Centauro Rent a Car is a car rental company with branches in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. It is a good fit for holidaymakers who pick up a car at an airport, station or in town and want to know beforehand what the deposit, insurance and fuel will really cost.
What you can book there
The homepage shows rental cars with pickup at airports, train stations and city offices, for example in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, Milan and Athens or on islands such as Mallorca, Ibiza, Crete and Corfu. Besides the normal rental there is a subscription offer and business rates. The company promotes a premium rate without excess and a phone-based pickup that lets you skip the counter.
What the rental really costs
According to the help pages the rental price includes the compulsory insurance with excess, local VAT, a replacement car after an accident, airport service and free cancellation. The excess is where car rental gets expensive. If you want to avoid it, you add the SMART cover. It can only be added when booking or at pickup, not afterwards.
- Deposit: Without SMART an amount between 900 and 2,100 euros is blocked on your credit card, depending on the vehicle group. It is released after the return if there is no new damage. The money usually shows up after three to four days, with some banks it takes up to ten.
- Portugal: An extra 100 euros is blocked to cover tolls via Via Verde.
- Fuel: A full tank is valued at roughly 70 to 250 euros depending on the model. You can choose full-to-empty, where you get back the value of unused fuel, or like-for-like, where you pay for the tank at pickup and do not need to refuel. The amount is always requested at the start of the rental.
- One-way rentals: Returning the car at a different office costs an extra fee. Between the mainland and islands or between countries it is not possible everywhere.
- Driving abroad: If you leave the country you need the foreign cover when you book.
Cancellation and payment
You can cancel online without a fee up to 48 hours before the planned pickup. After that the booking is not refunded. When you cancel you can choose between a refund and a coupon for later. You can change extras, the flight number and prepayment in your customer area. For other changes you have to cancel and book again, and then price and availability may look different.
Payment is by Visa or Mastercard in the driver's name, online or at pickup. If you prepay online, you must show the same card at pickup. Prepaid cards, American Express, Maestro and Diners Club are not accepted. Cash works in Spain and Portugal but not in Italy and Greece, and even then a credit card is needed as security.
How to save
Always compare the total price with and without SMART. If you would have to block a large deposit anyway, the cover often turns out not to cost much more, and you keep that money free on your card. The homepage shows time-limited offers and weekly deals that are worth a look. For fuel, think about your route: a short trip works differently with like-for-like or full-to-empty than a long road trip.
Tips
- Enter the driver's age correctly when booking. The search asks for the age group.
- Bring a credit card in the driver's name, even if you have already paid.
- Photograph the car at pickup and return, especially on rentals without SMART.
- Returns outside opening hours are only possible around the clock at Alicante airport. Otherwise plan around the opening times.
Booking with cashback
The cashback runs through daily cashback. First open the daily cashback store page for Centauro Rent a Car, go from there to the provider and book as usual. The credit arrives after the rental has ended and is confirmed. You can see the current rate on our provider page at TripPrice. Current vouchers and deals are listed there as well.