Funchal Drive - Funchal Aeroporto Reviews 244

We had a great time in Madeira with the rental car. Funchal drive had good prices and service except for the pick up shuttle. We waited really long at the airport for them and when they finally arrived there were too many people waiting so we had to wait for two more shuttles till we finally left. Otherwise the staff was really nice and we would book it again.

Good service, nice car!

I rented from Funchal Drive / Auto Union and it was the worst rental experience I have ever had, start to finish.
It began with their app promising pickup within 5 minutes of arriving at the designated airport spot. Instead, I made nearly 20 phone calls that went unanswered and waited well over an hour before anyone showed up.
When they finally did, they handed us a car with serious brake problems. The brakes were grinding from the moment we pulled out of their facility. We turned around to bring it straight back, but the office had already closed for the day, leaving us no choice but to drive a clearly unsafe vehicle across the island to where we were staying, with the brakes getting worse the entire way.
The next day the automatic transmission started overheating and slipping. I called about the safety of the car and they answered exactly one of roughly 15 calls, said they would look into it, and never called back. The only responses I got were occasional texts telling me to "try locking and unlocking the doors," which has nothing whatsoever to do with a failing transmission. The car then jammed in the wrong gear and lurched into drive when I put it in reverse, nearly causing an accident. This vehicle was plainly not maintained, and the company showed no concern for our safety.
We were then left stranded for several hours while the company stayed largely unresponsive and combative every time we did reach them. After all of that back and forth, they finally agreed to swap the car, then showed up with a much smaller, cheaper vehicle that could not fit all of our bags and passengers.
The return was the final insult. I confirmed with them directly that I could drop the car at 8am when the office opened and catch their shuttle to the airport for a flight that began boarding at 8:25 (again, supposedly a 5 minute drive). The office did not open at 8. After waiting 10 minutes with no one in sight, I had to bang on the door and call out for help so I would not miss my flight. An employee cleaning other cars responded by yelling profanities and threats, telling me it "wasn't his responsibility" and that he was angry I wanted to be checked in quickly.
To top it off, the receipt hit my email with a fuel charge, despite the fact that I returned the tank with more fuel than was agreed upon.
This company is extraordinarily disorganized, runs a dangerous fleet, and does not care about customer safety or service in the slightest. They should not be allowed to operate. This is a scam that preys on visitors to the island. Buyer beware.

Nice people, fast check-in and check-out. Good documentation of vehicles sate refering dents etc. Shuttle service without waiting time.

Really easy service, car was great and the transfer to and from the airport was flexible with changing needs. the staff were really friendly and happy to help! would definitely use again if we return to Madeira!!

Scammer!!!!! Do not rent from them !!!!
Avoid this company at all costs.
This was one of the worst car rental experiences I have ever had. The entire process feels designed to trap customers with hidden fees and unexpected charges that are not made clear when booking.
Read every word of the terms and conditions because important charges are buried in the fine print. If you arrive after 8:00 PM, you will be charged an additional fee €35, yet the amount is not clearly disclosed during the booking process. You only discover these extra costs after you have already paid and committed to the reservation.
The problems do not stop there. Insurance purchased through third-party booking platforms may suddenly be deemed unacceptable, leaving you under pressure to buy the company's own insurance at an excessive price. If you do not have a credit card, you may be refused the vehicle altogether unless you purchase their expensive coverage.
The vehicle you reserve online is not necessarily the vehicle you receive. You are simply given whatever happens to be available. In my case, the car was not presented in an acceptable condition, yet customers are expected to pay extra fees €12 to avoid potential cleaning charges later. If you decline their cleaning option, any minor issue can become an excuse to deduct money from your deposit.
As a tourist, I felt completely misled. What appears to be a cheap rental quickly becomes far more expensive once all the additional charges, conditions, and restrictions are revealed. The entire experience felt like a carefully designed system to maximize extra fees rather than provide good customer service.
To make matters worse, the customer service was shocking. Staff were rude, dismissive, unhelpful, and unprofessional. Rather than resolving concerns, they seemed more interested in defending questionable policies and pressuring customers into paying more.
I strongly advise anyone considering this company to look elsewhere. There are many reputable rental companies that treat customers fairly and are transparent about their costs. Save yourself the stress, frustration, and unexpected expenses!!
Paid doubled for a chippers car when for €600 could rent a new brand car, something better straight away from Airoport , all famous rental cars straight in the Airoport -rental cars like Sixt,Europcar,Avis,Hertz any many other , don’t do the same mistake as me !

Everything's fine. The only complaint I have is the long wait to sign the contract and hand over the car (compared to other rental companies). We waited over an hour, even though the line was really short. Fix that and it'll be great.

Everything was explained properly. Car returned not damaged so there was no fuzz at the end :)

Very disappointing experience with Funchal Drive.

I booked and paid for my car rental about two weeks before my trip to Madeira through Discovery Cars. I also purchased additional insurance through Discovery Cars at the time of booking. Because my flight was arriving late at night, I paid an extra €35 for an out-of-hours check-in service.

The day before my arrival, Funchal Drive started sending multiple WhatsApp messages reminding me about the €1,500 security deposit and asking me to complete the online check-in as soon as possible. I also informed them that I would need an out-of-hours return of the vehicle and was charged another €35. In addition, I was asked to pay €12.50 for vehicle cleaning, otherwise I could be charged €25 if the car was returned dirty. Before even collecting the vehicle, I had already paid €82.50 in extra fees.

Unfortunately, due to a train strike, I missed my original flight and had to reschedule my trip. I immediately informed Funchal Drive via WhatsApp so that nobody would wait for me during the original night check-in. Since I would not be using that service, I politely asked for a refund of the €35 fee. They refused and directed me to send an email. I did so immediately but never received any response.

Upon arrival at Madeira Airport, we waited around 30 minutes for the shuttle van. Once at their office, I was told that the €1,500 deposit had to be placed on the same credit card used for the booking. The card I had used for payment could not support that deposit amount, but I had another credit card in my name available. I offered to use it, but they refused.

The only alternative offered was to purchase their own full insurance package for approximately €180, almost as much as the rental itself. I explained that I had already purchased insurance through Discovery Cars, but I was told that this insurance was irrelevant because it was not provided directly by Funchal Drive.

What I found particularly frustrating was that the requirement to use the same credit card for both payment and deposit was not clearly highlighted during the booking process. It appeared only in the detailed terms and conditions. Had this requirement been made clearer before payment, I would have chosen a different rental company.

The situation became even worse when I questioned these conditions. The employee became aggressive, raised his voice, and told me he would make sure I would not receive the €35 refund for the unused night check-in service. I found this behaviour completely unacceptable and unprofessional.

To make matters worse, I had booked a Ford Puma, which was already prepared for me, but after the argument I was given a different vehicle, a Seat Arona.

My overall impression is that the advertised rental price looks attractive at first, but significant additional costs and restrictive conditions can arise later. I strongly recommend reading every detail regarding deposits, credit card requirements, insurance policies and extra charges before booking.

Based on my experience, I would not rent from Funchal Drive again.

As we arrived on june 9 to get the car, we thougt, that the hired care was readdy to ride to our appartment in Arco de Sao George. Unfortunately we had to wait nearly 1,5 uur before we got the car. That is why we just arrived at 21.30 at our hollyday-address. We were very disappointed. In addition was the car very damaged. Fortunately teturning the car on june 15 went smoothly.

Correct finalisation of the contract and handover of the car, no negative expercience. Car was working perfectly.

The car was good and the drop off went smooth. But to get the car was really really bad. They said they had a pick up service but after waiting one hour we got a cap to the pickup place. Where we still waited almost an hour.

We booked a rental car and were able to upgrade it on the spot—it was quick and easy—to a more powerful automatic vehicle, which I highly recommend for Madeira. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The airport transfer also went very smoothly and was right on time. I highly recommend Funchal Drive.

The time to get the car is very long
The front tires were more than tires
The shutle for the airport was perfect
The engine of the car was short for Madeira (8,4 l/100km)

My credit card was not accepted for the €1300 security deposit, despite the fact it's a REAL credit card. I had to pay an extra €283 for insurance to take the reserved car !
I then was asked to make a €150 security deposit and strangely, my card was accepted for this one !
i demanded my travel broker to reimburse.
Otherwise, the car was OK.

Our credit card was not accepted because it was valid only four more months… So we had to pay extra insurance so the price for the rent doubled in total. A lot of other customers had to pay extra fees as well.

Very bad experience, I do not recommend this company! I got a flat tire during the rental and, even though I had full insurance coverage (full CASCO), nobody answered when I tried to contact the company. On top of that, I was forced to pay out of pocket, even though the insurance should have covered the situation. The car was in poor technical condition: the tires were badly worn out, and the brakes felt weak, which raises serious concerns about safety. For a car rental company, these kinds of issues are unacceptable. Lack of support, lack of professionalism, and unsafe vehicle conditions. I will definitely not rent from them again.”

Hello, I had booked a Seat Arona through Carjet. For me, this is a Class C (MPV). I was given a Citroën C3. In my view, this is a Class B. In short, I did not receive the car I booked and paid for.

I had also taken out additional insurance through Carjet. You were not aware of this, and I was very strongly urged to take out additional insurance costing €355 for the entire hire period. This was completely unnecessary!

The car had no windscreen washer fluid and the brakes were making a lot of noise. I mentioned this when I returned the car. Of course, this can happen if the previous hirer fails to report it to you.

The car was very good and clean . Overall it was above expectations. For the low price we paid it was very good. The drop off was good as well. I can only recomand and take care o the cars , how you drive , not to damage them. For us it was good as we had no incidents.

Absolutely a very nice experience. Very kind staff, helpful, hardworking and the whole is good value for money. Enjoy!