Centauro Car hire Malaga airport

Overall I recommend them but you need to be aware of the usual low cost car rental techniques.

PROs:
+ Great shuttle service: they have 2 shuttles constantly doing the rotation with good air con. Didn't have to wait outside each way.
+ They seem to have a very well designed and quick IT system which is clear (when you give back the car you can see all the charges/refund and contract from your account on their website). The shuttle driver checks you in and once at the office you have each available office staff calling your name to collect the car.
+ 90% of their fleet seem very recent looking at the cars on their parking and I personally received both old and new car later (more details in the CONs section). But the new car had only 1000km!
+ Competitive prices (if you don't take all the extras)
+ Got the deposit released within 24h and got the fuel refund a couple of days later (more details about the fuel in the CONs section)

CONs:
- As I'm used to car rental I have my own insurance to reduce the excess. So when they proposed the additional insurance to have zero excess I refused it. Obviously the employee didn't like it since they make a good benefit on these insurances. And surprisingly I received a very old & damaged car. The car had 67k KM on the clock (which is CRAZY high for any car rental standards) and obviously had multiple damages including the passenger wing completely smashed! Obviously no Android Auto. Fortunately for me the USB sockets were not working at all. So I asked to get another car since this was not 100% working. And they gave a brand new car in exchange.
- They have an unusual fuel policy. Firstly it's same to same (mine was at 65%) which is not that unusual. But they charge you for the refill in advance! And you won't be refund if you don't give back the car with the same fuel level. Obviously you don't get extra money if you give back more fuel.

I booked a hire car with Centauro Rent a Car in Spain through Booking.com and paid an extra £34.07 for full protection insurance cover (up to £20,000). When we arrived at Malaga Airport to collect the car, the staff member immediately told us the insurance "isn't valid in Spain" and then placed a hold on my card for the excess anyway.

That hold still hasn't been removed. They are very quick to take your money but in no hurry to release it. The approach was pushy, bordering on intimidating, and felt like a deliberate tactic to extract more money from customers.

The car itself was covered in damage. No staff member came out to inspect the condition with us, take photos, or verify anything before we drove off. It was a poor, unprofessional handover.

Fortunately, I took my own photos and a video clip with my watch visible to record the date, time, and location at the depot. I'd strongly recommend anyone hiring from them does the same.

On return, there was no greeting, just "Keys!" before a staff member walked around the car pointing at damage and demanding, "Photo? I want to see photo." The manner was rude, aggressive, and unprofessional. The hold on my card also remains in place.

This company appears to rely on intimidation and underhand sales tactics. The whole experience left us feeling uncomfortable and taken advantage of. There are plenty of other hire firms at Malaga, so do yourself a favour and avoid this one.

Not our first experience and hope defenetly not the last ....one of the best 👌 company on the market who provide such a service for their client's , transfer from airport, and back to the place where you can collect and live your car. Always updating their park with new vehicles , where you can be fully insured, without any deposit, and any delays. Company who really care about the clients. Even introduced new handy system esy key 🔑 . It's 💯 %safe your time, wich is important , specially when you on your Holiday. Wish good luck, and prosperity for the company , and they client's.

I rented cars from Centauro Care hire Italy and Spain (Malaga) many times, it's by far the best car rental company. Full insurance, new cars most of the time. It's been perfect!

Second time i use Centauro and for sure not the last. Best service, best staff, best price and best cars. They took the renting car business to another level. Keep up the good work and hope to see you again soon!