Autoreisen Car Hire in Tenerife: The No-Deposit Model Explained

Most rental companies in Tenerife, even the better ones, still hold something on your card for the duration of your trip — a deposit against potential damage, sitting there as a pre-authorisation you don’t get back until you’ve handed the keys over at the end. Autoreisen, another name that comes up constantly on the same forum threads as Cicar, does something genuinely different: no deposit at all, and no card details taken even at the point of booking. It’s worth understanding exactly how that works, because “no deposit” sounds almost too good on paper, and knowing where the model’s one real gap sits matters more than the headline claim itself.

No Deposit, No Drama

• Autoreisen takes no security deposit and doesn’t request card details at the time of booking — payment happens at the desk when you collect the car, with nothing held against your card afterward.
• Zero-excess comprehensive insurance is included as standard, the same structural approach as Cicar, rather than sold as a separate upgrade at the counter.
• Debit cards are accepted without issue by most accounts, removing the credit-card requirement that trips some renters up with other local operators.
• The one genuine gap in standard cover — tyres, wheels, lost keys, and the underside of the car — is closable with an inexpensive optional add-on, commonly cited around €2 a day with a cap near €30 regardless of trip length.
• Free second driver, free (non-ISOFIX) child and booster seats, unlimited mileage and free cancellation round out a package that consistently earns comparisons to Cicar rather than to the international brands.

What actually makes Autoreisen different from paying a deposit everywhere else?

The structural difference is the deposit itself, or rather the complete absence of one. Where most companies — including Cicar, at a relatively modest €200–€400 — hold some amount on your card as security, Autoreisen’s model skips that step entirely. There’s no pre-authorisation sitting against your available credit for the length of your trip, no waiting for a hold to clear once you’re home, and no chasing your bank if a release takes longer than expected. For anyone who’s had a frustrating deposit experience with a different company in the past — a hold that took two weeks to clear, a card that got uncomfortably close to its limit mid-trip — this is the single feature that tends to settle the decision on its own.

Do you really not need a credit card at all?

Correct, and this is worth spelling out clearly because it surprises people used to renting elsewhere. Autoreisen doesn’t request card details at booking, and multiple independent accounts describe using a standard debit card without any pushback at pickup. This puts Autoreisen in a noticeably more flexible position than Cicar’s written credit-card-only policy, even though in practice both companies end up being more accommodating than their stricter policy documents might suggest. If you’re specifically travelling without a credit card, or simply don’t want a large chunk of available credit tied up for the length of your trip, Autoreisen removes that question from the equation entirely rather than leaving you hoping for flexibility at the desk.

What’s included free, and what costs extra?

The free list is generous by industry standards: a second driver at no additional charge, standard child and booster seats included (though not ISOFIX specifically — that’s a separate paid option, the same pattern most companies on the island follow), unlimited mileage so a long day out to Masca or up to Teide never becomes a mileage-cap concern, and free cancellation if your plans change before pickup. Where genuine extra costs come in is around specialised equipment — ISOFIX seats, a roof rack (commonly around €2 a day) — and the one meaningful insurance gap covered in the next section.

Should you pay for the tyre/wheel/key add-on?

For most renters planning anything beyond the main coastal and motorway routes, it’s genuinely worth the small cost. Autoreisen is refreshingly upfront about what its standard zero-excess cover doesn’t extend to — tyres, wheels, lost keys, and underside damage — and prices closing that gap at a level low enough that it barely registers against the rest of a trip budget, commonly cited around €2 a day with a total cap near €30. Given that a puncture with no usable spare wheel is one of the more common complaints reported across Tenerife’s rental fleet generally, and that mountain roads like the routes toward Masca or Teide’s summit see more loose gravel and roadside debris than the main motorways, this is one of the rare optional add-ons that’s hard to argue against on value alone.

How does Autoreisen’s insurance actually compare to Cicar’s zero-excess?

Structurally, very similar — both build comprehensive, zero-excess cover into the standard rate rather than treating it as a paid upgrade, which is exactly why the two names keep coming up together on forums as the two real alternatives to the international brands’ upsell-heavy model. The meaningful difference is transparency around the edges: Autoreisen names its excluded items explicitly and prices a specific, affordable add-on to cover them, where Cicar’s equivalent exclusions are less clearly documented in the same way. Neither approach is wrong, but Autoreisen’s clarity here makes it slightly easier to know exactly what you’re covered for before you ever reach the desk.

Where can you pick up and drop off?

Autoreisen operates from both of Tenerife’s airports along with locations across the island’s main resort areas, giving you the same practical flexibility as the larger local operators if your trip involves picking up in one place and returning in another. It’s a genuinely workable choice whether you’re staying in the south around Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos, or basing yourself in the north near Puerto de la Cruz — the no-deposit structure and debit-card flexibility apply consistently across locations rather than varying by counter.

Is Autoreisen actually as good as its reputation suggests?

The pattern in independent reviews holds up well, with the specific praise — no deposit stress, no fuel disputes, straightforward pickup — matching exactly what the stated terms promise rather than reading like generic five-star padding. It sits comfortably alongside Cicar as one of the two local operators that consistently outperform the big international brands on the exact friction points that generate the most complaints elsewhere: hidden excess, aggressive upselling, and deposit disputes. If you’ve already read our full comparison between the two, the short version holds here too — choosing between them comes down to whether you’d rather avoid a deposit hold entirely (Autoreisen) or work with a larger fleet and don’t mind a small, low-risk hold on a credit card (Cicar), rather than one being a clearly stronger overall choice.

FAQ

Does Autoreisen really take zero deposit for a Tenerife car rental? Yes — no deposit is held on your card, and no card details are requested even at the time of booking; payment happens at the desk when you collect the car.

Can I pay with a debit card at Autoreisen in Tenerife? Yes, by most accounts — debit cards are accepted without issue, unlike some local competitors whose written policies require a credit card specifically.

Is Autoreisen’s insurance really zero excess, or is there a catch? The standard cover is genuinely zero excess for collision and theft; the one documented gap is tyres, wheels, keys and underside damage, closable with an inexpensive optional add-on.

Is the tyre and wheel add-on worth paying for with Autoreisen? For most trips involving mountain roads or anything beyond the main motorways, yes — the cost is low (around €2/day, capped near €30) relative to the risk it removes.

Does Autoreisen include a second driver for free? Yes, a second driver is included at no extra charge, the same as Cicar and unlike most international brands, which typically charge a daily fee for this.

Are ISOFIX child seats included free with Autoreisen? No — standard child and booster seats are included free, but ISOFIX seats specifically are a separate paid option, consistent with most Tenerife rental companies.

Is Autoreisen better than Cicar for a Tenerife rental? Neither is objectively better — Autoreisen suits anyone who’d rather avoid any deposit hold at all, while Cicar offers a larger fleet with a low, low-risk deposit; both meaningfully outperform the international brands on the same points.