There are two ways in which this question can be answered. The first is that you can pay for the total costs of the rental car with your debit, once you return it safely to the location that you agreed upon in your rental agreement, as debit cards can be used as cash. However, there is a more complicated answer and that is if you can use a debit card to actually rent the vehicle.
In many cases, rental car companies will deny and even lie about their acceptance of debit cards to rent a vehicle. When you rent a car, the company that you choose will hold your credit card information for the duration of your rental and will often times place a certain amount of your credit line on hold to use in the event that you damage their investment. The same can be accomplished with a debit card, but because it is not a line of credit and not issued directly from a major credit company, they are more weary of using them.
After you’ve gotten them to admit that you can use a debit card you will often find that additional deposits must be made when you pick up your vehicle. This means that, on top of the money ($250-$750) that they will put a hold on while it’s in your account, you may also be required to leave a cash deposit of up to $2,000. All of this is to make sure that you pay the amount specified in your rental agreement should there be any damage to the car while it’s in your care.

