Los Angeles · What the hold actually is
Security Deposit on a Car Rental in Los Angeles
Every rental here carries a refundable hold, from $350 to $2,000 depending on the car. It is an authorisation rather than a charge, it comes back 5–7 business days after the car does, and you see the exact figure in writing before anything touches your card.
- From $350 to $2,000, by band
- An authorisation, not a charge
- Released 5–7 business days after return
- In the written quote before you commit
The bands, and what each one costs to cover
Two numbers move together, which is the part nobody explains: the deposit decides the cover. Damage-and-liability cover here is priced off the hold rather than off the day rate, so a car in a higher band costs more to insure even when it rents for less than something below it.
| Deposit | Cover, per day | Cars | What is in the band |
|---|---|---|---|
| from $350 | $50 | 12 | The everyday shelf — three-row SUVs, compact crossovers, the minivans |
| from $500 | $75 | 19 | Saloons and the larger SUVs — the BMWs, the Mercedes, the Wrangler |
| from $750 | $100 | 12 | Performance — the Corvettes, the RS 3, the Boxster, the Range Rover Sport |
| from $1,500 | $225 | 3 | The Urus |
| from $2,000 | $225 | 13 | Exotics and flagships — Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maybach |
Every figure is a minimum. The holds above are where each band starts; a particular booking can carry a higher one, set at handover after the usual checks. If that happens you are told before you commit, not at the kerb — which is the whole of the difference between a policy and a surprise.
Three things that decide whether this goes badly
It is a hold, not a payment. The amount is authorised against the primary renter’s card at pickup and never moves. It does not show up as a charge, and releasing it is not a refund — the authorisation simply drops off.
It is released 5–7 business days after the car is back. What happens after that is your bank’s timing rather than ours, and it is usually the part people are actually waiting on. Ask us and we will tell you the day it was released.
The exact figure is in the quote before any money moves. Rate, cover, deposit and delivery arrive as one written number. Nothing is authorised against a card until you have seen all four and said yes.
How we are rated on it
5.0 from 56 reviews on our Google Business Profile, which is the place to check it rather than take our word for it. We do not publish that figure as structured data for search engines to repeat — a rating a business asserts about itself is worth less than one a reader can go and read, and the link above is the point.
The figure is in the quote before the car moves.
Across the Fleet
The Hold Follows the Car.
Which band a car sits in is what decides both the deposit and what it costs to cover.
Good to Know
Deposit Questions
How big is the security deposit on an exotic rental in Los Angeles?
From $2,000 on the exotics and flagships — the Ferrari, the Lamborghinis, the Rolls-Royces, the Bentley and the Maybach — and from $350 at the other end of the fleet. The full table is on this page, by band. Every figure is a minimum rather than a fixed number: the hold on a particular booking can be set higher at handover, and if it is, you are told before you commit rather than at the kerb.
Is the deposit charged to my card?
No. It is an authorisation on the primary renter’s card, taken at pickup — the money is reserved against the card and not moved. That is why it does not appear as a payment and why releasing it is not a refund: the hold simply drops.
When do I get the deposit back?
It is released 5–7 business days after the car is returned. Your bank decides how quickly the release shows on the statement after that, which is usually the part people are actually waiting on.
Does the deposit change what the insurance costs?
Yes, and it is the one connection most people are not expecting: our damage-and-liability cover is priced off the deposit band rather than off the day rate. So the same car at the same rate would cost the same per day to insure as anything else in its band — and a car two bands up costs more to cover even if it rents for less. The per-day figure for each band is in the table above, and your own qualifying full-coverage policy takes that line out of the quote entirely.
Will I know the exact figure before I pay anything?
Yes. The deposit is in the written quote with the rate, the cover and any delivery, and nothing is held against a card until you have all of it in front of you.
See the figure for your dates
Rate, cover, deposit and delivery in one written quote · Nothing held until you agree