Renting a car in Prague: documents, deposit and insurance

Renting a car in Prague with Masons follows a fixed order: you send a request, the team confirms the car, price and conditions, and you bring the right documents to the handover. The decisions that matter come before the keys: who may drive, how the deposit hold sits on your card, what the insurance leaves with you and whether the car may leave Czechia. Settle those in writing before you travel and the handover becomes a check of the car.

The binding conditions are in the rental agreement. Our terms state what applies at Masons so that you can plan before you book; for anything not covered there, ask our team when you book.

From request to keys

Send a request through the form, by email or by phone. The team is available around the clock to confirm your car, pickup location and price. A request does not reserve the car, and no payment is taken online.

Before you confirm, the team agrees with you the vehicle, dates, price, refundable deposit, included mileage, insurance package, and pickup and return details. You can ask for the current full terms at [email protected] before booking.

Cancellation is a question for the agreement. Czech consumer rules give a 14-day right of withdrawal from certain contracts (Civil Code § 1829), but not from a vehicle hire for a fixed date or period (§ 1837(j)). Ask our team about cancellation terms when you book.

Who can drive and what to bring

Every car has the same basic rule: the driver must be at least 21 and have held a valid driving licence for at least 2 years. These are our conditions, not statute. Czech law allows category B from the age of 18 and sets no two-year minimum for a passenger car (Act 361/2000, § 83(1)(d)). Conditions differ for a driver under 21; ask our team when you book.

Bring an ID document, your driving licence and a payment card in the driver's name, plus any document your booking confirmation lists. If your licence was issued outside Czechia, say so in your request and the team confirms what you need for your car. Our guide to the international driving permit in the Czech Republic explains what the law accepts.

Tell the team about every person who may drive. Another driver is allowed only once permission under the rental agreement is confirmed.

How the deposit hold works

The refundable deposit is paid separately from the rental price. Its size varies with the car and the chosen insurance package and is shown on the car page. At handover it is secured by a hold on your payment card, or you pay it by transfer or in cash.

A hold blocks money on the card instead of charging it. For blocks placed when the final amount is not yet known, Czech payment law lets the bank block funds only with your consent to an exact amount, and requires it to release the block once the amount is known (Act 370/2017, § 180). That rule is addressed to your bank, so how Masons arranges its own hold is a question for the team. Ask when you book how the hold will appear and how long your bank may take to release it.

The card must be in the driver's name, and whether your type of card works is a point to confirm when you book. Once the car is back, the money is returned within 72 hours. A small part stays on hold for 30 days to cover possible fines.

Insurance, excess and what a lower deposit means

Third-party liability and comprehensive cover come with the price, and the comprehensive cover carries an excess. Compulsory liability insurance for a Czech-registered vehicle is the owner's obligation under Act 168/1999, § 3(2). The excess is the share of any damage that you pay yourself, and it is not the same thing as the deposit.

The package you pick moves both the excess and the deposit. A lower deposit alone does not mean damage costs are zero, so compare the package surcharge, deposit, excess and exclusions in the offer and in the agreement before you confirm. Ask our team when you book what the cover excludes. Our guide to choosing a mileage allowance and package shows how mileage, insurance and deposit fit together.

Pickup, timing and return

The garage at Třebohostická 3069/14 in Prague 10 is the main pickup and return location. The team can also bring the car to your hotel or office in Prague if you arrange it in advance, or hand it over at Václav Havel Airport; add your flight number to the request. See the airport handover page.

At handover, check the condition of the car, the fuel or charge level and the handover report with the team, and confirm how and where you will return it. The fuel level at return should match the level recorded at pickup, and a shortfall is charged at the actual refuel cost.

A rental day is a 24-hour period that starts at pickup, so 10:00 to 10:00 the next day is one day. Beyond the grace period, 30 minutes by default, a further day is charged. If you are delayed or want to extend, contact the team as soon as possible; an extension depends on the car's next booking.

Traffic and parking fines, parking charges, vignettes and tolls during the rental are the customer's responsibility. Official notices go to the named driver on the contract.

Taking the car out of Czechia

By default the rental applies within Czechia. Leaving the country is allowed only with prior written consent, decided case by case, and a surcharge for extended insurance. Consent may be limited to countries, routes and dates, so put every foreign destination into your request. An open border does not replace permission. Our guide to driving a rental car to Germany shows how this works on one route.

Frequently asked questions