Car-hire comparison
Every supplier, ranked by what you will actually pay: the second driver, the mileage cap and the deposit included.
Built in the western Algarve by Jimi, who collects a hire car from Faro almost every month.
Why I built it
What it does
Comparison sites sort by the headline rate. Car Rental Brain works the parts of the price they leave out — the second driver, the deposit, the excess, the counter you collect from — and watches the price after you book.
Add a second driver and the fee is in every price from the start, at the local going rate. Mileage caps, cross-border permission and the fuel your trip will use are folded in too — so the cheapest sticker is never mistaken for the cheapest trip.
No confirmation number, no lock-in. Paste your dates and price; we check every supplier for a cheaper like-for-like deal.
A city is not one rental desk. Faro returns cars from 27 separate pick-up points and London from over a hundred, at prices that differ several times over. We rank every counter by price and by how far it is from you.
The deposit is held on the main driver's card, and most suppliers want a credit card in their name. At Faro only 26 of 1,470 cars accept a debit card. We show you those instead of letting you find out at the counter.
A cheap headline is often an insurance play: a Lisbon car at €7.50 for a week carries a €1,400 excess and €53.43 for full cover. We put the cover price and the deposit beside the rental, so you can see which is really the cheap one.
Hiring for 40 days or more? We price every way of covering it with back-to-back legs, and say so right in your results when splitting wins.
Rates move daily. Ask us to watch your dates and we'll email you when it's worth rebooking cheaper — opt-in, one click to stop.
Market reports
Not opinions about car hire — measurements of it, taken on a schedule and kept. Each report says how many searches it is built on and how every figure was worked out.
The same thing, priced several times over from one airport to the next - and comparison sites leave it out of the price.
The deposit is pre-authorised on the main driver's card, and it has to fit.
We flag a shut desk on every car before you book, not after your flight lands.
How it works
Pick up, drop off, driver age. Or paste a booking you've already made — we'll beat it.
Every supplier on DiscoverCars, with the second-driver fee (if you want one) and cross-border rules folded into one honest total.
Book direct in a click. Ask for a price watch on the results page and we'll email you if it drops enough to rebook — nothing is monitored unless you ask.
Why it's different
They are good at listing every car. Here is what the headline price leaves on the table.
| Capability | Typical comparison site | Car Rental Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Beat a booking you already made | Start over from scratch | No confirmation number needed |
| Second-driver fee in the headline price | Added at the counter | In the total when you add one |
| Chain back-to-back legs on 40+ day hires | One quote only | Splits when it's cheaper |
| Cross-border permission flagged | Find out at the desk | Shown before booking |
| Watch the price and alert to rebook | Check back manually | Automatic email alerts |
Search a new trip, or check a booking you have already made: no account, no confirmation number.