Find Guru’Guay products and services for your travel or relocation to Uruguay
Vacation
→
Relocation
→
I get asked all the time about reliable car hire in Uruguay and I am going to give an unashamed shout-out to a local car hire company, Mariño Sport, which has offices in Montevideo (Pocitos and near the airport) and Punta del Este.
Why? Because they deserve it!
I have recommended them to clients and my own visiting friends and family since 2010 and I have been consistently impressed by their great service and personal touch.
Back a few years ago, I had a French client whose rental car window got broken by an opportunistic thief. She was pretty upset – not only because of the unwelcome complication but she was naturally worried about the repair charges.
Not only did Mariño come to sort out the damage immediately but they did not even charge her! How many big companies would take that attitude? Mariño is just COOL.
This is really a great part of the service. You can arrange to have them meet you at the airport, the port or your hotel and then they will pick the car up from you wherever you decide in Montevideo and Punta del Este.
What a relaxing start and end to your holiday. It can also save you money too as a taxi from the airport to the centre of Montevideo can set you back 40 USD.
Note there’s a fifty dollar charge for drop-offs out of office hours ie before 8:30am and after 7:30pm Sunday through Friday and after 5:30pm on Saturdays.
The rate they quote you will include:
My clients who’ve gone with cheaper companies have been messed around regarding how much gas was in the car to start with and other such annoying tricks. I have never known Mariño to mess around.
* You will be asked to sign a credit card voucher for the value of 1000 USD (for a compact car, more for a larger car) which is called a “deductible”. The insurance covers you for everything except the first 1000 USD-worth of damage. This is standard practice for Uruguayan car rentals. The voucher will be ripped up at the end of your rental.
Note when renting over the high season From mid December to the end of February, Mariño charges a 30% non-refundable deposit. Understandable in a small market where there is heavy demand over a short period of time.
As they have their own repair shop, their cars are well-maintained. This may seem a basic requirement, but I have heard enough stories of rental cars in Uruguay breaking down to know that this is not a given.
Mariño was founded in 2002 as a motor repair shop and started renting cars two years later. They are the official service representatives for Nissan, Hyundai and Renault in Uruguay.
Not many companies do in Uruguay and people typically drive stick shift. Mariño tells me they have the largest fleet of small and medium size automatic cars in Uruguay.
If you have a larger group or lots of luggage, they have a large range of passenger vans for 7 and 9 people.
Send an email to car-rental@guruguay.com quoting offer code Guru’Guay for a 10% discount.
Write “Guru’Guay car rental: your name” in your subject line. Don’t forget to mention your rental dates and Mariño will write back to you.
Don’t be put off by their terrible written English, you will work things out. [Supposedly they are working on improving this, including hiring new English-speaking staff—but I will revise my opinion when I see the evidence—ha!]
If you are just after the cheapest deal then Mariño is not for you.
Their rates are not quite as competitive as some other the international car companies however for the reasons above mean that I would choose them any day.
And remember that when you hire a car using an international credit card the 22% VAT is automatically deducted from the rental price.
[Article first published: Feb 12, 2015. Last updated: See date above]
Namasté — Vegetarian restaurant in Montevideo
Namasté is more than just a vegetarian restaurant in Montevideo. This colourful, family-run spot has been serving vegetarian and vegan food since 2008. And the food is only part of the experience. Come for a relaxed meal, stay for the atmosphere, the friendly service and the chance to slow down for a while.
Dance tango in Uruguay. Whether a complete newbie or you already dance, the tango scene in Montevideo is a great way to make friends.
Estancia Los Plátanos – Authentic 6th generation ranch
Venture into deep Uruguay to Estancia Los Platanos, a working ranch. Just 3 guestrooms—and there’s a gorgeous indoor pool.
Nominate your favourites for the 2027 Montevideo Guru’Guay guide
Do you love a business in the capital that absolutely MUST be in our next best selling Montevideo guidebook?
Ignacio Fuentes, RE/MAX – Recommended Montevideo realtor
Montevideo real estate made easy—foreigners trust this realtor for smooth, reliable rentals and property purchases.
Estancia El Cangüé – Cattle & roses in Paysandú
Home to Uruguay’s biggest rose collection, this 200 year west Uruguay estancia is the perfect destination for outdoor adventure or a wedding.
Martín Pescador – Sierras ranch 1 hr from ocean
Just an hour inland from the beaches of Punta and José Ignacio, the perfect Uruguay estancia, horse riding and trekking.
Uruguay LGBT rights – A trailblazer for over a century
Did you know Uruguay is among the most LGBT-friendly countries worldwide? Small nation. Big equality record.
TEFL Uruguay: new qualification for foreigners and Uruguayans to teach English abroad
TEFL Uruguay comes to Montevideo in 2027: Four-week face-to-face training for foreigners and English-fluent locals.
Expats in Uruguay spill the beans: What life is really like
We interview foreigners in Uruguay who moved here from principally English-speaking countries so you can learn from their mistakes.
Dance tango in Uruguay. Whether a complete newbie or you already dance, the tango scene in Montevideo is a great way to make friends.
TEFL Uruguay comes to Montevideo in 2027: Four-week face-to-face training for foreigners and English-fluent locals.
Between June and August, visit Uruguay for horse-riding, great music and culture, bonfire parties, wine tasting & whale-watching.
For 200 years, estancia San Pedro de Timote has been the pride of Uruguay. Today it’s a historic country hotel where you can go riding and meet gauchos.
Unique ocean-front location to reconnect with nature—with luxury touches—on one of Uruguay’s most deserted beaches in Maldonado.
Fine white sands, pines, mysterious structures—an eagle head & a UNESCO Heritage church. This Uruguay beach town is 30′ from the airport.
34 responses
Karen, another one of your recommendations that proved invaluable was Marino Sport Car Rental. The 10% discount through Guru’Guay was certainly appreciated, but the service was what really impressed us.
Our travel plans went a tad bit sideways when we missed a connecting flight due to weather delays and arrived in Uruguay almost a full day late. Despite our delayed arrival after business hours, the person who met us from Marino at the airport patiently walked us through everything we needed to know about the car, and made us feel completely at ease after a long day of travel. Based on our itinerary, they had recommended a vehicle that was a perfect fit for the places we planned to visit, and it performed beautifully throughout our trip. Returning the car was just as easy. They picked it up at our hotel in Montevideo, making the entire rental process simple and stress free.
Excellent service from beginning to end. We will rent from Marino Sport again on our next visit!
Wow, love Mariño car rental!! Super priced automatic car, dropped/picked up at Airbnb. Great people!
por favor, quiero averiguar para alquilar un auto en punta del este desde el 21 al 26 de enero
Hola Enrique, tenes que escribirle a la compañia utlizando el correo al pie de la nota. Saludos y feliz 2026 — Guru’Guay
Hello. Based on your recommendation I booked a car in Uruguay with Mariño Sport. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip due to health concerns and to my surprise, Marino charges a NON-REFUNDABLE 30 deposit! They said it was noted in the fine print when I rented, but I have never had a rental car company charge for a cancellation. Especially, two weeks out from the rental date. I wont be using Marino Sport again!
Hi Mark, I reached out to Mariño sport on your behalf. They told me that over the holiday season, they do charge a 30% nonrefundable deposit. And that this is written in the information they provide. Thank you for letting us know. We have amended our article above so that this is clear to readers. However, they did tell me that you had been informed that you will be able to apply that payment to a future rental. I guess that this is a situation that comes from the fact that Uruguay is a very small market. There are very few rental cars in general available and there is a huge amount of demand over a very short holiday season. It is really the time when a business makes money. During the rest of the year, things can extremely slow. Not making excuses, just providing an explanation from the ground. Happy holidays! – – Karen.
Hi, Karen. I just want to share my recent experience with Mariño. Based on the recommendation of OWN Montevideo hotel, I rented a car from on December 28th and returned it on the 31st. A friendly gentleman named Walter showed up with a car, and after an awful lot of talk (sounded a bit like a used-car salesman–for some reason made me suspicious) he walked us to a car and gave us the key and he was gone. No walk-around to see if there was any damage. We got in the car and almost immediately noticed the car was awful. It was an automatic, and it wouldn’t switch to 2nd gear until we were going at 45 KPH or so. It didn’t engage 3rd gear until it was well into the 90s. We thought it was just a really bad care (Peugeot 2008), but when we mentioned it to a cousin who is a mechanic, he said he has driven that model several times and it works just fine. He said the problem was that the car was not working fine. Now, Walter had to know the car was not working well because he had driven it to us. It was also, as he said, “the last car” they had available. At the end of the rental , dropped off the car in front of the hotel as instructed and left the keys with the front desk. We never saw Walter again. It is January 10 today, and the company has still not released the two holds they put on my credit card, which were fro $1,500 and $500 respectively. I just sent Walter a message to see when they will release, the funds. So far, not the worst experience, but far from the wonderful experience you describe. I will update the comment when, hopefully, I get the funds back. I hope I don’t have to go through my credit card company to contest a claim.
Thanks, Gabriela. I’m asking Mariño to look into this. Hope you had a good time overall! — Karen
Hi Gabriela! This is Lorena from Mariño. I checked which vehicle you received, and it was a 2024 Peugeot 2008 automatic with 16,000 km. The only thing I can think of that could have happened is that you accidentally put the gear selector in manual instead of automatic, which is why the vehicle only went up to 2nd gear. I’ve already contacted the cancellations department to request that your warranty be canceled (we’re a bit behind due to the volume of work). Please send us an email to rentacar@mariniosport.com and we’ll send you the confirmation. 🙂
Hola Gabriela! Por aquí Lorena de Mariño. Estuve revisando que vehiculo se le entrego, y fue una Peugeot 2008 automatica año 2024 con 16000 km, lo único que se me ocurre que pudo pasar es que por error hayas puesto la palanca en manual y no en automático, por eso es que el vehiculo quedaba hasta la 2da marcha. Ya reclame al sector de cancelaciones que de de baja su garantia (estamos con un poco de atraso por el volumen de trabajo). Le pido nos envie un mail a rentacar@mariniosport.com y le enviamos el comprobante.
Thanks for the recommendation to rent a car from Marino Sport! We just dropped our car off from them at the airport after a five day rental and, from start to finish, their service was excellent, the car was great and everything went as planned. They are fantastic and we will use them again!
Thanks for taking the time to send in your evaluation, David! It’s important for us to hear your experiences and confirm that we’re recommending great companies. Thanks so much again — Karen
Dear Karen,
We are just back from a car round trip (1600 KM) thru uruguay. After buying your book (8 weeks ago) we booked a trip to see this country by ourself. We used a lot of information from your book to see and to do things. The 2 day stay in Estancia El ceibo with Carmen and Joselo was great.
We also took your advice to rent a car by Marino. The deal was great and the service good. After seeing this country, we may consider to moving perminent to live in Uruguay, when I am retired in 1 or 2 years. Probably we go back again in late summer to see how uruguay looks like in that period.
If we need help with our final move we may contact you. Thanks for your great info.
Arjen & Esther, what a great trip! And thank you so much for taking the time to write. I look forward to being in contact in the future (are you signed up to our newsletter?) — best best, Karen
I just signed up for the newsletter.
Thanks for your info and respons, maybe we meet in person in the future.
All the best, Arjen
Is there an age restriction for renting cars in Uruguay. I am 73 years old. Can I still rent?
Hey Bob, I’ve never heard that there is. If you have a valid driving licence, that should be sufficient. But you might want to ask when you write. Cheers – Karen
Dear Karen,
Great shout on Marino Sport car hire. Could not have been more efficient and, with your discount, very reasonable.
Your books are proving very useful in our Uruguay stay.
Lots of thanks,
John
Hi Karen, we were thinking of coming to Uruguay for a month in 2024, I was wondering whether renting a RV is possible for travelling around.
Would it be safe to sleep in various places along the way?
Thanks
Hi Marie, I’ve not seen RVs for rent here in Uruguay. Let us know if you find a place that does! Best, Karen
Our experience with them was fantastic. While the car wasn’t exactly what we asked for, it worked fine. The drop-off was great and the vehicle worked well until the morning we were driving back to Montevideo from Punta. The valet brought the car around to show us that a back tire was flat from a large screw. When we informed the concierge that the car was from Marino Sport she said “We work with them all the time!” and hurried off to make a phone call. Their guys from Punta arrived about 5 minutes later, put the spare on, and showed us the way to a tire repair place in Maldonado. Thirty minutes and 280 pesos later, we were on our way! This could have been a real disaster, but it was made easy.
Karen,
I found your website to be very informative. Thanks for keeping it up, it is very helpful.
I am planning a short trip to Uruguay in December. While looking at car rental options I found your blog. Marino Sport sounds like a great option but I am wondering how exactly the airport pickup and drop off work since they don’t have an office in MVD. Would they drive us all the way to Montevideo office to pick up the car? How long does it take? What about returning a car back at the airport?
Hi Alex, Marinio does have an office in Montevideo in Pocitos and a second one close to the airport. They will meet you at the airport with your car, and you can drop it off there too. Contact them soon as there’s lots of demand in December! All the best, Karen
Dear Karen,
thank you for your wonderful Website!
My partner and I are planing a trip to Uruguay for a month, starting in Montevideo.
I looked up your information about `Marino Sport` Car rental – do you know by any chance – if it is possible to rent a car for an entire month?
Or do you have any further recommendation?
We are arriving around the 17th of august and leaving about the same time in September.
I appreciate your help!
sincerely yours
Svetlana
—
P.S.: I couldn’t sent you an email directly to: info@guruguay.com I tried about 3 times and every time I got a notification from Mail Delivery Subsystem.
Hi Svetlana, so glad you have found the site useful! It is totally possible to rent a car for a month, especially in low season I am sure they will make you a deal! All the best, Karen
I had a wonderful experience with Marino. I would definitely use them again and I cannot recommend them enough!
Our coordinated blessing card, unwaveringness, social and portable stage is barnone the biggest and best on the planet.
MMS Campaign
We are offering for Five Star limousine and other Five star car’s for rental service in affordable price.Airport Pick and drop service is available.Contact Us Now…:
Five Star Limousine & Airport Transportation
IF you want to hire Royal Ride Car in affordable price.Pick and drop service is available.Contact Us Now
car service annapolis
I tried contacting Marino Sport but have not gotten a response. Based on your recommendation and the fact that I would much rather support a smaller, local business I am still hoping that I may hear from them. I know I am late in trying to rent. We are getting to Montevideo on December 27, but I’ve been having a hard time finding a car rental. I hope that I hear from them soon. If they have nothing available, can you make another recommendation?
Dear Mary Ellen, I just called Marinio and Mirelma tells me that she has responded to you. Did you check your spam? All the best Karen
Alright, based off of your recommendation my family will be using Marino Sport for our car rental while in Uruguay. We just made the rental confirmation with Lorena and so far it’s worked out great. I have a friend in Montevideo that was shopping around for us and found some that were a little cheaper (multicar, for example) but we told him that we were supporting the local business.
Wish us luck!
Hey Robb, you are not going to regret it – and yes, I am fully with you – it’s really important to support local business!
I highly recommend Marino for a car rental! They were super helpful.
When they dropped off the car at Casa Sarandi (Karen’s guesthouse, casasarandi.com), I noticed that they brought a manual. I showed them my original email where I had requested an automatic (check the confirmation they send in advance, which I didn’t). I was anxious to start my road trip around Uruguay and a bit disappointed. I absolutely don’t know how to drive manual, so that wouldn’t have been an option. The very helpful and patient staffperson (I didn’t catch her name) assured me that they would find a solution. She called her office, sorted it out, and an automatic magically arrived in 20 minutes. And they didn’t charge me extra!
Later in my trip, I wanted to extend my reservation to add one night AND to change the pick up location. A local friend helped me send them an email in Spanish, and they had no problem making either change. Yay!
Finally, when I returned to Montevideo and was keeping the car for an extra night, I stupidly left the lights on overnight (the car doesn’t beep if you leave them on). So, the next morning, the car wouldn’t start. I called Karen for help, who called Marino and assured me they have emergency service. Sure enough, 20 minutes later, they arrived and jumpstarted the car!
Wonderful service, always polite. Better experience than with rental car companies in the U.S. Highly recommended!
Everyone drives stick-shifts in South America so an automatic car is usually more expensive. So you got extra-special treatment, Pooja! I am sure in part it was because you had contacted them via Guru’GUAY 😉
But seriously, your story illustrates (in several ways) why Marinio is such a great company and really worth using. Plus I totally believe in supporting local businesses. Why use a big multinational when you can be taken care of like this, right? Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your experience.