Cheap car hire in Spain can be difficult to find during the peak holiday season and since the Covid pandemic there seems to be a shortage of vehicles everywhere. For that reason we’ve put together these few tips on helping you find some good deals:
Compare Rental Companies’ Rates
The first step is researching rental car companies and comparing their rates. While global brands like Hertz, Avis, and Enterprise are available, you may find better deals from local companies like Helle Hollis or Malagacar. Use aggregator sites like Rentalcars.com and Kayak to quickly view rates across multiple providers. Consider both international companies and local operators. Opting for a smaller company doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice service or vehicle quality.
Use Price Comparison Websites
Rather than searching through countless car hire websites you can now visit a single price comparison specialist and they’ll save you hours by doing all the searching for you. All you need to do is input your destination and travel dates then click the search button. Their search technology then ‘scrapes’ search results from a large number of car hire websites and returns the best rates for you.
Book Well in Advance for Cheap Car Hire in Spain
Like flights and accommodation, car rental rates are usually lowest when you book early. Aim to reserve your car at least 1-2 months before your trip. Last minute bookings will typically incur higher rates. For the best chance at finding cheap car hire at the airport, start comparing providers as soon as you confirm your trip.
Look for Discounts and Coupons
Check rental company websites regularly for discounts and coupon codes you can apply to your booking. Consider joining rental loyalty programs which can provide free car upgrades, priority service, and exclusive deals. You may also find discount codes on third-party travel sites. Some companies offer cheaper prices when booking directly through their site rather than a third party.
You might also find special cheap car hire in Spain deals being offered by online travel agents and airlines when you book a holiday or flight with them.
Consider Offsite Rental Locations
Renting away from the airport itself can translate to cheaper rates. Offsite rental locations are situated close to the airport. You’ll be met at the arrivals area by a representative of the car hire company who will escort you to your car. This may be in the airport parking or at an offsite locations. While not as convenient, you’ll often avoid surcharges and fees added by the better known car rental companies.
Airports in Spain are home to a number of these independent local operators. To find out which local car hire companies are recommended by visitors go to the travel forums section for Malaga on Tripadvisor.com. If you don’t see any useful tips you can ask a question in the forum and you’ll often get an answer from the local destination expert.
Choose a Smaller Vehicle
Opting for a more compact car is one of the easiest ways to reduce your rental costs as it is cheaper rent and uses less fuel when driving in Spain. Unless you have a large group or lots of luggage, a standard car or hatchback should meet your needs. Upgrade to a larger vehicle only if necessary. Decline any extra add-ons like GPS (use your phone’s maps instead) or excess insurance.
By following these tips, you can find affordable car hire at Spanish airports without sacrificing quality or service. A little research goes a long way. Enjoy the flexibility to get to your holiday resort and explore the Costa del Sol with a rental car that fits your budget.
Book With a Car Hire Company Which Offers a ‘Fair Fuel Policy’
The fuel policy operated by car hire companies varies according to the supplier and is probably the biggest complaint amongst holidaymakers. For some car hire companies it serves as a significant source of additional revenue. A common fuel policy is that you collect the car with a full tank and return it empty. This usually means being charged more for the full tank of petrol than could physically fit in the tank at current petrol prices. Then when you return it you often find that you can’t use the full tank so they can effectively sell the same petrol twice!
Some companies will provide you with a half full tank and tell you to bring it back empty but the best option if you can find it is to collect your car with a full tank of petrol then return it full. This way you know you’re paying the market price for your petrol and not being subjected to the profiteering of the car hire company.
Buy an Excess Insurance Policy Before Travelling
When you get your car hire quote it usually includes at least a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) which covers damage to the vehicle in the event of an accident. It will also include an “excess” which is the amount you’d have to pay before the insurance policy covers any damage to the car. This “excess” is typically around £500. On arrival at the airport you’ll be asked if you want to take out an additional insurance to provide more comprehensive cover in the event of your car being damaged or stolen. If you take out this additional policy it gives you fully comprehensive insurance and reduces your “excess” to zero.
You can reduce the cost of extra insurance by taking out a separate ‘excess insurance policy’ before you travel and refuse to take out the car hire company’s policy when you arrive. This specialist type of insurance covers the policy holder rather than the rental vehicle. If your car is damaged or stolen whilst you’re abroad you’ll pay the excess to the car hire company with your credit card then reclaim this expense when you get home from your ‘excess insurance policy’. If you rent abroad for more than a week a year this could well be worth looking at. Companies offering such policies include:
Exchange Rate Adjustments
Some companies will provide you with a quote in Euros then charge you in Pounds when you come to make the final payment. The exchange rate used tends to be below the market rate and some will add insult to injury by adding on what they call an “exchange rate mark-up”. In other words they choose to convert Euros to Pounds on your behalf at a non-competitive exchange rate then charge you for the privilege!
It’s much better to get a quote in Pounds and pay in Pounds before leaving the UK. If you must settle the balance whilst abroad and have the option of paying in Euros or Pounds always choose Euros otherwise the car hire company will do the exchange rate conversion for you at a worse rate than your bank will.
Check Additional Charges Before Booking
The most common additional charges that might be added on are for an additional driver, for the mileage you cover, for child seats and for one-way rentals. You should check carefully when you get your original quote to see whether these are included or not. The quote should always include VAT and any airport taxes and surcharges.
Check Your Hire Car for Damage Before Driving Out of the Airport
Many holidaymakers have had quite a shock when they’ve returned home only to find that the car hire company has added extra charges to their credit card bill. When they query these charges they are usually told that it is because of damage to the car. To avoid the likelihood of this scenario be sure to check the car very carefully on arrival and make sure that any marks are reported before you drive away. On returning it some people take photos of the car to prove that it is in the same condition as when they collected it.
If you do run into such a problem and cannot resolve the dispute with the car hire company you should contact your credit card company as they may well be able to support you in the matter.
Do you Really Need to Rent a Car?
Quite simply the biggest way to save on car rental is to not rent at all. If you can cope with the inconvenience of public transport it’s well worth looking at what alternative transport options are available from the airport to your final destination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Car Hire Broker?
Car hire brokers DO NOT OWN any cars but act as intermediaries between the car hire company and the holidaymaker. They earn a living from commissions they get from the car hire companies for finding them customers. There are literally hundreds of car hire brokers online so it’s a good idea to refer to a price comparison website to find the best deals.
Car hire companies OWN their own cars which they rent out to holidaymakers from their offices at airports and in popular holiday resorts. They include household names such as Alamo, Budget and Hertz. By all means check their individual websites for quotes but more often than not you’ll find that you can rent their cars cheaper through the broker websites.
Watch out for the ‘one-way’ rental cost scam where the car hire company levies an excessive extra amount if you want to return your car to a different car hire depot when the hire period ends. Always try to pick up and return your hire car to the same hire point. If you do need to hire a car at your resort to drive to the airport at the end of your holiday then shop around for the very few car hirers who do NOT impose this ‘one way’ rental extra charge. If you can find one then it will certainly be much cheaper to hire than to take a taxi for distances over 50 miles or so.
An idea which I use to avoid the ‘full tank – empty tank’ con trick is to hire for 3 day periods during my holidays. Most car hire firms will give you a refund for the fuel remaining in the tank at the end of the 3 day hire and this can be quite a lot of money nowadays if you’re not going to do a heavy mileage.
Thanks for this tip Alan.
Hi Gerry:
This is a good article and reminds me of why I haven’t rented a car in my 8 years of retirement travel. My European holidays consist of solo long-distance walking in the UK, France and Spain plus city breaks with my wife. I find public transport more convenient for intra city and inter city travel. I winter in Mexico and again prefer public transport.
I always enjoy your emails, James
Thanks James
Thank you very much for your information because next week I hope to be in Mallorca for a week.
Have a great time in Mallorca. September is usually a lovely time to be there.
Good article-thanks. We’ve used several companies and as you say via brokers. Not really had too much trouble and today are being supplied by Dickmans via the Rhino Car Hire site. Photographing before and after is so important, but easy too forget late at night. We do Ryanair from Bournemouth and flights don’t get in till 11.30. One year we were 4 hours late–our company were still open while Hertz were shut stranding two families.
A lot of what these companies do is pretty much standard which you have to try not to get too stressed about. I take out insuranceforcarhire each time. I will however use the two sites you’ve recommended in the future.
The Spanish are nice people but have their ways which can be frustrating, but so long as you are aware of the pitfalls and plan well things should run ok. Thanks again Nic
Hi if you are going to Malaga or Gib, give Brunos car hire a try, they don’t at first seem cheap but the price you see is what you pay, no extra for ANYTHING, not even petrol, pick up 1/4 tank return 1/4 tank. Pick car up in public car park, return public car park, no delays, no waiting in long que, no extra insurance, no for extra driver, baby seat or whatever. Just good old fashion service. I have been done many times by the larger car hires, just what do they do with all those deposits in their bank? Great website always interesting.
THANKS PC Doughty
Thanks Paul
I agree with Alan, always use a company where you collect and return the car with a full tank. It’s impossible to take it back empty. How much money do they make out of all of this ‘residue’?
Also, take photos of any damage that you see at the collection, tell them of anything that may not be on the form and take particular note of scrapes on the wing mirrors that may have been ‘clipped’
Thanks Chris … isn’t it a sad state of affairs when we (as customers) go into a car hire transaction with such suspicions that we are about to be ripped off!
Hi Gerry, Great info on car hire we have found doyouspain a good company, we travel to Murcia 4 times a year and drive down to La Manga strip, have a littie apartment there and always trying to find the best and cheapest car hire. We too have been ripped off with the insurance, wouldn,t it be so easy to include the whole thing and pay before you leave England then all you do is show your driving license, sign and off you go instead of waiting in long queues. I am going to check out (insurance 4 carhire.com) as a friend of mine use them and he said they are good. Many thanks for the emails really enjoy them and my wife has downloaded the menus – thought they were great .
Thanks Tony
I’m glad that you enjoyed the articles and recipes.
All the Best
Gerry
Good article with very useful information! Thank you!
My husband had booked a car from http://spain.rentalcars24h.com/ , they are brokers as i understood. We visited Tenerife last spring and were very pleased about our journey. Had no problems with service
I rented a car thru Costco in the US for pick up in Madrid. Their local rep is Europcar in Madrid. Got a great rate and their service was trouble free.
Hola!
Thanks for info. In passing I mentioned that a couple of years or so ago 2 dear pals of mine from Madrid were in Palm Springs, Calif. Rented from “Enterprise”. This outfit has a naughty setup and they hit the wrong guys to try on the fiddle. After they returned to Madrid BIG thing from Enterprise saying accident, dent trouble etc.etc. so billing extra so-so-much against their Visa. WRONG!!!
One of the twosome is probably among Madrid’s leading lawyers. Fired official word back and guess what. NO added charge against Visa and NOT another peep from Enterprise. In fact to be really bitchy he advised Visa to pay NOTHING at all on that account due to problem and he’d advise if and when legitimate rental charges to be honoured. I have heard of other similar instance with Enterprize in North America. Might wish to advise your clients & friends.
Abrazos, Ingrid
Wow. This is the best website for anyone looking for rental cars in Spain. Thanks for ending my search. Coming to Spain soon for a leisure trip. Complete comprehensive guide I would call it. I wish there were such kind of guide articles for travelling in Middle east too.
Hi, I am so glad I found this page, I have had many a bad experience over the years, one in particular, the famous “Gold Car ” just like the famous “AIR LINE ” that charges you for printing your boarding pass, (Your paper, ink & printer why do I have to pay him. ????)
I booked my last rental for Alicante in February for use in May To end of July. The agent was DoYouSpain ?? I have used for many years. As I never did or do is to read/print the T & C`s as most times they all have the same info, but I came a cropper, collected my car at Record Go, I prepaid total of 537.56 Euro DYS.But on arrival at recordGo desk, I was told I have to take out the COMFORT PACK ??? was 192 euro, on the T&C, but he said no, 200 euro now. That comfort pack !! is because I was over 70 years old.I was not aware of the age policy. So my total cost was 737.56 euro plus 49 euro for fuel refundable on return with a full tank.I returned my car on the 28th July & still no refund.They don`t check the fuel tank when U leave the car, as it goes to their work shop, WHERE ??? so your fuel gets used up, then they could say tank not full. But I used my phone & took a photo of the fuel gauge & the mileage as I could only do up 2000 km, if I need to do more, then return car, get a new contract & another car, WHAT A LOAD OF COB`s The customer service, stinks, very rude & arrogant. Avoid “Record go” like the plague including gold Cars.
I was amazed of a company I found, very helpful, spoke English excellent C/service & very good prices, they are very happy to go the extra mile to help you, “Easy Option” The young lady who served me her name was Emma, a charming & helpful sales person. That`s my story & advice, I love Spain, I go twice a year, my son has a apartment there, as it`s good for my health, the only down side was the Spanish Car Rental firms, they go all out to rip you off.So CHECK the small print very carefully, as there will be some catch line, one booking had 13 pages of T & C`s so small print and very confusing, the whole idea is you give up & don`t read it !!!! So dear friends, take note & most of all heed my warnings.
Note the age groups allowed it varies, (as minimum 200 euro`s is added to the bill) from 65, 70 to 75. There Is No no upper age limit at “Easy Option” so it`s the ideal rental.
This is the new scam now after the full/empty fuel or partial, all ways chose one that has a full to full or return as you received. Well my dear friends take note & happy motoring & good luck. Sonny.
Ps. just out of Interest, NO I DON`T HAVE SHARE`s IN EASY OPTION, I just want to share my good luck for others to enjoy.