits can put some people off and make the whole experience unaffordable. Thankfully, we have found several locations in which we can offer a car hire without a deposit.
That said, rental cars without a deposit are not available at all locations or for all cars. This is a very specific requirement that needs a little bit of ground work from our team, not from you. We take the hassle out of booking a car, all we ask is that you contact us instead of booking a car online.
How To Hire A Car With No Deposit
If you are looking to hire a car with no deposit then we recommend calling us and explaining your requirements, as we know which companies we can arrange this with and their restrictions. That being said, you may be able to find a no deposit deal using our online booking engine, here’s how:
- Type your location and dates into the booking engine at the top of the page
- Click the ‘Send’ button and we’ll retrieve all of the live prices for you
- Go through each rental company on the left-hand-side filter
- Read the ‘Important Information’ for each company
- The deposit information will typically be found under the ‘Payment’ tab
Car Hire Suppliers And Their Deposits
To help you discover whether car hire with no deposit is right for you, we’ve pulled out some example deposits from the larger car rental firms that you can hire from with us.
However, please be aware these can change in particular locations, so you need to read the T&Cs before you book. With some of these car hire companies, you will also have to meet certain criteria in order to get their standard deposit down to 0, such as taking out their Zero Excess policies. Please get in touch to find out exactly who they are.
However, as a guide, here are some larger car rental companies in the UK and their typical deposit requirements:
| Supplier | Deposit | Supplier | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo | £200 | Europcar | £200 |
| Arnold Clark | £0 | Firefly | £1400 |
| Avis | £200 | Green Motion | £1200 |
| Budget | £200 | Hertz | £200 |
| Dollar | £500 | Keddy | £700 |
| Easirent | £1600 | National | £200 |
| Enterprise | £200 | Sixt | £300 |
Do You Offer Car Hire No Deposit With A Credit Card?
The majority of people who are looking for car hire with no deposit use a debit card. However, if you have a credit card but can’t afford to put a large deposit because you have a low credit limit, we can still help you.
We have suppliers who will accept credit cards and offer a no deposit option. Please get in touch if you are looking to arrange this kind of deal.
Popular no deposit car rental locations
Here is a small list of some of our most popular locations for car hire with no deposit:
This is not an exhaustive list and we can offer car hire with no deposit in many more locations. But, in order to get this deal you must call our team directly. Contact our dedicated and friendly team today to arrange car rental without a deposit at [email protected].
How A Car Rental Deposit Works
The large majority of suppliers that offer car hire all take a pre-authorised deposit upon arrival at the rental desk.
We deal with many different suppliers and the amount that is taken for the deposit can vary on a supplier-by-supplier basis. The other factor that has to be taken into account is the type of vehicle you are looking to hire. If you are just looking to get a standard vehicle, then the deposit for this is generally the lowest. By contrast, if you are looking to hire a large people carrier, minibus or luxury vehicle, then the deposits for these do tend to be much higher. They can range from £500 up to £2,000.
The deposit is a pre-authorised amount that is held on the driver’s credit or debit card. The amount is not debited from the card and is instead held on the card for the duration of the rental. It is then released when the vehicle has been returned. Please note that it can sometimes take around 5 working days to show in your account again.
What Types Of Cars Can I Hire With No Deposit?
If you are looking to hire a car with no deposit, then you are limiting the number of available suppliers (because not all suppliers offer this service). As a result, you also limit the pool of cars you have available to you.
However, you will be pleased to hear that you will still have a large amount of vehicles to choose from, including:
- Mini – Fiat 500
- Economy – Vauxhall Corsa
- Compact – Volkswagen Golf
- Estate – Ford Focus Estate
- Standard – Skoda Superb
- Intermediate – Skoda Octavia
- 5-Seat Minivan – Vauxhall Zafira
- 7-Seat Minivan – Ford Galaxy
- 9-Seat Minivan – Ford Tourneo
- Fullsize – Mercedes C Class
- Luxury / Premium – BMW 5 Series
- Suv – Peugeot 3008
No deposit car hire restrictions by country
| Popular Locations | Car Hire No Deposit Allowed? | Low Deposit Options? | Debit Cards Accepted? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK 🇬🇧 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spain 🇪🇸 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Portugal 🇵🇹 | No | Yes | Yes |
| France 🇫🇷 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Italy 🇮🇹 | No | Yes | Yes |
| USA 🇺🇸 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Canada 🇨🇦 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Iceland 🇮🇸 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*Please be aware that within each country there will be a limited amount of locations that we are able to offer no deposit car rental from.
Deals With No Deposit
If you are looking to hire a car with no deposit, then you can also take advantage of a few of our other offers in conjunction, here are a few:
Car Hire With A Debit Card & No Deposit
Alongside arranging a car rental with no deposit deal, we can also offer you the opportunity to hire a car with a debit card. Most rental companies accept credit cards, but we’ve managed to arrange a deal that allows you to hire using a debit card as long as you meet certain criteria. You can find out more about this on our car hire without a credit card page.
No Deposit One Way Car Hire
Do you need a no deposit option that allows you to pick the car up in one location and then drop it off in another? This is also something that we can arrange. It’s referred to in the industry as a ‘one way car hire’, and you can find out more details about this option on our one way car hire page.
Free Additional Driver With No Deposit
Need to take a break from driving? If you have someone else in the vehicle with you, then you can add them to the policy as an additional driver. Most companies charge for this service but we have managed to arrange deals with certain suppliers who will allow you to do this for free. You can find out more on our free additional driver page.
No Deposit Car Hire Alternatives – Low Deposit
As we work with several different suppliers across the world, we can often find you a deal to suit your requirements. We have several low deposit car hire offers that start from £200 in a significant amount of locations. The best way to find out where we offer these deals is to contact us directly.
Have you got a few burning questions? We’ve tried to pull together some of our most common frequently asked questions in regards to car hire with no deposit and answered them below to help:
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Excellent experience, matt and cherie both very helpful throughout the last 12 months sourcing great deals for myself. Always willing to go out the way for you.
I would recommend indigo to anyone looking for a good service
It was seamless. I was very happy with the service at Bristol airport, Alamo was the company working on the ground and they couldn't have been more helpful and friendly.
The chat with Indigo customer support to arrange the whole booking was also super excellent
Very kind and helpful staff. They managed to find a rental car company for me very quickly. No deposit was required and there were no hidden fees.
I wanted unlimited mileage, no deposit to pay on pick up, ability to pre pay in full on line with a debit card, ability to book using my debit card but to name my husband as the driver.
Tried all of the big companies at Heathrow and not one could offer me this.
Pure luck I found Indigo and from the moment I contacted them I felt like I was talking to a real person. Their customer service is by far exceeds all expectations. They keep you in the loop and within minutes you have answers to your queries in e mails. They found me all my requests which we had up till then found impossible, but they did the impossible and for that I have to say they deserve way more stars than the 5, I can give them here today. For me it's a 10/10 for everything. Thank you Matt, Jacob and Cherie. You are the TOPS! :)
