Car hire prices at Madrid Airport

For November 2026, booked around a month before your trip, a good price at Madrid Airport is £24 a day on average for a Compact car, the Ford Focus size. An Economy car, the Peugeot 208 size, averages £20 a day, while a Mini car such as a Fiat 500 averages £16. In the last 2 weeks, the Compact car averages £20 a day, £4 less a day than around a month before. Use the price checker to compare your quote for your exact dates.

For November 2026 at Madrid Airport, wait until around 2 weeks before your trip for the lower average price: a Compact car costs £20 a day then, against £24 around a month before. Across the year, a Compact car averages £42 a day around 9 months before your trip and £25 in the last 2 weeks, so you have not missed the cheaper booking window. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 65% of our customers book within a month of pickup, so you would not be unusual in leaving it until then.

Drivalia is the cheapest company at Madrid Airport for a Compact car over the last 12 months, averaging £19 a day, but does not yet have enough reviews for a score. If you want a scored alternative, Budget averages £34 a day for a Compact car over the last 12 months, from 1,559 prices, and scores 86/100 from 85 reviews. Budget accepts debit cards for some cars only, so check your chosen car's card rule before booking.

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.

Sixt is the best-reviewed company at Madrid Airport, scoring 88/100 from 31 reviews, but you should allow for an average desk wait of 24 minutes. Sixt is not the cheapest: a Compact car averages £42 a day over the last 12 months, from 6,731 prices. Drivalia is cheapest for a Compact car over the same period at £19 a day and does not yet have enough reviews for a score. If collection time matters more to you, compare Alamo, which scores 81/100 from 33 reviews and averages an 8-minute desk wait.

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 Madrid Airport, typical deposits range from £128 with Key N Go to £1,708 with Goldcar, and 3 of the 16 companies accept a debit card, so check card eligibility before comparing prices. Another 3 companies, Sixt, Budget and Record, accept debit cards for some cars only; 10 require a credit card. Filter for a debit card before you compare prices, then check the deposit and card rule beside your chosen car. Extras charged at the desk 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 Madrid Airport, check card rules, deposit holds and collection waits before booking, because a low daily price does not tell you whether you can collect the car promptly. 10 of the 16 desks require a credit card, and another 3 accept debit cards for some cars only, so confirm your chosen car accepts the card you will bring. Goldcar typically holds £1,708, so check that your card can cover the deposit as well as your other spending. Flizzr averages a 42-minute desk wait, so leave room for collection before arranging anything after landing.

Only 90% of prices at Madrid Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

At Madrid Airport, choose a Compact car such as a Ford Focus for up to 5 people with no more than 3 bags, averaging £24 a day in November 2026 around a month before your trip. A Compact car seats 5 but takes only 3 bags, so check luggage capacity before filling every seat. For November 2026 at the same lead time, step down to an Economy car such as a Peugeot 208 at £20 a day if 2 bags suffice, or up to an Intermediate car such as a Seat Toledo at £28 a day for 4 bags; both seat 5, but neither takes 5 bags. 62% of cars offered are automatic, so tick that filter if you prefer an easier gearbox; across all batches, a Compact car averages £39 a day as an automatic versus £35 as a manual, £4 more a day, from 88,756 prices. Electric cars account for 9% of cars offered and hybrids for 5%, so filter specifically if you want either rather than assuming your chosen car will have that powertrain.