Portugal · accidents & the excess claim · updated July 2026

Had an Accident in Your Portugal Rental Car? What Happens to the Deposit

Every other page on this site about something going wrong — a refused card, a wrongful no-show, a disputed toll charge — is about a mistake or a dispute. A genuine accident is different: it isn't a card-acceptance problem, it's a claims process, and the deposit hold you already have on your card is exactly what that process runs against. The excess figure already covered on this site's deposit-vs-excess guide is the cap on what a company can capture from that hold; an accident doesn't add a separate bill on top of the deposit, it converts the existing hold into a charge up to that cap.

What isn't company-specific is how an accident itself gets documented in Portugal. For a crash with no injuries where both drivers agree on who's at fault, the standard route is filling in the EU accident form — the Declaração Amigável de Acidente Automóvel — together at the scene, not calling the police. For anything involving injury, disputed fault or an uncooperative other driver, the police are called and the resulting report (the Auto de Ocorrência) is what your rental company and your own insurer will expect to see afterwards.

Which companies actually work

The excess already documented per company on this site's deposit-vs-excess guide is the cap on what a company can capture from your deposit hold after a genuine accident — it isn't an extra charge layered on top of the deposit, it's the deposit converting into a claim.
No injuries and both drivers agree on fault: the standard route in Portugal is filling in the Declaração Amigável de Acidente Automóvel (the EU accident form) together at the scene, not calling the police.
Injury, disputed fault, or an uncooperative other driver: call the police (112) and get a copy of the resulting Auto de Ocorrência report — this is what your rental company and insurer will expect to see.
A deposit-waiver cover (Super Relax at Goldcar, Smart Cover at Centauro) sets the excess to €0, but doesn't remove the reporting steps — it changes what you'd owe, not what documentation the claims process needs.
Third-party excess insurance, covered elsewhere on this site, reimburses you after the company has already captured the excess from your card — it isn't a way to skip the accident paperwork either.

Step by step

At the scene, if there's no injury and both drivers agree on fault, fill in the Declaração Amigável de Acidente Automóvel together and make sure both of you sign it before either car is moved or anyone leaves.
Call the police (112) instead if anyone is injured, a driver disputes fault, or the other party won't cooperate, and ask for a copy of the resulting Auto de Ocorrência report.
Photograph both vehicles, their position on the road, the damage and the other driver's documents before anything is moved, whichever route you take.
Contact the rental company as soon as you reasonably can — most rental agreements require notifying the company of any accident straight away, not once you're back at the counter.
Keep the accident form or police report, your photos and the rental agreement together — that's the documentation both the rental company and any third-party excess insurer will ask for when the deposit is captured or a claim is filed.

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Frequently asked questions

Does the rental company charge me on top of my deposit if I have an accident in Portugal?

No — the excess figure already covered on this site's deposit-vs-excess guide is the cap on what a company can capture from the deposit hold you already have on your card. It converts the existing hold into a charge up to that cap; it isn't a separate bill layered on top of the deposit itself.

Do I need to call the police after a car accident in Portugal?

Not always. For an accident with no injuries where both drivers agree on who's at fault, the standard route is filling in the EU accident form (Declaração Amigável de Acidente Automóvel) together at the scene. Call the police for anything involving injury, disputed fault or an uncooperative other driver, and keep the resulting report — your rental company and insurer will expect to see it.

Does a deposit-waiver cover like Super Relax or Smart Cover mean I don't need to report the accident?

No. Those covers change the excess amount you're liable for — down to €0 in Goldcar's and Centauro's case — but they don't remove the reporting steps. You still need the accident form or police report and photos for the company's own claims process.

Does third-party excess insurance pay out immediately at the scene?

No. As covered elsewhere on this site, third-party excess insurance reimburses you after the rental company has already captured the excess from your deposit — you're paid back afterwards, using the same documentation: the accident form or police report, photos and the rental agreement.

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Disclaimer

Rental conditions change frequently and companies' own documents sometimes contradict each other (see the Goldcar Lisbon Airport discrepancy). Everything on this page reflects the official terms and conditions as verified in July 2026. Always verify directly with the rental company before booking. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.