Car hire prices at Azores Santa Maria Airport

For November 2026, booked around a month before your trip, a Compact car such as a Ford Focus averages £58 a day at Azores Santa Maria Airport, giving you a benchmark for comparing your quote. An Economy car such as a Renault Clio averages £47 a day in November 2026, while a Mini such as a Hyundai i10 averages £40. Waiting until the last 2 weeks barely changes prices, so do not delay solely to chase a discount. Use the price checker to compare prices for your exact dates.

Timing barely matters at Azores Santa Maria Airport: a Compact booked 9 months ahead is £70 a day and one booked 2 weeks ahead £56. Book when your plans are firm and spend the time on the company and the hire car instead. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, half of our customers book a hire car within 16 days of pickup.

Ilha Verde is cheapest at Azores Santa Maria Airport for a Compact car over the last 12 months, averaging £64 a day, and you get an airport desk that accepts debit cards. Ilha Verde scores 85/100 from 152 reviews, but you should allow for a typical deposit of £1,281. Europcar averages £67 a day for a Compact car over the same period, £3 more a day, and also scores 85/100, from 1,736 reviews. Choose Ilha Verde if you need to use a debit card, because Europcar requires a credit card.

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 joint best-reviewed at Azores Santa Maria Airport with Europcar, scoring 85/100 from 152 reviews with a 21-minute average desk wait, so compare both rather than assuming a single winner. Europcar also scores 85/100, from 1,736 reviews, and its desk wait averages 23 minutes. Ilha Verde is also cheapest for a Compact car over the last 12 months at £64 a day, while Europcar averages £67 a day for that class. If you need a debit-card option, choose Ilha Verde rather than Europcar.

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, typical deposits range from £427 with Sixt to £1,366 with Europcar, but only 1 of the 3 companies accepts a debit card, so check your card before comparing prices. Ilha Verde accepts debit cards and typically holds £1,281; Sixt and Europcar require credit cards. Filter for a debit card before comparing prices, then check the deposit and card rule beside your chosen car. Extras charged at the desk, such as a child seat or an additional driver, are listed under each car with their price.

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

At Azores Santa Maria Airport, check your card and available balance before booking, because 2 of the 3 companies require a credit card and a deposit ties up your available balance. Europcar requires a credit card and typically holds £1,366, while Ilha Verde accepts debit cards but typically holds £1,281. Sixt holds £427 but also requires a credit card, so a smaller deposit does not solve a debit-card problem. Leave room in your pickup plans for the desk wait: Europcar averages 23 minutes, Ilha Verde 21 minutes and Sixt 18 minutes.

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.

For a family, choose a Compact car such as a Ford Focus at Azores Santa Maria Airport, averaging £67 a day across all batches from 1,319 prices, if 3 bags cover your luggage. A Compact car seats 5 but takes 3 bags, so check luggage capacity before booking a full car. Across all batches, an Economy car such as a Renault Clio averages £50 a day from 899 prices and takes 2 bags, while an Intermediate car such as a Hyundai Kauai averages £77 a day from 620 prices and takes 4 bags. Only 27% of cars offered over the last 12 months are automatic, so filter first if you need one; across all batches, an automatic Compact car averages £69 a day against £62 for a manual Compact car, £7 more a day. Electric and hybrid cars do not appear among the cars offered over the last 12 months, so do not plan your hire around either.