I-VII 07:00 – 00:00
Key takeaway: Rentauto (rentauto.pt) is a small off-airport Faro supplier with a free shuttle from FAO Car Park 4. Verified Trustpilot data is thin (around 9.1 from ~7 reviews) but DiscoverCars gives them 8/10 on verified rentals. Pricing sits in the Faro mid-tier — about €15–€40 per day for an economy depending on season. Two important context facts for 2026: do not confuse Rentauto with Auto Rent (autorent.pt — a different company), and A22 Via do Infante tolls have been abolished since 1 January 2025. Compare on DiscoverCars with Full Coverage to neutralise the sparse Trustpilot signal.
| Category | Rentauto low season | Rentauto peak | USD daily peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini / Economy | ~€15–€25/day | ~€30–€55/day | $32 – $59 |
| Compact | ~€22–€32/day | ~€42–€70/day | $45 – $76 |
| Compact SUV | ~€38–€55/day | ~€75–€115/day | $81 – $124 |
| Family estate (often free upgrade) | ~€28–€42/day | ~€55–€85/day | $59 – $92 |
Rentauto's small fleet and review sample mean prices vary more than at major brands. Re-quote on DiscoverCars before booking.
Faro Airport rental brands ranked (2026)
Highest-rated local. Family-run, no hidden fees, transparent contract. Full Cover at €9/day. The benchmark for trustworthy Faro pickup.
Subject of this guide. Light touch on paperwork, occasional free upgrades reported, low review volume. Good fallback when bigger brands are sold out.
Verified-rental scores are excellent. Counter pressure on Smart Cover upsell.
Headline cheap. Documented €140/week Smart Cover pressure and slow fuel-deposit refunds.
Often the cheapest headline rate at FAO. Heavy complaints about post-rental damage charges and after-hours disputes.
Aggregates Rentauto with Auto Jardim, Drive on Holidays, Centauro, Sixt and majors in one search. Adds Full Coverage at €4–€7 per day. Book via auto-jardim.com/car-rental.
Two similar names confuse renters and even some online directories. Rentauto (rentauto.pt) is the off-airport Faro supplier described above. Auto Rent / Autorent (autorent.pt) is a separate Portimão-based family company in business since 1976. Different websites, different Trustpilot profiles, different fleets. If you are searching for “Rentauto Faro”, make sure you land on rentauto.pt — not autorent.pt.
Two pickup environments at FAO:
The A22 motorway tolls were abolished from 1 January 2025 and remain abolished in 2026. Foreign-plated rental cars are no longer auto-billed. The electronic gantries are still in place but inert. One legacy risk: a Trustpilot Rentauto review from December 2023 reported a £540 charge for unpaid 2020-era tolls plus admin and penalty fees. The A22 abolition reduces this risk going forward, but any Faro rental crossing other Portuguese motorways (A1, A2, A6) still requires a Via Verde transponder or Easytoll registration.
| Item | Direct Rentauto + counter | Same booking via DiscoverCars |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate | €161 ($174) | €140 ($151) |
| SCDW / Full Cover | ~€20/day → +€140 | €5/day → +€35 |
| Tyre + windscreen | +€42 | Included |
| Cross-border Spain (Ayamonte) | +€40 if needed | +€0 declared in booking |
| Out-of-hours pickup | +€30 if requested | Variable |
| Cash out before fuel | ~€413 ($446) | ~€215 ($232) |
Rentauto's base CDW carries an excess around €900–€1 500. Counter SCDW at €18–€25 per day adds €130–€175 to a week's bill and excludes tyres, glass and undercarriage. Buy DiscoverCars Full Coverage at €4–€7 per day. Saving €100–€140 per week with broader scope.
Off-road damage voids CDW everywhere — including Rentauto's contract. Stop at the last paved car park and walk in for Espinhaço de Cão beaches, Carvalho, Benagil and Marinha. Vegetation pinstripe scratches and sand inside wheel wells are routinely charged at €80–€250 by Faro counters.
Petrol 95: €2.01–€2.07 per litre national average (€2.009/L on 18 May 2026 per GlobalPetrolPrices). Diesel: €1.80–€1.95 per litre. Algarve pumps sit within €0.03 of national. Cheapest: Intermarché, Continente Galp, Prio off A22. Highway and airport Galp/BP run €0.10–€0.15 per litre higher. Fill within 5 km of FAO at a Prio or Intermarché on return.
No. Rentauto operates off-airport. Meet at Car Park 4 (P4), free shuttle to their depot — about 5 minutes from the terminal.
About 9.1 out of 10 — but across only ~7 reviews. Low sample, treat as indicative. On verified rentals via DiscoverCars they score 8 out of 10.
No. Rentauto is at rentauto.pt and operates from Faro. Auto Rent / Autorent is at autorent.pt — a Portimão-based family company since 1976. Different businesses entirely.
No. A22 Via do Infante tolls were abolished from 1 January 2025 and remain abolished in 2026. Foreign-plated rentals are no longer auto-billed. Other Portuguese motorways (A1, A2) still toll.
Mid-tier Faro pricing — about €140–€175 base in low season, rising to €260–€350 in summer peak. Add €35 for Full Coverage. Re-quote on DiscoverCars.
Yes — Schengen, no checkpoint at Ayamonte. Declare cross-border at booking to avoid the €30–€50 counter fee.
Rentauto is off-airport, so there is no desk inside the terminal. After landing you head to the designated meeting point (renters report the P4 car-park area) and take their short shuttle to the office. The most common complaint is vague directions, so save Rentauto’s phone number and message them once you have your bags — allow an extra 15–20 minutes versus an in-terminal brand.
Yes. Rentauto blocks a security/excess deposit on a credit card in the main driver’s name at pickup, typically several hundred to over a thousand euros depending on the car group and the cover you take. Debit and prepaid cards are usually only accepted if you buy full coverage, so confirm your card type before travelling to avoid being refused the car after the shuttle ride.
