Terms and Conditions

The customer declares that the rented car is in good body and mechanical condition, with no apparent defects other than those mentioned in the pick-up document and that it is his responsibility to return it under the same conditions as the one received;

State of the car and its return

A1. The customer assumes that he or she is responsible for carefully observing the pre-existing damage to the rental car and that it is correctly identified in this contract;

A2. The customer agrees that damages incurred afterwards when the car is collected by our services will be considered as “new damage” and the repair costs will be charged to you as damage arising from the use of the rental car;

A3. The customer assumes that will be charged for damages that may be found by Autocunha Car Rental services within 60 days after the end of the rental agreement and that have resulted from the use of the car;

A4. The minimum age of the driver is 18 years according to Portuguese law.

Requirements

B1. Additional fees may apply for drivers who are not at least 2 years experience or equal or under 24 years old or over 70 years old;

B2. This contract is in accordance with Portuguese Law, both parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Ponta Delgada – São Miguel Island;

B3. This location is owned and operated individually by Autocunha Car Rental;

B4. Drivers accept that the vehicle is in good condition at the check-in date and accept the collection of GPS data by Autocunha for their safety and security in case of theft or serious accidents. 

Conditions of Use

C1. The customer undertakes to take care of the car, without doing damage of any kind, willfully or negligently;

C2. The customer must use the appropriate fuel, as well as all safety devices in the vehicle. Use of incorrect fuel will lead to a charge of no less than 300 € (VAT incl.);

C3. It is strictly forbidden for the customer to use the vehicle under the following conditions:

– Cargo or passenger transportation for consideration or without express authorization from Autocunha Car Rental;

– To tow and / or propel any vehicle or other object;

– Participate in sporting events with the car of any kind;

– When the driver is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or any other substance that reduces his ability;

– Violation of traffic rules;

– It is forbidden to assign or lend the car to third parties not included in this rental agreement;

           – It is prohibited to exceed the maximum capacity per vehicle with regard to luggage and/or passengers;

– It is strictly forbidden to travel outside the island of S. Miguel (Azores) or the borders of mainland Portugal without the express authorization of Autocunha (Amount of €150 will be charged);
C4. In the cases we verify the use of toll system (VIA VERDE system): 

– The toll equipment is an optional service and can be added to client’s car rental booking at pick-up date;

– Isn’t permited the use of personal toll systems in our vehicles; 

– When there are unauthorized tolls (without the equipment activated by our services) Autocunha Car Rental will charge a value of 30€ (Tax. incl.) plus tolls amount. In case of impossibility of collection, the client agrees that his personal data will be sent to VIA VERDE PORTUGAL for the proper collection of tolls due or by the entity responsible for electronic transactions.  

C5. Whenever the cases identified above occur, Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right not to refund any amount of security deposit.

Responsibilities and charges

D1. The customer agrees to pay the rental at the prevailing rates, extra charges, road surcharges, fuel misuse costs, replacement costs for damaged tires plus accidental punctures, fines and / or toll charges, costs of immobilization of the vehicle, costs when seized by law enforcement authorities, or any other negligent behaviours;

D2. All fines, legal or extrajudicial expenses, traffic violations or any other type of violation of the law imputed to the vehicle will be the responsibility of the customer during the term of this contract;

D3. The client will be responsible for all legal expenses, attorney’s fees and other expenses to settle any amount of this contract which is due;

D4. The customer will be liable to Autocunha Car Rental, after claiming the latter, as costs and / or losses, without limitation, with repairs, trailers, car collection and lost profits;

D5. The customer is responsible for any damage, theft and / or total loss of the vehicle that occurs while using the rental car;

D6. The customer may limit his liability through additional insurance provided by Autocunha Car Rental;

D7. In case of negligent use of the car, even underwriting additional insurance, the customer will always be responsible;

D8. Customer hereby acknowledges and authorizes Autocunha Car Rental to debit all charge expenses of this agreement to the account associated with its credit card or by deducting the deposit delivered on the day of withdrawal;

D9.  Customer agree and accept that Autocunha’s services can provide any personal information to law enforcement agencies for collection of charges resulting from road code violations;

D10. Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge 30 € (VAT incl.) For the refueling service, plus the amount of fuel, if the vehicle has a lower fuel level than when it was delivered;

D11. Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge 30 € (VAT incl.) If the car is not in hygienic and clean conditions similar to those of the pick-up day (upholstery not included);

D12. In the event that the upholstery is stained, JMC reserves the right to charge a minimum of 75 € (incl. VAT) for cleaning;

D13. Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge 100€ (VAT incl.) If passengers have not fulfilled the “No Smoking” obligation inside the vehicle;

D14. For bookings where customers do not have a valid credit card, Autocunha may hold the deposit amount in a debit card (Visa or Mastercard). The latter undertakes to return by bank transfer within 30 days after the return of the vehicle, minus the amount of tolls made and / or new damage detected;

D15. Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge a tax of 50€ to identify the clients to Police authorities (Ex: Speeding, No Parking, etc…);

D16. Autocunha Car Rental will charge a cleaning fee (referred to in D11) for customers who have not purchased additional insurance (Cleaning Fee is offered with additional insurances). In these cases, the customer is responsible for cleaning the interior and exterior of the vehicle when returning it.

Insurances and its limitations

E1. In the event of an accident Autocunha Car Rental will not be responsible for death, permanent disability, personal injury and / or property damage caused to the customer or passengers;

E2. The customer may take out additional insurance, thus reducing his liability;

E3. In the event of theft, robbery or accident in the car, the customer must immediately inform the authorities after the occurrence as well as the services of the rental company;

E4. Autocunha Car Rental is not responsible for any equipment, material and / or personal property damaged and / or stolen in vehicles, and this isn’t covered for any insurance available;

E5. When purchasing any available insurance, they do not cover tires in normal use, inside the vehicle and under the vehicle damages;

E6. Negligent acts and serious errors in the road code will not be covered by insurance (see paragraph E7). In this cases the customer will be liable for all damages incurred, vehicle repair and replacement expenses, lost profits, vehicle immobilizations costs, courts and hospital costs;

E7. The following are considered negligent acts, for example:

– Serious violations of the Driving Code;

– More than two parts of the vehicle damaged, at the same time or at different times of the rental;

– Dangerous overtaking at crossings or not respecting road lines (eg continuous line);

– Non-compliance with STOP signaling, priority assignment or vertical light signaling;

– Dangerous overtaking at crossings or not respecting road lines (eg continuous line);

– Using Mobile Devices While Driving or any other object that interferes in the driver’s attention;

– All situations where there is actual negligence of the driver or other passengers (ex: damages caused by children); 

– All situations that occur due to incorrect use or handling of the vehicle (ex: burnt clutch due to improper use, steep and dangerous climbs, etc…).

Cancellations, no-shows, tolerance and booking changes

F1. In case of cancellation of the reservation the customer becomes aware that Autocunha Car Rental will proceed as follows:

– If the time until the pick-up is 7 days or more, the amount already paid will be refunded, except for bank processing fees;

– If Autocunha Car Rental is informed 6 days or less in advance, a cancellation fee of €50 will be charged;

– If the customer cancels on the same day of the rental and/or fails to appear at the agreed location, AUTOCUNHA CAR RENTAL reserves the right to charge the full amount of the reservation, with no entitlement to any refund.

F2. The tolerance time in the pick-up is 60 minutes, unless Autocunha is informed of any flight delay. After this period, Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right not to guarantee the vehicle or the value of the rate can be different and never lower than the one in the original booking.

F3. Tolerance for drop-off is 30 minutes. Above this time, Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge one additional day or lost profits due to late delivery to subsequent customers.

F4. Any changes to dates and / or times must be made and confirmed by Autocunha Car Rental’s administrative services;

F5. In situations where there is a reduction in the number of rental days, when it has already started, no amount will be refunded for the excess days;

F6. Changes to the times and / or places of collection / type of vehicles, Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge additional fees and this will be informed in advance by our services;

F7. In situations where there is an early arrival at the reception location previously determined in this contract and, having not been validated our services, Autocunha Car Rental reserves the right to charge parking costs or other costs not provided in this agreement.