Car rental with a debit card: which companies and airports accept it

Why it varies this much

The deposit is the reason. A credit card can be pre-authorised and released; a debit card cannot be held the same way, so accepting one is a risk the supplier chooses to take. A prepaid card is a different thing again and is almost always refused - we never claim one will be accepted.

If you only have a debit card, filter for it before you fall in love with a price. At some airports the choice is wide; at others there is effectively none.

Where it is best, and where it is worst

46 airports, each figure a median across every sweep of that market. Click through for the full report on any of them.

Every figure here comes from searches we ran ourselves and kept — no supplier supplies us with data, and nothing is estimated. How we measure this.

Which companies take a debit card

From DiscoverCars' own listing for every desk we check at 25 airports (2 October 2026 to 16 October 2026): 61 of 198 companies took a debit card for the deposit at one or more of their desks. These are the ones taking it at the most airports.

"18 of 24" means: of the airports where we found Budget, its desk took a debit card at 18. 41 more companies took one at fewer airports. Acceptance is set per desk and often per car, and the card must be in the main driver's name; prepaid cards are a different thing and almost always refused. Check the deposit terms of the exact car before you book - our search shows them on every car.

Common questions

Can you rent a car with a debit card?

Yes, at many European airports, but not everywhere: across the 46 airports we measure, a median 31% of hire cars accept a debit card for the deposit, from 52% at Venice Airport (VCE) to 0% at Dublin Airport (DUB). The card must be in the main driver's name. Measured by Car Rental Brain across 46 airports, last updated 16 October 2026.

Which car rental companies accept debit cards?

Of 198 companies we checked at 25 airports, 61 took a debit card for the deposit at one or more desks. Those taking it at the most airports: Budget (18 of 24 airports); SIXT (16 of 25 airports); Avis (16 of 24 airports); Dollar (16 of 20 airports); Hertz (15 of 23 airports); Alamo (12 of 24 airports). Acceptance is set per desk and often per car. Measured by Car Rental Brain across 46 airports, last updated 16 October 2026.

Which airports are best for car hire with a debit card?

The highest shares of cars accepting a debit card that we measured: Venice Airport (VCE) 52%, Alicante Airport (ALC) 50%, Pisa Airport (PSA) 50%, Madrid Airport (MAD) 49%, Barcelona Airport (BCN) 47%. Measured by Car Rental Brain across 46 airports, last updated 16 October 2026.

Where is it hardest to hire a car with a debit card?

The lowest shares we measured: Dublin Airport (DUB) 0%, Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) 0%, Lisbon Airport (LIS) 1%, Porto Airport (OPO) 1%. At these, plan on a credit card in the main driver's name. Measured by Car Rental Brain across 46 airports, last updated 16 October 2026.

Can I use a prepaid card for the car hire deposit?

Almost never. A prepaid card is a different thing from a debit card and is almost always refused for the deposit, so we never claim one will be accepted. Check the deposit terms of the exact car before you book.