Long-term car hire at Bordeaux Airport

Airport car rental in Bordeaux

At French airports a car is handed over either at a desk in the terminal or at an off-airport office reached by shuttle from arrivals. Which one applies to your booking is written on the voucher, and the shuttle is usually what explains a lower price.

For a late flight, check the desk's opening hours, whether the supplier tracks the flight number, what an out-of-hours handover costs and how the car is returned when the office is closed.

Car rental conditions

Bring your passport or national ID and a valid driving licence. Licences issued in the EU, the EEA and the UK are accepted directly; for other countries an International Driving Permit is expected alongside the national licence, and desks do ask for it.

The minimum age is usually 21 with at least one year of licence held. Drivers under 25 normally pay a young-driver surcharge, and premium, SUV and estate classes often set the threshold at 25 or higher.

A deposit is standard and is blocked on the main driver's credit card at handover. Some suppliers accept a debit card or sell a zero-excess tariff without a hold, but that is an offer-level rule rather than a national one.

Check the fuel policy — full-to-full is the fairest and is what most reputable suppliers use. Read the excess and the exclusions too: tyres, glass, mirrors, the underbody and unsurfaced roads are commonly outside the cover.

Car brands and categories

The catalog covers the main rental categories:

• Economy
• Comfort
• SUV
• Minivan
• Premium
• Convertible
• Electric
• Hybrid

French fleets are built mostly around Renault Clio and Captur, Peugeot 208 and 2008, Citroën C3, Dacia Sandero, Volkswagen Polo and Opel Corsa and similar models, and a manual gearbox is still the cheaper default — confirm the transmission on the offer card if you need an automatic.

Compare the total price together with the deposit, insurance excess, mileage policy, fuel rule, accepted payment methods and the return conditions.

Airport pickup details

Have your passport, licence, voucher and the main driver's card for the deposit ready before you reach the desk, and photograph the bodywork, glass and wheels during the joint inspection.

On the way back, allow time to refuel near the airport, hand the car over and walk from the return level to the terminal.

Long-term car rental

From about two weeks the daily rate drops noticeably, and monthly terms suit a season on the Riviera or a long stay in Corsica.

Check how the mileage limit is counted over a long term, who pays for servicing and a tyre change, and what happens if you extend part-way through.