Azores car hire

You should hire a car in Azores, as it gives you the freedom to explore the island at your own pace, without having to follow timetables from other modes of transport, like buses. For example, if you are staying in Calheta and you are visiting Farol do Topo, a lighthouse on the southern tip of the island, then you will be able to reach it in about 34min, whereas a trip by bus would take around 1h 30min and also leave you with a roughly 20min walk to the lighthouse. A return taxi would also be quite an expensive way to complete this journey.

When you are driving in Azores, it will be very different to driving in the United Kingdom. You will notice that the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car to which you are used to. In addition, you will be driving on the right-hand side of the road, which also means you will go around roundabouts the opposite way, too. The maximum speed that you’re allowed to travel on the island is 100 km/h (62 mph), which is slower than what you are used to in the UK. When you drive through residential areas, there will be signs informing you of the speed limit, normally 50 km/h (31 mph).

Get in touch with each individual car hire company before you make a booking, as it is likely that they will have varying minimum age policies in place. In general, the minimum age to hire a car in Azores is 19 years of age, but some car hire companies will only hire cars to individuals that are older than this. There will also be a surcharge for many drivers that are under a certain age, often 25, whilst these drivers will also be subject to a smaller range of vehicles, as agencies often reserve the more powerful vehicles for the more experienced drivers.

Mini (Renault Twingo or similar) is the most frequently booked car hire type in Azores.

Take a look at our extensive car hire location map to find the best car hire deals near you.

Based on car searches on KAYAK, the most popular cities to hire a car in Azores are Ponta Delgada (60% of total searches of users looking to hire a car in Azores), Lajes (20%) and Vila Franca do Campo (20%).