Compare Cape Verde car hire

Hiring a car in Cape Verde gives you the freedom to unearth the islands’ hidden gems – without having to keep to structured excursion timetables. You’ll have unlimited opportunity to root out deserted beaches and authentic restaurants, or to stumble upon romantic picnic spots and beautiful hikes.

Another attraction of car rental in Cape Verde is the generally empty roads. In the case of Sal and Boa Vista, they’re extremely flat, too, so you can happily vroom along – while keeping to the top speed limit of 80kph (50mph). If high-set hairpin bends are your thing, meanwhile, then mountainous Fogo and Santo Antão are a motoring paradise.

Language: Portuguese | Currency: Cape Verdean escudo | Avg. Flight time: 10.5 hrs

On Sal, having your own transport means being able to reach the lunar-like Pedra de Lume salt pans, while taking Cape Verde car hire on Boa Vista allows you to explore its ethereal desert interior, navigating date palm oases, fossilised forests and colourful villages as you go.

Elsewhere, visitors renting wheels on Santiago can drive north past Assomada for access to hikes around the Serra Malagueta natural park or take in the seaside scenery near Tarrafal, from where there are views across to smouldering Fogo. And on Santo Antão, vehicles enable tourists to penetrate far up some remote ribeiras (streams), and enjoy spectacular mountain walks. It’s a similar story on Fogo, where far-flung craters can become part of your plans.

Sal and Boa Vista’s airports both have desks for those wanting Cape Verde car rental, as does Praia International Airport on Santiago. Pick-up points are also located in Santa Maria, Sal’s premier tourism town, and in Mindelo, where cruise boats and yachts dock on São Vicente.

International hire agencies have a limited Cape Verde presence, especially away from Sal, although Hertz has now opened offices alongside domestic brand Cape Verde Jetaway. Either way, you should look to spend roughly £40-£50 per day, or slightly more if you pay by credit card. Just don’t be surprised if they have a rather laid-back attitude.

1. Rent a 4WD if possible, as smaller Cape Verde roads are often cobbled or little more than tracks. Santiago, Fogo and, strangely, São Nicolau have the most complete main-road networks, but even so many spots are only accessible using a 4x4.
   
   
2. Try to finalise your Cape Verde car hire before 10.30am. Otherwise you might find the agency representative has gone home for a siesta!
   
   
3. Impromptu roadblocks to check driving licences aren’t uncommon: have yours to hand at all times. Left it at the hotel? That’ll be a small fine, thank you very much. Ditto if you have a child under 12 in the front seat, or aren’t wearing a seatbelt.

Fair fuel policy

A fair fuel policy (also known as full-to-full or same-to-same) means you’ll only pay for the fuel you use. All car rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket come with a fair fuel policy, so you can book your hire car safe in the knowledge there will be no nasty surprises at drop-off. More information on TravelSupermarket’s commitment to fair fuel policies can be found here.

No hidden fees

All rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket include mandatory fees (for example, one-way and young driver surcharges) in your rental quote at the time of booking, meaning you’ll know the full price of your car hire upfront.