Barcelona Airport car hire deposits: what each supplier holds on your card

What the numbers say about Barcelona Airport

• Deposits here run from €100 (Malco Rent a Car) to €1,500 (Thrifty) - about 15 times apart, far wider than the prices.
• The cheapest week here (Thrifty, about €206 with a second driver) holds one of the biggest deposits (€1,500): a trade-off, not a bargain.
• Rated 8.6 and holding €100: Malco Rent a Car is the well-rated, lower-deposit choice here, at about €234 a week with a second driver.
• Unusually, 47% of cars here accept a debit card for the deposit.

Every supplier, lowest deposit first

Typical figures across our week-long searches; ratings are DiscoverCars customer reviews.

How deposits split at Barcelona Airport

• Low deposit: 34% of offers
• Average deposit: 27% of offers
• Deposit-free option available: 15% of offers
• No deposit: 10% of offers
• Low deposit option available: 7% of offers
• High deposit: 7% of offers

Barcelona Airport against other airports

Typical deposit: €500 here, against €200 at Bodrum Airport (lowest we measure) and €2,000 at Dublin Airport (highest).

What people get wrong about deposits

• It must be a credit card in the main driver's name - 47% of cars here take a debit card for it.
• Full cover bought when you book does not remove it: the desk still holds the deposit (DiscoverCars' own terms).
• A separate excess policy does not lower it either - it pays you back after a claim.
• It is released after you return the car, usually within days to a few weeks, depending on your bank.