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After having lived and traveled extensively in the Azores and rented a car on 7 of its 9 islands, I feel prepared to write this article about car rental in the Azores: a complete guide, which adds to my previous article on Driving in the Azores: 10 life saving tips.
Car rental in the Azores: is it necessary?
You should rent a car in the Azores because:
- most of the attractions in the Azores are natural attractions, accessible only by car.
- unfortunately, the public transport network does not work very well on any of the Azores islands. There are public buses on all the islands, but none of them have a metro or tram. There are no Uber or alternative networks, just taxis that are MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE than in mainland Portugal (Porto and Lisbon, for example).
Even in São Miguel and Terceira (the largest islands, which receive the bulk of tourists), it is not very easy to get around depending only on public transport, which is a shame.
If you rent a car in the Azores, you will:
- be able to organise your day as you’re pleased and not around the rare buses that circulate in the islands;
- be able to access remote locations that are not served by public transports;
- not take the risk of not being able to take a taxi, because they are all taken (this is a real risk especially in smaller islands like Flores, where there are only SEVEN taxi drivers for the entire island!).
Choosing the right car rental in the Azores
There are several car rental companies in the Azores, from the best known (Guerin, Europcar, Sixt, etc.) to more local ones, such as Ilha Verde.
But honestly, I don’t think this is relevant anymore because I always use AutoEurope, a fabulous price aggregator, to look for the best rate available among all car rental companies.
Renting a car on AutoEurope has another advantage, which is being able to cancel your reservation up to 48 hours in advance without any type of penalty.
Types of Vehicles Available
On the Azores islands the choice of vehicles is scarce.
There are no electric vehicles for rent on any of the islands (in any case, there is no network of gas stations on any of the islands).
On the larger islands (like São Miguel and Terceira, for example) you will be able to find various types of cars, from mini cars to vans and even luxury models. But you won’t have the same luck on the smaller islands: the smaller the island, the less availability of car models to rent.
The same goes for transmission. In Portugal, most cars have manual transmissions, and the same happens in the Azores.
So, expect to find automatic transmission cars on São Miguel, Terceira, Faial and Pico, but don’t expect to be so lucky on the smaller islands.
How much does it cost to rent a car in the Azores?
The price depends on several factors and it is impossible to give you a specific number. In general:
- the smaller the island, the more expensive the rental cars are. To give you an idea, I rented a car for 15 days in Terceira, in September, and paid €370. On Flores, for 7 days of rental, also in September, I paid €900. A real fortune!
That’s why I recommend you book your car with AutoEurope, a price aggregator that will give you the best prices on the market.
- if you travel outside of high season, the prices will be better. The high season in the Azores starts around Easter and ends at the beginning of autumn, that is, in October. At this time cars are more expensive; outside of this season, they are cheaper.
- the earlier you book your car, the cheaper the price. In other words, if your trip is in August, don’t leave car rental until June, because prices are already very expensive at that time!
Rental Requirements and Policies
In Portugal, anyone over 18 years old who has a valid driver’s license can rent a car in the Azores. However, it is cheaper if the driver is between 26 and 69 years old, as, generally, drivers under 25 years old (as they have less experience) and drivers over 70 years old (as they eventually start to lose cognitive skills) pay more.
The documents required to rent a car are always the same:
- valid driving license of the driver(s).
- credit card in the name of the person who made the reservation. This is SUPER important! When you rent a car, you provide the details of a credit card, which must be the same one you use to pick up the car. The deposit will be blocked on this credit card, which will be used in the event of a car accident.
When you rent a car, there are always a few decisions to make:
- Automatic or Manual transmission. In the Azores most cars have manual transmissions. You might find automatic transmission cars on the larger islands, but not on the others, and it will be more expensive anyway.
- Diesel or gasoline car. I generally prefer to rent diesel cars, because in general the price of diesel is lower than the price of gasoline.
- Excessive coverage: With an Excess or Refundable Excess. In short terms, the excess (called “franquia” in Portuguese) is the value that you’ll pay for activating the insurance in case something happens. It’s a fixed value that depends on the car category, that usually ranges between €950 – €5000. Usually, I pay an extra price to ensure that the excess is 0€, because I don’t want them to charge me anything in case of an accident.
In addition, there is a whole range of insurances that you can choose from on site, such as glass & tire insurance, insurance for cases of negligence (for example, if you forget your keys in the car), passenger insurance, etc. But these insurance policies will be explained to you when you pick up the car, so you don’t have to make a decision regarding them when you rent the car.
Car rental in the Azores: a word of advice
The most important tip I can give you is: DON’T LEAVE YOUR CAR RENTAL IN THE AÇORES UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!
In 2023 around 1,200,000 people visited the Azores. These are impressive numbers, considering that only 242,500 people live in the Azores. This means, in practice, that for every local inhabitant, there were an extra 5 tourists in the Azores.
Furthermore, tourism in the Azores is growing at a breakneck pace.
I share this with you so that you understand one thing: the Azores lack EVERYTHING, from accommodation, restaurants and, above all, cars for rent!
The first thing you should book is NOT your hotel but your car, because if you can’t rent a car, it’s not even worth traveling to the Azores. I mean it!
You can’t imagine the number of tourists I saw completely helpless in the Azores, because they didn’t reserve their car in time. Thus, with no public transport available and taxis always full, they were confined to the vicinity of their hotels for many days. It is depressing!
If you can’t rent a car in the Azores, I strongly recommend you to book your trip to another time.
I am dead serious about this :D
First, book the flight. Then, take care of your car rental in the Azores and only then the accommodation.
Car rental in the Azores: FAQs
Can I drive in the Azores with a US driving license?
Yes, you can!
Is it easy to drive in the Azores?
I have a lot of experience directing, so I may not be the best person in the world to answer this question. Overall, I found driving in the Azores very simple, with the exception of São Jorge island. This is because this island in particular has very steep roads, which are not easy to drive, especially if you are not used to manual transmission cars.
How are the roads in the Azores?
As the Azores are made up of 9 islands, there is no single answer to this question. I’ve seen everything on the roads of the Azores. I’ve seen spectacular roads and I’ve seen miserable roads. I’ve seen roads full of holes or covered in vegetation, and I’ve seen super modern highways. There is no single rule because there are several islands, and within each island there are various types of roads, from motorways (only in the case of São Miguel and Terceira), regional roads and even local access to specific locations, such as viewpoints.
But in general, the bigger the island and the bigger the road, the better its condition. So, it varies from island to island.
For example, when I was in Terceira I was impressed by its roads in excellent condition.
In Faial, The main roads, EN1 – 1A and EN2 – 2A, are in fairly good condition, but the smaller and more secondary the roads, the worse their condition – they were narrower, less frequently cleaned and often full of potholes.
Do I have to pay tolls in the Azores?
That’s one of the things I LOVE about the Azores: unlike mainland Portugal (where I’m from), there are no tolls at all, so it’s free to travel on all its roads.
Do people drive on the left or on the right side of the road?
In the Azores, as in mainland Portugal, you drive on the right side of the road.
Sharing the road with… cows
One very, very funny thing about driving in the AÇores is that you will have to share the road with… cows quite often. True story!
Therefore, I recommend that you drive SLOWLY and carefully, to avoid accidents in which you could be seriously injured (you, the people traveling with you and the animals you encounter in the middle of the road).
If you see cows or other animals on the road, don’t be afraid. In case you don’t remember, cows are herbivores and have zero interest in you. Don’t make noise, don’t make sudden movements and move forward slowly so they don’t get scared.
