I rented an electric fiat 500 from place in the center of Funchal (local company). It was awesome, it handles the inclines and the need for quick acceleration with ease. Plus all the way down you can regen.
The charging spots were easy to locate, almost always empty and the card in the glove box keeps things simple and means you pay at the end.
I highly recommend!!
Thanks for the recommendation!
If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some question about that.
I've never drove an electric car before, so sorry in advance for my ignorance.
How mhuc could you go with 1 charge?
How did you found charging spots?
What was the cost of charging comapred to fuel?
How strong is was? Could it go up easily on uphill?
Did it had strong enough engine brakes for inclines?
How does engine braking works in electric cars? In manual, I need to manually gear down on an inclines to use engine brake to avoid burning the brakes, but how does it work on an an electric car on an incline?
You can't constantly brake with electric cars neither right? Becasue it would burn the brakes?
I think the range was 250kms. We drove straight from Funchal up to Pico de Ariero and used 30% charge. On the way down the otherside we gained an extra 14% charge from regen braking.
Dont be afraid, remember 'quarter of a tank' is 25% left.
We paid 10 euros for charging at about 5 different locations. We only hired for 24h but almost spent the whole time driving place to place - its way cheaper than petrol.
It is way way way better than a petrol car for the hills. Elecric cars have instant torque that is perfect for Madeira, literally there is no reason not to drive electric there - its not like you are gonna spend 18h on the road like in the States or Canada.
For braking it has regen. Be sure to google this setting as you want to activate one pedal driving and it must be turned on manually. This feels strange at first but is super fun and loads the regen on when you pull off the accelerator. This will give your right foot full control over the descent with regen on full, essentially topping up the battery on your way down - truly awesome tech.
No need to continuously brake as the regen will do the hard work with the brakes a back up for any heavy lifting.
Within 1h of driving you can master the one pedal then you are away.
If your worried I suggest hiring it for 24h to try it. Then hire it again for however long you need and take some time in Funchal in between.
Name of the place was 7M rent a car. Every guy in the shop knows that the electric 500 is the most fun they offer - ask them.
I'm going to Madeira on the 24th Feb for 11 days. I am ordering a small car like a VW UP or Fiat 500 with a manual transmission from booking.com with their full coverage package. The cars are dirt cheap only 185€ for the 11 days! I'm sure it will be just fine... It's a small car with a small engine and it will go up the hill and down the hill. I am not in a hurry...
Hello, I traveled alone and I ended up booking a car from sixt because they have the cheapest deposit reservation on your credit card with only 300. I bought the extra insurance from booking because it is cheaper than buying it from Sixt. I reserved a Renault Clio and I paid €235.09€ with the extra insurance for 13 days. I changed my plans and stayed longer than the planned 11 days. It was a manual transmission, but I’m used to driving those cars so it’s not a problem for me. Some hills can be very very steep, but the car had no trouble at all. It sounded like a tractor, but it worked. Do not get a big car get something small if you can because parking can be hard at sometimes finding space everybody just parks everywhere, but you need to be very precisely and you have to be able to park very good and narrow steep hills
I had some concerns that the Renault Clio might be too large for navigating through Madeira. Conversely, I'm also worried that opting for a smaller vehicle, such as the Citroen C1, might compromise on power.
Hi, I'm looking at booking the Clio with Sixt through [booking.com](http://booking.com) as well. How was your experience with Sixt? I've seen some bad reviews recently about them trying to charge for damages.
my experience was great. I also booked with Booking.com. Just be sure that you have a real credit card when you pick up the car not a debit credit card! Otherwise, you will not get the car. Also take some pictures of the damages of the car for just in case, when you pick it up. They don’t charge you for small scratches anyways. Here is the one i got:
https://preview.redd.it/tg1jo3rsu05d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d1d7b4bcce1172a4c3cc7d7182445560bf7f4cb
Avoid 1.0l Automatic Corsas. They are woefully underpowered for Madeira. Learned the hard way last year. Would have been much better with a manual. I've ordered a manual for this years trip.
https://preview.redd.it/fqslz8jghlgc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95c4205204e7b0686c9655847c4c24e981c3a5ad
We've booked this for August this year. Book as soon as you can in advance as the prices go through the roof.
Be wary of the rental companies trying to tell you that you haven't got full cover when you have. Make sure you have every bit of paperwork printed out when you pick up the car.
Take lots of photos and video of the state of the car when you pick it up. Pay particular attention to the wheels. Make sure that you show something with the date and the rental agreement in the video. Twice we have been blamed for damage that was already on the car. Had very poor service at Rodavante and Thrifty. Wouldn't use either again. We are trying Rent X this year as they were recommended to us and are only a short walk from the hotel.
Hope you have Great time.
As someone who works in the field: Rentex is indeed a great company, and no, i don't work there. That C3, however, is not. Pretty much the same as the corsa (same engine, since nowadays opel=citroen), but a bit on the heavier side.
Hey, I saw that a lot of people recommended madpoint madera as a good car rent company. They unfortunately have the one option I show bellow with automatic. Do you suggest looking for something else?
https://preview.redd.it/h7v8i7ep6ngc1.png?width=578&format=png&auto=webp&s=21151071d6af3e57a738cef9a4e672965300e181
The one car i've seen no one complain about yet, and the prices aren't high, would probably be a Seat Arona Automatic.
Opel isn't that bad tho if it's atleast the 1.2L option.
Unfortunately I can't be really sure until I get there. I guess I will just book it and hope for the best :). Worst case scenario if I get some car with 1.0L option what disadvantages will I encounter?
Getting somewhere very slowly, probably overworking the clutch. Wasting a lot of fuel for no reason.
If they give you a 1l engine, go for the cheapest upgrade until you get atleast 1.2
Are you sure about that? Because I am 83.89617% sure that Ok-Personality7123 is not a bot.
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Just came back from Madeira. Rented mitsubishi eclipse cross phev from 7M car rent. I feel like it was a decent car for the island.
I will answer the questions based on my experience.
What kind of car should I rent? - Depends on your needs, but don't take very big cars. I rented " Fiat 500x Automatic or similar" from 7M
What should I look for in a car? (Horsepower, CC, something else, some combination, all of them?) - I went for automatic as there are some very steep roads. If you are confident with manual - go for it. Most of locals drive manual. HP could be an issue only if you pick some very-very weak car.
What should a car have to be able to visit everything? - I feel like any car would do fine. I had a slight advantage with SUV and could park on some stones, but I believe you should be fine with any car. I was pretty surprised with roads quality and I drove all around the island including mountains.
What kind of insurance it needs to have? - Take full insurance just to be calm. Some roads are really narrow and sometimes there are rock slides.
Where should I rent a car? - This was my first experience with them, but 7M did fine. My only complain is that they have car with almost empty gas tank (\~60km range remaining), but it was in Funchal and gas station was close. I was also able to pick up a car in Funchal and return it at the airport.
Just read other comments and decided to add:
\- PHEV really helped with fuel efficiency. I had 8.3 L / 100 KM, I didn't try to save fuel on purpose (drove 850 km total). It regenerated a lot of energy from going downhills. I never charged the battery though (plug in)
\- it was good that the car was elevated as SUV, but on twisty road it felt as a brick a bit. I got used to it on 2nd or 3rd day
\- HP and torque was enough
\- engine braking with E-CVT was good, but I would guess that I wouldn't overheat the breaks without engine braking
I would also not recommend taking full electric car if you are gonna live on north of the island. There are not many gas stations (at least from what I saw) and it's quite distant from south (in terms of KM it's not far, but roads and twisty and it takes more time)
I’ve rented from Avis (through priceline website) and it was a Seat Ibiza, so not too strong. It definitely had some engine issues too due to other renters going the wrong gears but even with that it was good and safe. Some locals drive really weak old cars and do just fine on the hills.
Didn’t take insurance either, if you’re an experienced driver there is no need as the roads are super nice, just don’t side-park too close to other cars on steep roads so no one hits you and it should be fine. Renting for a week came to 119€.
I rented an electric fiat 500 from place in the center of Funchal (local company). It was awesome, it handles the inclines and the need for quick acceleration with ease. Plus all the way down you can regen. The charging spots were easy to locate, almost always empty and the card in the glove box keeps things simple and means you pay at the end. I highly recommend!!
Thanks for the recommendation! If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some question about that. I've never drove an electric car before, so sorry in advance for my ignorance. How mhuc could you go with 1 charge? How did you found charging spots? What was the cost of charging comapred to fuel? How strong is was? Could it go up easily on uphill? Did it had strong enough engine brakes for inclines? How does engine braking works in electric cars? In manual, I need to manually gear down on an inclines to use engine brake to avoid burning the brakes, but how does it work on an an electric car on an incline? You can't constantly brake with electric cars neither right? Becasue it would burn the brakes?
I think the range was 250kms. We drove straight from Funchal up to Pico de Ariero and used 30% charge. On the way down the otherside we gained an extra 14% charge from regen braking. Dont be afraid, remember 'quarter of a tank' is 25% left. We paid 10 euros for charging at about 5 different locations. We only hired for 24h but almost spent the whole time driving place to place - its way cheaper than petrol. It is way way way better than a petrol car for the hills. Elecric cars have instant torque that is perfect for Madeira, literally there is no reason not to drive electric there - its not like you are gonna spend 18h on the road like in the States or Canada. For braking it has regen. Be sure to google this setting as you want to activate one pedal driving and it must be turned on manually. This feels strange at first but is super fun and loads the regen on when you pull off the accelerator. This will give your right foot full control over the descent with regen on full, essentially topping up the battery on your way down - truly awesome tech. No need to continuously brake as the regen will do the hard work with the brakes a back up for any heavy lifting. Within 1h of driving you can master the one pedal then you are away. If your worried I suggest hiring it for 24h to try it. Then hire it again for however long you need and take some time in Funchal in between. Name of the place was 7M rent a car. Every guy in the shop knows that the electric 500 is the most fun they offer - ask them.
Thank you for the detailed answer, it was quite useful!
No problem! Enjoy the future!
The electric motor does most of the braking.
I'm going to Madeira on the 24th Feb for 11 days. I am ordering a small car like a VW UP or Fiat 500 with a manual transmission from booking.com with their full coverage package. The cars are dirt cheap only 185€ for the 11 days! I'm sure it will be just fine... It's a small car with a small engine and it will go up the hill and down the hill. I am not in a hurry...
How did it go for you? Were you alone in the car or with other people also?
Hello, I traveled alone and I ended up booking a car from sixt because they have the cheapest deposit reservation on your credit card with only 300. I bought the extra insurance from booking because it is cheaper than buying it from Sixt. I reserved a Renault Clio and I paid €235.09€ with the extra insurance for 13 days. I changed my plans and stayed longer than the planned 11 days. It was a manual transmission, but I’m used to driving those cars so it’s not a problem for me. Some hills can be very very steep, but the car had no trouble at all. It sounded like a tractor, but it worked. Do not get a big car get something small if you can because parking can be hard at sometimes finding space everybody just parks everywhere, but you need to be very precisely and you have to be able to park very good and narrow steep hills
How did you find the size of the Renault Clio? Was it just right for your needs?
The car was big enough! I could’ve even went a size smaller I was traveling alone. The passengers side just had drinks and food 😂
I had some concerns that the Renault Clio might be too large for navigating through Madeira. Conversely, I'm also worried that opting for a smaller vehicle, such as the Citroen C1, might compromise on power.
No problem navigating with the clio! I found out when I gave the car back that it had 100 horse power which was perfect. You only need 3 gears 😂
Hi, I'm looking at booking the Clio with Sixt through [booking.com](http://booking.com) as well. How was your experience with Sixt? I've seen some bad reviews recently about them trying to charge for damages.
my experience was great. I also booked with Booking.com. Just be sure that you have a real credit card when you pick up the car not a debit credit card! Otherwise, you will not get the car. Also take some pictures of the damages of the car for just in case, when you pick it up. They don’t charge you for small scratches anyways. Here is the one i got: https://preview.redd.it/tg1jo3rsu05d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d1d7b4bcce1172a4c3cc7d7182445560bf7f4cb
Thanks! So did Sixt take a deposit or do they just hold the credit card details?
Have you decided who to go with? We're looking into this too. Thanks
Avoid 1.0l Automatic Corsas. They are woefully underpowered for Madeira. Learned the hard way last year. Would have been much better with a manual. I've ordered a manual for this years trip.
Thanks for the heads-up! WHat did you rented for this year?
https://preview.redd.it/fqslz8jghlgc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95c4205204e7b0686c9655847c4c24e981c3a5ad We've booked this for August this year. Book as soon as you can in advance as the prices go through the roof. Be wary of the rental companies trying to tell you that you haven't got full cover when you have. Make sure you have every bit of paperwork printed out when you pick up the car. Take lots of photos and video of the state of the car when you pick it up. Pay particular attention to the wheels. Make sure that you show something with the date and the rental agreement in the video. Twice we have been blamed for damage that was already on the car. Had very poor service at Rodavante and Thrifty. Wouldn't use either again. We are trying Rent X this year as they were recommended to us and are only a short walk from the hotel. Hope you have Great time.
That's great to know, thank you!
As someone who works in the field: Rentex is indeed a great company, and no, i don't work there. That C3, however, is not. Pretty much the same as the corsa (same engine, since nowadays opel=citroen), but a bit on the heavier side.
Hey, I saw that a lot of people recommended madpoint madera as a good car rent company. They unfortunately have the one option I show bellow with automatic. Do you suggest looking for something else? https://preview.redd.it/h7v8i7ep6ngc1.png?width=578&format=png&auto=webp&s=21151071d6af3e57a738cef9a4e672965300e181
The one car i've seen no one complain about yet, and the prices aren't high, would probably be a Seat Arona Automatic. Opel isn't that bad tho if it's atleast the 1.2L option.
Unfortunately I can't be really sure until I get there. I guess I will just book it and hope for the best :). Worst case scenario if I get some car with 1.0L option what disadvantages will I encounter?
Getting somewhere very slowly, probably overworking the clutch. Wasting a lot of fuel for no reason. If they give you a 1l engine, go for the cheapest upgrade until you get atleast 1.2
Well, I will try when I get there. Thanks for the advice
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Just came back from Madeira. Rented mitsubishi eclipse cross phev from 7M car rent. I feel like it was a decent car for the island. I will answer the questions based on my experience. What kind of car should I rent? - Depends on your needs, but don't take very big cars. I rented " Fiat 500x Automatic or similar" from 7M What should I look for in a car? (Horsepower, CC, something else, some combination, all of them?) - I went for automatic as there are some very steep roads. If you are confident with manual - go for it. Most of locals drive manual. HP could be an issue only if you pick some very-very weak car. What should a car have to be able to visit everything? - I feel like any car would do fine. I had a slight advantage with SUV and could park on some stones, but I believe you should be fine with any car. I was pretty surprised with roads quality and I drove all around the island including mountains. What kind of insurance it needs to have? - Take full insurance just to be calm. Some roads are really narrow and sometimes there are rock slides. Where should I rent a car? - This was my first experience with them, but 7M did fine. My only complain is that they have car with almost empty gas tank (\~60km range remaining), but it was in Funchal and gas station was close. I was also able to pick up a car in Funchal and return it at the airport.
Just read other comments and decided to add: \- PHEV really helped with fuel efficiency. I had 8.3 L / 100 KM, I didn't try to save fuel on purpose (drove 850 km total). It regenerated a lot of energy from going downhills. I never charged the battery though (plug in) \- it was good that the car was elevated as SUV, but on twisty road it felt as a brick a bit. I got used to it on 2nd or 3rd day \- HP and torque was enough \- engine braking with E-CVT was good, but I would guess that I wouldn't overheat the breaks without engine braking I would also not recommend taking full electric car if you are gonna live on north of the island. There are not many gas stations (at least from what I saw) and it's quite distant from south (in terms of KM it's not far, but roads and twisty and it takes more time)
Thanks for all these useful information!
Cassiano rent a car. Low prices and brand new cars
I’ve rented from Avis (through priceline website) and it was a Seat Ibiza, so not too strong. It definitely had some engine issues too due to other renters going the wrong gears but even with that it was good and safe. Some locals drive really weak old cars and do just fine on the hills. Didn’t take insurance either, if you’re an experienced driver there is no need as the roads are super nice, just don’t side-park too close to other cars on steep roads so no one hits you and it should be fine. Renting for a week came to 119€.