Hire car parked on a Los Cristianos seafront road with the Atlantic behind it

No-Excess Car Hire in Tenerife: Insurance Explained

Local Canary firms such as Cicar and Autoreisen build zero-excess cover into the headline price, so there is no deposit to block and no desk upsell to dodge. Here is how that differs from the airport brands.

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Tenerife's Two-Tier Insurance Market

Hiring a car in Tenerife splits cleanly into two camps, and the gap between them is mostly about insurance. Local Canary firms quote a price that is the price; the international airport brands quote a low online rate, then rebuild the cost at the desk through excess and waivers. Knowing which camp you are dealing with before you book saves both money and an argument at the counter.

Examples of the local tier include Cicar, Autoreisen, Cabrera Medina, Sanasty and PlusCar; the deposit-and-excess tier is led by names such as Goldcar and Record go. A waiver sold at the counter can quietly double or triple the cost of a week's hire, which is why so many arrivals at the airport feel ambushed. If you are picking up at the terminal, our airport car hire guide walks through which desks belong to which camp.

Which? consumer surveys rate the local Canary operators highly, with Autoreisen frequently coming out cheapest at around GBP 21 a day, all-in.

What 'No Excess' Really Covers — and the Gaps

"A todo riesgo sin franquicia" means fully comprehensive cover with zero excess: damage to the car is the firm's problem, not a sum you have to fight to claim back later. That is the headline benefit, and it is genuine. The catch is that even on this generous standard cover, several common mishaps sit outside the policy.

Commonly excluded from basic cover

Lost or locked-in keys
Windscreen and other glass
Tyres and wheels
Underbody and undercarriage damage
Misfuelling (putting petrol in a diesel, or the reverse)
Personal belongings left in the car

Autoreisen sells a cheap "Comfort Plus" add-on at roughly EUR 2 a day that closes most of these gaps, which is far better value than a desk waiver. Read your own policy before you sign, because the excluded list varies between firms and a single cracked windscreen can otherwise cost more than the whole hire.

Driving on unpaved or off-road tracks voids cover with virtually every firm. Several of the dirt approach roads near Teide and the rural trailheads on our things-to-do page fall into that category, so check the surface before you turn off the tarmac: /things-to-do-around-los-cristianos/

Do You Need a Standalone UK Excess Policy?

A standalone UK excess policy from a provider like iCarHireInsurance or Questor reimburses the excess you pay out after a claim. Whether it earns its place depends entirely on which tier you booked with.

Worth it with airport brokers: an annual policy is often cheaper than a single week of the desk's super cover, and it covers the gaps the broker tries to upsell.
Largely redundant with a zero-excess local firm: there is no excess to reimburse, so you would be paying twice for the same protection.
A reasonable middle ground: some frequent hirers keep an annual policy anyway as a catch-all across destinations and firms.

In short, match the policy to the hire. If you book through a local zero-excess firm from our comparison on the home page, separate excess cover usually adds nothing; if you are stuck with an airport broker, it is one of the few ways to claw the cost back. Either way, knowing the local driving rules helps, and our Tenerife driving guide covers the practical side.

Pick-Up Checklist

Five minutes at the desk and in the car park spares you most disputes at drop-off. Run through this before you drive away.

Photograph every panel, all four wheels and the windscreen at pick-up, then again at return.
Confirm the fuel policy is full-to-full, not full-to-empty.
Check the mandatory V-16 emergency beacon is in the glovebox; missing it risks a EUR 200 fine from 1 January 2026.
Bring the right card: a debit card is fine with most local firms, but airport brokers usually demand a credit card in the lead driver's name.
Read the cover sheet for excluded items such as keys, glass, tyres and underbody before you sign.

Taking the car between islands by ferry needs the firm's written permission and may affect cover; our ferry port guide explains the paperwork before you sail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Tenerife firms have no excess and no deposit?

The local Canary operators are the ones to look for: Cicar, Autoreisen, Cabrera Medina, Sanasty and PlusCar all build zero-excess, fully comprehensive cover into the headline price, typically with no or only a low deposit. The airport international brands such as Goldcar and Record go do the opposite, blocking a large excess on your card instead.

Do I need a credit card to hire a car?

Not with most local firms. Cicar, for instance, accepts debit and even cash, so a credit card is optional. Airport brokers almost always insist on a credit card in the lead driver's name to hold the excess pre-authorisation, so if you only carry a debit card, a local firm is the safer choice.

Do I need separate excess insurance in the Canaries?

If you hire from a zero-excess local firm, no, because there is no excess for a policy to reimburse. If you book through an airport broker on a deposit-and-excess rate, a standalone annual UK policy is genuinely useful and is often cheaper than one week of the desk's super cover.

Are tyres and windscreen covered?

Often not, even on zero-excess basic cover. Tyres, glass, keys, underbody damage and misfuelling are commonly excluded across firms. Autoreisen's “Comfort Plus” add-on at around EUR 2 a day closes most of these gaps, so it is worth asking about when you book.

What is the deposit on an airport hire car?

Airport brands block the excess as a pre-authorisation rather than charging it, and that excess is often in the EUR 900-1,500 range on a small hatchback; confirm the exact figure per booking. The amount is frozen on your credit card for the whole hire, so make sure the card has enough headroom.

Can I pay with a debit card?

Yes, with most of the local Canary firms, a debit card is accepted at the desk. The exception is the airport international brands, which typically require a credit card in the lead driver's name to hold the excess. Note that Autoreisen, although local, is credit-card-only at the counter, so check each firm's terms. Ready to skip the excess and the desk upsell? Compare zero-excess Tenerife hire cars and book the all-in price up front.

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