Question 1

What is the minimum rental period?

Accepted Answer

Two days.

Question 2

How old do I have to be?

Accepted Answer

The main driver must be 18 or over and hold a full, valid driving licence. A couple of the larger vehicles ask for 21 — it says so on the car when you book it. There is no young-driver surcharge either way.

Question 3

What do I need to bring to collect the car?

Accepted Answer

Two things:

- A valid driving licence for every named driver
- Passport or ID card

No credit card is required — a debit card or cash is fine.

Question 4

What does the included insurance actually cover?

Accepted Answer

Full cover (CDW with no excess) plus theft protection and third-party liability, already in the daily price. The two standard exclusions are wheels/tyres and glass — you can remove those with the optional cover at booking. Damage from off-road driving, wrong fuel, or driving under the influence is never covered by anyone, us included.

Question 5

Do you take a deposit or block my card?

Accepted Answer

On almost everything, no — zero deposit, no card pre-authorisation, no block on your holiday money. The one exception is the nine-seat Toyota Proace, which carries an €800 deposit because of what it costs to replace. That is stated on the vehicle before you book it.

Question 6

How and when do I pay?

Accepted Answer

You pay when you collect the car — cash or card. Reserving online costs nothing and charges nothing, and we do not store card details.

Paying cash at the counter takes 5% off the whole rental. Card processing costs us money and cash does not, so we pass that back rather than pocketing it. Choose your payment method while booking and the discount is applied to the total there and then, before you commit to anything.

Question 7

What is the daily usage fee and do I pay it to you?

Accepted Answer

From June 2026 the Madeira regional government applies a daily usage fee on rental vehicles: €2 for each complete 24-hour period for standard vehicles and €1 for electric ones, capped at 10 days per rental.

Note the wording: it is charged per complete 24 hours, not per calendar day. A car picked up at 10:00 on Monday and returned at 14:00 on Wednesday is two taxable periods, not three — the extra four hours do not count. We calculate it that way on the booking page, show it on its own line, and collect it at pick-up. It goes to the region, not to us.

Question 8

Where do I pick the car up, and what if my flight is delayed?

Accepted Answer

We are five minutes from Madeira Airport in Santa Cruz. Give us your flight number when you book and we track it — if you land late, we are still there. No late-collection fee, no closed office, no phone tree.

Question 9

What is the fuel policy?

Accepted Answer

Full to full. You get it full, you bring it back full, and refuelling is the customer's responsibility. If the car comes back short, we charge the missing fuel straight away. Putting the wrong fuel in the tank is the customer's responsibility and costs €250 to put right.

Cleaning is separate and simpler: a fixed €15 charge on every rental, shown on your booking from the start. The car is valeted between customers, so it reaches you clean — and you bring it back as it is, with no argument at the counter about whether it counts as dirty.

Question 10

Can I cancel or change my booking?

Accepted Answer

Yes — free cancellation, no penalty. Call, WhatsApp or email us with your booking reference. Since nothing was charged up front, there is nothing to refund. Changing dates or category is the same: just tell us.

Question 11

Is there a mileage limit?

Accepted Answer

No. Unlimited kilometres on every category. You can drive the whole island every day if you want to — plenty of people do.

Question 12

Can I take the car to Porto Santo?

Accepted Answer

The car may only leave the island with RentalMoniz's authorisation, so ask us first and we will note it on the contract. Taking the car to another island without that authorisation carries a €150 penalty. The ferry crossing is booked separately with Porto Santo Line.

Question 13

What counts as negligence, and what is not covered?

Accepted Answer

The insurance does not cover driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and taking the car off-road is not allowed.

The clutch is not covered. Report anything that affects how the car drives when you collect it; clutch damage found later is €300. Damage to other parts, brakes and brake discs for example, is repaired at our own workshop.

The car's documents must stay in the car. Losing them is €250, losing the tools or the hi-vis vest is €50, and losing the keys is €250. Smoking in the car carries a €150 deep-clean penalty.

We cannot guarantee a replacement car, but we always look for the quickest solution. Repairs can take up to 3 working days; beyond that you get another car or the rest of the rental back.

Question 14

What do I do if the car breaks down or I have an accident?

Accepted Answer

Call us as soon as you can. Call 112 first if anyone is hurt. Fill in the European accident statement and keep the details of everyone involved.

RentalMoniz is not responsible for time lost or appointments missed because of an accident or a breakdown.

Everything you would rather know before you arrive