Deposit, excess and insurance when renting

When a rental site says “from €36 a day”, that’s only one of three amounts. The other two sit in the small print, and together they shift your calculation considerably.

• Rental price: What you pay per day. The only figure communicated openly.
• Deposit: Blocked on your credit card for as long as you have the bike. According to the rental offices’ terms €0 to €1,000: one generally asks for none, one for €100, one for €300 to €1,000 depending on the model.
• Excess: What you carry yourself in a claim. According to the rental offices’ terms from €300 (comprehensive cover included) to €3,000 (standard rate). At two offices you are even liable for the full damage without extra cover.

All figures on this page come from the rental offices’ terms and price lists, as of October 2026. The rental office gives you the current terms.

The cheapest A2 bike with a fixed weekly price on our list costs €490 for seven days. That office generally takes no deposit, but on its standard rate you are liable for up to €3,000. At another office €300 to €1,000 are blocked on your card, depending on the model. Comparing only daily rates means comparing the smallest item.

The deposit is as a rule not charged but blocked on your credit card. The money stays yours, but it’s unavailable until you return the bike.

That has a practical consequence many underestimate: the amount comes off your available limit. Arrive with a €2,000 limit, leave a €1,000 deposit (one office’s upper limit), and you have €1,000 left for a two-week holiday. Hotel, hire car and restaurants often run on the same card.

Release after return takes anywhere from a few days to three weeks, depending on your bank. That’s normal and no cause for concern, but don’t count on the limit being free again immediately.

Check before you travel: does your available limit cover the deposit plus your running holiday spending? Most banks let you raise it temporarily, often straight from the app.

This is a point where visitors can get stuck at the counter, and it rarely appears clearly on the offer page.

The safe choice is a real credit card in the rider’s name. The deposit can be blocked on it without any money being charged. Debit cards are not accepted everywhere: one rental office explicitly lists debit card or cash as well in its terms (as of October 2026), the others say nothing on it.

In practice:

• Debit cards, including those with a Visa or Mastercard logo: some rental offices accept them, some don’t. Don’t rely on it, ask in writing first.
• The card must be in the rider’s name. Your partner’s card doesn’t help, even if you travel together.

This mostly hits people who bank with a direct bank and travel without a classic credit card. Settle this before you book, not at the desk.

Two abbreviations in the terms can make the difference between €300 and €3,000.

CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) is the liability limitation. It caps your liability at the excess. At two offices it is included in the price (€300 or up to €3,000 excess), at the other two it isn’t: without extra cover you are liable for the full damage there.

SCDW or Super CDW is the paid upgrade that lowers the excess, at one office down to zero according to its FAQ. Where the offices state a price (as of October 2026), it costs €5 to €15 a day on Tenerife: one offers comprehensive cover from €5 depending on the model, with an excess; another lowers the excess from at most €3,000 to at most €1,500 for €15 a day.

Do the maths: at €15 a day a week costs €105 and lowers your risk by up to €1,500. At €5 a day it’s €35, and instead of the full damage you are only liable up to the excess. On a motorcycle, which falls over more easily than a car, that’s usually money well spent.

But read what the upgrade actually covers. Some providers exclude certain damage even in the most expensive package, and at one office comprehensive cover is only available from age 25 with three years of holding a licence.

These exclusions are standard across the industry and appear in much the same form in the terms of every rental office on the island. The following are taken verbatim from the rental conditions of one Tenerife operator:

• Alcohol and medication. Any damage under the influence is entirely on you.
• Gross negligence, expressly named: clear speeding and disregard of traffic signs.
• Riding on sand or unpaved roads. Sounds like a detail, but it matters on Tenerife: many of the best viewpoints sit at the end of a gravel track. From the turn-off onwards you ride uninsured.
• Tyre damage. Carried by the customer. A new motorcycle tyre quickly runs into three figures.
• Mechanical damage caused by misuse.
• Fines and penalty notices. Always yours, usually with an administration fee from the rental office on top. What gets expensive in Spain is covered in the traffic rules guide.

And one duty that counts when it matters: after an accident you must notify the rental office and the police immediately. Leaving the scene or calling the next day risks your cover entirely.

Many travel credit cards advertise comprehensive hire-car insurance. The assumption that it also applies to a motorcycle is widespread and usually wrong.

The terms of these cards as a rule cover cars and small vans, not powered two-wheelers. Motorcycles, scooters, quads and trikes are frequently excluded expressly in the policy wording.

If you want to rely on it, there’s exactly one clean route: call your card provider and get written confirmation that powered two-wheelers are included, with which engine-size limit and in which country. A verbal answer on the hotline won’t help you in a claim.

The same applies to travel health insurance. It covers your treatment, not the vehicle. And some policies exclude motorcycling as a risk sport or charge a surcharge for it.

Five questions to send the rental office by email. In writing, so you have something in hand if it comes to it:

• How high are the deposit and excess for this exact model?
• Which cards do you accept for the deposit? Is a debit card with a Visa logo enough?
• What does reducing the excess cost per day, and what stays excluded anyway?
• What minimum age and riding experience do you require? Not every office states it on its website.
• Are helmet, gloves and a lock included, or do they cost extra?

Which licence class you need at all is covered in the licence guide. And if you’re still weighing a scooter against a bigger machine, Scooter or motorcycle helps you decide.

The complete process from finding a rental office to the handover of the keys is in the main guide.