The short answer is no, some suppliers will allow you to hire a car without leaving a deposit.
However, this is not all suppliers so some locations may not be covered and you need to meet certain criteria to qualify. The criteria is noted below but this can change depending on the supplier and your circumstances, it is worth noting that if you do not qualify for a zero deposit car rental, we can usually usually arrange alternative options with low deposits.
If you are interested in car rental with no deposit then please continue reading to find out more or simply contact our team and they can advise exactly what is available to you.
Contact Us About No Deposit Car Hire
Can I hire a car without a deposit?
Yes, car rental without a deposit is possible with certain suppliers. There are often certain terms that you need to agree to or pay extra for, such as relax cover policy in order to take advantage of car hire with no deposit required, however we will guide you through the process.
As an example to use the car hire no deposit offer here are a few of the criteria you may need to meet (UK):
Payment card needs to be in the drivers name and payment for hire is arranged on pick up.
Available on Mini, Compact, Economy, Intermediate, 7 & 9 Seaters (Excludes Luxury cars)
Driver must be aged 23+ (only up to compact cars), Intermediate and above needs to be 25+
You MUST contact us directly via email, phone or chat to arrange this
In Spain the conditions slightly differ, most importantly, you must:
Take the Super CDW / ZERO EXCESS cover
Car rental deposits can often catch people out when they come to hire a car, many don’t expect deposits or how much the deposit is actually going to be, it can range into the thousands. The deposit money gets frozen on your card and unable to be taken out or touched by the person hiring the car during the rental time, which causes an issue specifically when hiring with a debit card.
How Much Is a Typical Car Hire Deposit?
The deposit is typically between £250 and £2000 which 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 un-affordable for others so we have found several locations in which we can offer a zero deposit deal. Zero deposits are not available at all locations 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 would always recommend calling us as we know which companies we can arrange this with and their restrictions. That being said however you may be able to find a no deposit deal using our online booking engine, here’s how:
Type your location & dates into the booking engine at the top of the page
Click the search button and we’ll retrieve all the live prices for you
Go through each rental company on the left hand side filter
Read the “Important Information” of each company
The deposit information will typically be found under the “Payment” tab
Car Hire suppliers and their Deposits
We’ve pulled out some example deposits from the larger car rental firms that you can hire from using ourselves & highlighted some of the deposits, but please be aware these can change in particular locations so you need to read the T&Cs. Some of these car hire companies also have certain criteria in order to get their standard deposit down to 0, such as taking out their Zero Excess policies, so please get in touch to find out exactly who they are.
Here are some larger car rental companies in the UK and their typical deposit requirements:
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Do You Offer Car Hire No Deposit With A Credit Card?
Majority of people look for hiring a car with no deposit when they are using a debit card, however what about a credit card? You perhaps have a low credit limit and can’t afford to put a large deposit on your card. If this is the case then we can still help, we have suppliers who will accept credit cards and offer a no deposit option, just like we have the same option for debit cards. 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 no deposit car hire offer locations.
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This is not an exhaustive list, we can car hire with no deposit required in many more locations, in order to get this car rental no deposit deal you must call our team directly as this cannot be arranged when you book online. Contact our dedicated and friendly team today to arrange your car hire with no deposit at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.
How a car rental deposit works
The large majority of suppliers the offer car hire all take a pre-authorized deposit upon arrival to the rental desk.
As we deal with many various suppliers the amount that is taken for the deposit can vary. The other factor which 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 generally the lowest, however 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 ranging between £500 and £2000.
The deposit is pre-authorized amount which is just held on the drivers credit or debit card. The amount is not debited from the card it is just held for the duration of the rental, and it is then released when the vehicle has been returned. This can sometimes take around 5 working days to show as available on your account again.
What Types Of Cars Can I Hire With No Deposit?
When looking to hire a car with no deposit you limit the amount of suppliers which means you also limit the pool of cars you have available to yourselves, however there are still a large amount of vehicles to choose from, here are a few of the vehicle types & examples of each:
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
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* Please be aware that within each country there will be a limited amount of locations that we are able to offer you car hire with no deposit from.
Deals With No Deposit
If you are looking to hire a car with no deposit 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
Along with getting a no deposit deal we can also offer you the opportunity to hire with a debit card. Most rental companies accept credit cards, however we’ve managed to arrange a deal that means you can 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 when you pick up the car in one location and 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 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 that means the car rental companies criteria you can get them added as an additional driver. Most companies charge for this service however 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 starting from £200 in a significant amount of locations. The best way in which to find out where we offer this is to contact us directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire with a low credit limit?
Yes certainly. A low credit limit is often a motivator to hire with no deposit as some rental companies can freeze a very high amount on your card that your credit limit may not be able to cover. A no deposit car hire is a good way of getting round this issue.
Do I need good credit to rent a car?
It depends on the rental company that you go to. Some rental companies will do a soft credit check, however not all of them, please get in touch with us directly.
Is no deposit car hire available everywhere?
Unfortunately no, there is only a few specific suppliers that we work with who can offer no deposit, which means that locations are limited. We do however have a lot of locations across the world, so please get in touch to find out more.
Are there low deposit options as well?
Anywhere we don’t have a no deposit option we usually can arrange a low deposit deal, which is around £200.
Customer Feedback
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Indigo Car Hire
Average rating:
4 reviews
John mc
Feb 2, 2021
by John mc
...
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
Sarah
Jun 9, 2020
by Sarah
Recommended
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
Mariusz Kowalewski
Oct 22, 2017
by Mariusz Kowalewski
First-class quality of service
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.
Allison
Oct 12, 2016
by Allison
Top notch
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! 🙂
