Terms & Conditions 2010:

Please Note: Any client wishing to hire our vehicles must be over 23 years of age and have held a full drivers license for at least 1 year. A valid drivers license and passport will be required for presentation to our representative before renting the vehicles in order to validate the rental terms of all our vehicles.

What is Included:

Our rates include unlimited mileage, in addition, the following items are included in our car hire rates. This information is for general guidance only since many items may depend on the specific vehicle type you wish to hire in Portugal.

All required car hire insurances. subject to an excess of €450 for groups H and L, €750 for groups D and J, €850 for goups I and K

Buy-out of the Vehicle's Insurance Excess. The car hire vehicles are sold with an insurance excess. This is explained in the section Whats's Not Included? below.

When you collect the car hire at Faro, you'll be asked to leave a credit card imprint as a guarantee for fuel deposit and excess insurance. Providing you return the vehicle undamaged at the end of the car hire and with the correct amount of fuel as on collection, this will be returned to the client on return. In the unlikely event that you damage the car hire vehicle, your maximum liability is limited to the car hire insurance excess value as detailed above. Buying out the insurance excess for each car is explained in detail in our section What's Not Included?

Our car hire rates at are fully inclusive of local sales and airport taxes.

Additional Drivers: You may add additional drivers to your car hire on arrival in Portugal at no extra cost.

Driving into Spain:

Please consult our local representative if you require to to travel across the borders into Spain with regard to insurance required, accidents and vehicle recovery arrangements.

 What's not included in our car hire rates:

Fuel is not included!

The fuel that you consume during your car hire is obviously not included in our our published car hire rates! On arrival at the car hire station, you will collect the car hire vehicle with an agreed amount of fuel by both parties. At the end of the car hire, return the car hire vehicle with the same ammount of fuel or a charge to the difference will be charged.

Buying out the Insurance Excess:

Clients have the option of taking out an extra insurance to avoid the excess by paying locally the following charges: €20 per week for groups H and L, €30 per week for groups D and J, €40 per week for goups I and K

Purchasing insurance excess buy-out is not a "licence to kill" and you will still be responsible for items like tyre, wheel, glass, lost coded keys or damage to the underside of the car hire vehicle. The car hire company may still require you to leave a credit card imprint to cover extensions to your car hire contract or traffic fines. - see below.

Lost car hire vehicle keys:

Vehicle keys are chip-coded and are costly and timely items to replace. If you lose the car hire vehicle's key, you will be obliged to pay for its replacement (approximately EUR 120.00) plus any associated transport costs in connecting you with a new vehicle key. More importantly, your holiday car hire in Portugal may be seriously affected while you wait for a new key to be prepared for your car hire vehicle. Please take good care of the car hire vehicle key while you're on holiday in Portugal!

Using the wrong fuel type for your car hire vehicle:

Putting gasoline into a diesel car (or vice versa) requires the engine to be stripped down and cleaned. If you put the wrong fuel into the car, expect a hefty garage bill and several days with your car "off-the-road" while the car is repaired.

Blow-outs are at your own risk:

If you have a puncture during the rental the car hire company will hold you responsible for the repair/replacement cost. All our cars are delivered with a road-worthy set of tyres which are inspected prior to each delivery. Typically, bad parking or driving off-road are the most common causes of punctures during a rental period.

Off-road or negligent use:

Our car hire vehicles in Portugal are rented for use on the public highways of Portugal. They cannot be used off-road. Although a very rare ocurrance, we'd like you to be aware that damage to the underside of the car hire vehicle is frequently caused by negligent driving or off-road which is your responsibility. Drunk driving a hire car or driving under the influence of drugs is considered negligent use.

Traffic fines:

Traffic fines, speeding tickets incurred at the wheel of your car are at your own risk.

Vehicle glass & locks:

It is a sad reality that in most holiday resorts in Portugal, auto-theft is a day-to-day ocurrance. If you park up the car hire vehicle with personal items inside and, as a consequence, the glass or locks are damaged in an attempt to steal your personal effects, you will be responsible for the associated repair costs to the car hire vehicle. We strongly recommend that you park the vehicle in supervised car parks/garages and never leave any personal item inside the car hire vehicle.

Damage to the vehicle's underside:

Damage to the vehicle's underside is the responsibility of the renter. Although a very rare ocurrance, damage caused by driving off-road, impacts from rocks or other items to the underside can cause considerable damage to the vehicle. If this situation arises, you will be responsible for the repair costs.

The following items can be added to your car hire reservation in Portugal :

Baby Seats:

Baby seats are suitable for new-born babies until approximately 6 months of age. Baby seats are normally available on car hire vehicles on request. There is a charge of €15 per week for these seats which is payable on arrival in Portugal. You must reserve baby seats at the same time as you reserve your car hire.

Child seats:

Child seats are suitable for young children from approximately 6 months of age until 2-3 years of age. Child seats are supplied for car hire vehicles on request. There is a charge of €15 per week for these seats which is payable on arrival in Portugal. You must reserve child seats at the same time as you reserve your car hire.

Booster Seats:

Booster seats are suitable for young children. Booster seats are supplied for car hire vehicles on request. There is a charge of €15 per week for these seats which is payable on arrival at in Portugal. You must reserve booster seats at the same time as you reserve your car hire.

Cross border charges:

You can take your car hire vehicle to tour outside of Portugal a distance of 100km only beyond the Portuguese border.
You must however return to the car hire company in Portugal at the end of the car hire period. You may not rent vehicles one-way from Portugal, leaving them in another country.

General Terms:

Roof Racks are not available.

Cars are reserved by groups, the model quoted is an example of the car size and we reserve the right to substitute an alternative model in the same group where necessary.

The vehicles are parked at the airport and are collected and returned at the same car park (Park 4) If a vehicle is returned to another car park the client will be charged accordingly to the time parked.

If a client is dissatisfied in any way with the condition of the vehicle, this must be reported straight away to the Zitauto representative. If neede the car can be changed at the begining of the rental.

Out of Hours Emergencies ONLY Tel Number: 912 255 085

Head Office:

Rua Hermenegildo da Piedade, Bloco 2 - Loja Dta, 8125-222 Quarteria, Portugal.