Car hire prices at Bucharest Airport

Bucharest Airport averages around £27 a day for a Compact car like a Dacia Jogger booked about a month before an October 2026 trip, alongside £23 for an Economy and £33 for an Intermediate. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Compact slightly to £26. Across the year, prices swing from £21 a day for a Mini in December 2026 up to £109 for an executive car in January 2027. If your quote looks higher, the price checker will show the going rate for your exact travel dates.

For October 2026 at Bucharest Airport, booking late saves money: a Compact averages £27 a day a month before your flight and drops to £26 in the last 2 weeks. Booking 9 months before your trip averages £41 a day across the year, so waiting until 2 weeks out saves about 46% at £28. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 2 weeks of travel. December 2026 is the cheapest month on record at £21 a day, while January 2027 peaks at £109.

Payless is the cheapest company at Bucharest Airport for a Compact car, averaging £14 a day over the last 12 months, but requires a credit card for a £1,199 deposit. Payless scores 68/100 from 62 customer reviews, whereas Alamo averages £35 a day from 1,150 prices and scores 90/100 from 48 reviews. All 17 counters sit at the airport terminal, so you avoid shuttle buses regardless of supplier.

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.

Alamo is the best-reviewed company at Bucharest Airport, scoring 90 out of 100 from 48 reviews with an average desk wait of 18 minutes. Alamo averages £35 a day for a Compact car over the last 12 months from 1,150 prices. Sixt scores 89/100 from 100 reviews with a 19-minute wait at the desk. Payless charges £14 a day for a Compact car, but its review score drops to 68/100.

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 Bucharest Airport, card deposits range from £257 with Green Motion up to £2,141 with Carwiz, and only 1 of the 17 rental counters accepts a debit card. Because 16 counters insist on a credit card, you should filter for debit card acceptance on the price checker before comparing offers if you do not carry one. The required deposit amount and accepted cards appear alongside each vehicle in the search results. Optional extras charged at the desk are listed beneath each car with their exact prices.

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

Two main snags catch people out at Bucharest Airport: deposits reaching £2,141 that only go on a credit card, and desk queues reaching 36 minutes. Of the 17 desks, 16 turn down debit cards, so arriving without a credit card in the lead driver's name leaves you stranded at the counter. Wait times also diverge sharply, running from 7 minutes at Green Motion to 36 minutes at Budget. Check both the card rules and the supplier wait times before you commit.

Only 72% of prices at Bucharest Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

For up to 5 passengers heading out onto longer country roads, pick a Compact like the Dacia Jogger at Bucharest Airport, averaging £27 a day in October 2026. It seats 5 people but holds only 3 bags, so a full group with luggage should consider stepping up to an Intermediate like the Dacia Duster, which takes 4 bags at £33 a day. Downsizing to an Economy car like the Dacia Logan costs £23 a day but limits luggage space to 2 bags. Automatics account for 49% of cars offered and cost £4 more a day than manuals, while hybrids make up just 6% of cars offered, meaning petrol or diesel power remains the standard choice.