Madeirarent Reviews 157

SCAMMERS….
Our experience was very disappointing for three main reasons:
Aggressive upselling on arrival. As soon as we arrived, we were immediately given a sales pitch to upgrade the car. We clearly said we wanted the car we originally booked, but we were told it was necessary to upgrade because of steep climbs in the area. After being pushed with several options costing an extra €95, we felt pressured and agreed.
Damage discovered later. We picked up the car late at night and checked the outside for damage, but not the full interior because it was dark. The next day we drove only about 20 minutes in the morning to our destination (it was cloudy). Later that afternoon, when the sun was low, we lowered the sun visor and discovered it was broken. We immediately took a photo.
Unfair charge when returning the car. When we returned the car, they claimed they knew nothing about the damage. They asked if we had proof, so I showed the photo taken about 18 hours after picking up the car. However, we picked it up at night and had barely driven it. Despite explaining this, they charged us €307 — our full deposit plus an extra payment. We asked to speak with a supervisor, but nothing happened. They kept delaying us until we had no choice but to pay and leave or miss our flight.
Never rent a car here. 🚫🚗

Nuno was very clear and instructed me perfectly.

I am extremely disappointed with my recent experience at Madeira Rent. I was charged twice for the same rental period — once on the online prepayment and again at the airport pickup.
After noticing the second charge, I had a helpful phone conversation with Mr. Nuno Camera, who advised me to contact customer service by email. I was then told that the additional charge was supposedly for an “upgrade.”
At the airport counter, I was led to believe the upgrade would cost around €10 extra. It was never made clear that it would nearly double the price of my booking. I would not have agreed had the full cost been clearly explained.
The lack of transparency and unexpected charges reflect very poorly on the company’s billing practices.

Car was fine, returns process was quick with a cursory review. The. sustained and ludicrous upselling on collection was incredibly irritating and I would highly recommend you choose an alternative company instead.

Nuno was really friendly and helpful! I would really recommend it.

It was amazing experience I have been renting with Madeira Rent for years would 100% recommend

Avoid this company.

After booking and paying online, once you arrive they tell you that the car you reserved has an engine that is “too small” for Madeira and pressure you to pay extra for a “better” engine. This is especially frustrating when other people I know, with the same reservation, were given better cars without paying more.

On top of that, they constantly try to upsell you additional insurance and extras, using fear tactics about possible scratches while the car is parked, even if caused by other vehicles.

They also require a physical debit card (virtual cards are not accepted). If you don’t have one, they force you to leave €300 in cash, including ATM withdrawal fees. Even worse, days after returning the car in perfect condition, the cash has still not been refunded.

Overall, this feels misleading and unprofessional. Be very careful before doing business with this company.

Nuno was exceptional, explained everything clearly and was very polite. Would recommend!

He was very kind and helpfull, solved a few problems with us as well

Very friendly, clear information. Gives us a welcome feeling to madeira

Great experience.
It was quick getting the car and returning it (on Saturdays may I add). The staff was nice and efficient. The car (Opel Corsa Hybrid) was excellent and was perfect for driving around in Madeira.
Highly recommend going with this rental company!

A very nice instructor, helped us with all the details about a car, roads and driving experience in general

AVOID ! SCAM !

We had a car booked for a full week. Upon arrival, we were suddenly told that our card was “not acceptable” because it was a debit card and not a credit card. As a result, we were asked to pay an extra €175 plus a €300 cash deposit — an extremely unusual and suspicious practice...

To make sure we weren’t crazy, we went to Europcar, Budget, Avis and Hertz right next door: all of them accepted our card with no problem. Several employees even told us they were already familiar with this scam.
We were unable to use our reservation and still got charged €106.

Save yourself time, money, and stress — go LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE.

All perfect. No joke, everything clear.

Wonderful clerk João. So helpful and friendly.

The car was dirty and we had to clean it ourselvs. After we brought the car back, there were an extra EUR 300.- charged to our credit card without any explanation or prior consent given. They have not responded, after we tried to contact them and ask them about the additional charges.

Absolutely fantastic experience, would highly recommend!! :) Friendly, quick, easy car rental.

Ordered Peugeot 208 via Zest who deal with MadeiraRent. Our flight was a little early and we were quick through security etc so ahead of time I had booked car for.
They assured me that the car would be ready at the right time so I could wait 45 mins or take a more powerful upgrade now (a VW Taigo) at an increased cost (I’d paid £144 - they wanted an extra €100).
I took the deal, I forgot that the more powerful car was bigger and therefore not as easy to drive on narrow Madeira roads.
Car itself was fine and we didn’t have any issues with it.
However, Madeira Rent’s area at the airport is to one side with two rows of close end to end parking, with a central aisle. Returned cars were also half-blocking that central aisle and it took about an hour to move the car from the car park. We, and others, got a member of staff to actually get our cars out rather than risk scratching things before we’d even started.
So not sure that taking the upgrade to save waiting was worth it.
Returning was easy, apart from having to park in limited space.
The £1,400 block they had put on my credit card was removed within a day.
One final point - perhaps relevant to all foreign car hire - it was impossible to change the language of the warning/advice messages that popped up regularly; that might have been useful!

The people are great an helpful.
Great service.