Car hire prices at Azores Santa Maria Airport

Azores Santa Maria Airport averages £70 a day for a Compact car like a Ford Focus when you book about a month before an October 2026 trip. A smaller Economy model such as a Renault Clio averages £62 a day, while a Mini like a Hyundai i10 runs to about £46. An Intermediate, the Hyundai Kauai size, costs £88 a day. Prices on the island shift drastically across the calendar: February 2027 drops to £26 a day for a Mini, while August 2027 reaches £161 for an Intermediate. Check your exact travel dates in the price checker to see what is currently available.

When you book moves the price less than 23% at Azores Santa Maria Airport, so with your dates fixed you can book whenever you are ready. Across the year, booking a Compact car 9 months before your trip averages £70 a day, compared to £64 a month before and £57 within the last 2 weeks. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of people book within 2 weeks of travel and 64% within a month. Travel dates matter far more at Azores Santa Maria Airport than lead time, with February 2027 dropping to £26 a day while August 2027 climbs to £161.

Europcar is the cheapest company at Azores Santa Maria Airport for a Compact car, averaging £56 a day over the last 12 months, but it requires a credit card for the deposit. Sixt charges £77 a day and scores 82/100 from 608 customer reviews, while Europcar scores 84/100 from 1,806 reviews. Ilha Verde is the only desk accepting debit cards, but its Compact cars average £69 a day. All 3 counters are located directly at the terminal.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Ilha Verde is the best-reviewed company at Azores Santa Maria Airport, scoring 85/100 from 158 reviews, with an average desk wait of 22 minutes at pickup. Europcar is close behind with a score of 84/100 from 1,806 reviews and also averages a 22-minute wait, but Europcar costs £56 a day for a Compact car compared to £69 for Ilha Verde. Sixt has the shortest queues at 18 minutes and scores 82/100 from 608 reviews, though Sixt averages £77 a day. All 3 suppliers operate directly inside the terminal building.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At Azores Santa Maria Airport, card deposits range from £428 with Sixt to £3,339 with Ilha Verde, and only 1 of the 3 companies accepts a debit card. Europcar holds £1,370 on a credit card, while Ilha Verde requires £3,339 but allows a debit card. Because 2 of the 3 counters take credit cards only, filter for debit cards on the price checker before comparing offers. Optional desk extras, including child seats and additional drivers, are listed with their rates alongside each car.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

The main catches at Azores Santa Maria Airport are strict credit-card deposit rules and an enormous difference in the funds held by each desk. Ilha Verde accepts debit cards but holds £3,339, which ties up your holiday spending money. The other 2 desks require credit cards and refuse debit cards completely. Flight arrivals can also create bottlenecks, with both Europcar and Ilha Verde desks averaging 22 minutes of waiting time.

Fuel is full tank out, full tank back on 100% of prices at Azores Santa Maria Airport, so there is no fuel charge to be surprised by.

An Economy car like a Renault Clio fits Azores Santa Maria Airport best, costing about £62 a day in October 2026. An Economy seats 5 but carries 2 bags, so a full party with luggage will need soft bags. A couple travelling light can save money with a Mini such as a Hyundai i10 at £46 a day, while a group with more luggage will prefer a Compact Ford Focus at £70. Only 26% of cars offered are automatic, and they cost £6 more a day than manuals, so reserve one early if you cannot drive a stick shift. Electric and hybrid cars are not offered on the island.