Hiring a Car in Spain Checklist: 8 Things to Review + Cheap Car Rental Tips

Hiring a car in Spain will be the best decision you’ll make to see this country. But before you do, check my guide with practical advice on how to rent a car in Spain, when and where to find cheap car rentals in different cities, and what is the best place to hire a luxury car.

After living in Spain for more than a year now, I can’t imagine not having a car with us here on a regular basis, be it for travel or daily routine. Anya and I rent cars often, sometimes for a few days, a week, or for a month when prices go down, particularly in winter.

By this day, our driving experience in Spain ranges from navigating the winding roads through small coastal towns in the north to steering through the chaotic streets of Valencia and Granada, managing to parallel park on tiny streets of many cities, and driving across the country multiple times.

So, after all these times of traveling around Spain, we got to understand the Spanish car rental system with the best and worst places to rent a car.

This is why I wanted to share my findings and observations in this quick (but thorough) guide.

Renting a vehicle here is easy and Spain is one of the cheapest countries to rent a car in Europe, especially in the off-season. In the summertime, cars are in high demand. but with so many companies saturated in almost every city, you will always find the right car for yourself!

Renting a Car in Spain – Things to Check Upon the Hire

1. Do You Need a Car in Spain?

Well, that’s a good question to ask which really depends on your agenda and where exactly you are planning to travel. Here is a quick overview to help you decide:

Should You Rent a Car in Barcelona?

If you plan to be only in the city, then no, do not rent a car. Having one will be stressful as parking is really difficult. Besides that, moving around the city by metro or bus is easy.

However, if you want to travel from Barcelona to Valencia, Montserrat, Costa Brava, or Penedes Wine Region, then renting a car will be very beneficial as you can see many spots that tours don’t get to show.

Roadtripping from Barcelona to Valencia is much more interesting than covering this distance by train or bus. Also, rent a car in Barcelona to drive to Andorra, we loved this route much better than going by public transport or transfer.

Do You Need a Car in Madrid?

The same as with Barcelona, you do not need to rent a car for Madrid alone. But do hire it if you want to see the famous El Escorial Monastery or Aranjuez town, both in the vicinity of the Spanish capital.

Additionally, hire a car in Madrid to go on road trips in the area to see central Spain. Road trips from Madrid will show different landscapes and villages which is difficult to see by bus or on tours. In fact, there are almost no tours around central Spain.

Is It a Good Idea to Rent a Car in Valencia?

Yes, renting a car in Valencia makes much sense since the city is spread out with many attractions on the outskirts.

However, you need to be careful when driving through central streets (or pre-central) as there are a lot of roundabouts where no one follows any rules and drives as they wish. Read more about these and other nuances in my guide to Valencia car hire.

Also, when thinking of driving from Valencia to Malaga, hire a car at the airport and go on a big road trip.

Should You Hire a Car in Malaga?

Yes and yes, Malaga is a fantastic city where to rent a car (unless you plan to spend only a quick weekend in its old town) since driving is easy and parking is available in many neighborhoods.

I spent 3 months in Malaga and rented cars on a regular basis using them to drive around the Andalusia region and visit many attractions outside the old town.

Rent a car to drive along the coast (in both directions to the south and north) and go to Cordoba, Marbella, and even Gibraltar.

Here is my guide to car hire in Malaga center vs airport and tips for where to rent a car not to be scammed.

Do you need a car in Tenerife? I have a different guide with tips on cheap car hire around the Tenerife island!

2. How to Rent a Car in Spain

Easy. Have your valid driver’s license ready together with a CC in the driver’s name, and be at least 21 years old (although age restrictions vary by rental companies). Book a vehicle online in advance to score a lower price.

If you don’t have a CC, renting a car is still possible in some cities (I talk more about it below).

For budget reasons and often for convenience, it is better to hire a car in Spain at major international airports such as Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD), Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN), Seville Airport (SVQ), Valencia Airport (VLC), Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) and so on.

Even though there are some airport surcharge fees added to your final bill, it is still a lot cheaper than renting somewhere in the city office. Chance is, you might be flying into one of those airports anyway. And since they are always on the outskirts of the metropolitan areas, you can quickly jump on a highway and get whenever you need, be it a city center or nearby town.

3. Where to Hire a Car in Spain?

Now, since we rent cars in Spain often and tested many services throughout the years, I want to share our main ways (and favorite) companies that proved to be the best and they are:

hire cars in Spain through DiscoverCars as they are not only the most trustworthy company with lowest prices but they also often offer bonuses and match the price if you find the same deal cheaper on other sources.

DISCOVER CARS

This is a large aggregator that we use on the Spanish mainland and islands to search for the best deals across many rental companies. Combined with the ease of the booking process, easy cancellations, and good amenities, it is the best place to start looking.

What’s nice, this company gives options to search for vehicles to rent without a deposit, a free second driver, or a Car Model Guaranteed.

>> Check prices and cars available for rent with Discover Cars >>

RENTAL CARS

This is a large and well-known aggregator that works quite well in Spain too and can find good deals with free cancellations, booking amendments, and 24/7 support.

Even though I am personally a fan of DiscoverCars, I have to give RentalCars credit for handling late cancelations better.

>> Check prices and cars available for rent with RentalCars >>

LOCAL RENT

LocalRent is another good aggregator to use when renting a car in Spain. However, it is not available everywhere yet and in some cities it doesn’t have many cars on offer.

We love this company a lot and always rent cars through them in Cyprus, when in need of a car in Georgia country, or in Montenegro.

They are great in that sense that they always have low deposits and it is possible to rent a car through them without a credit card, just with cash. In some cases, you don’t even need to put down a deposit at all. Also, this company has probably the best customer service support that I have experienced. 

I would also suggest LocalRent if you want to find luxury car hire in Spain and rent something special like Porsche or Ferrari. It comes with a hefty price tag but it is available and the choice of such cars on their website is big.

>> Check prices and cars available for rent with LocalRent company >>

4. Cost of Car Rentals in Spain

The car rental prices in Spain are one of the most volatile in Europe. During the summer, or to be more accurate, from May through September, a standard starting price for a small car is €25-€30 per day and €40-€45 for a full-size / SUV car. 

In the offseason, which goes from October until the end of December, and from February until May, except around winter holidays, you may find cars for €20 for a whole week or even lower. That is why Spain is an amazing destination for road trips during the off-season times. 

One piece of advice – if you want to rent a car, try to rent it for a little longer period of time. For example, a car for 1 day in Madrid in August can easily cost you around €70. The same type of car for 1 week is going to be around €25 per day.
Sometimes it just might be more useful to hire a car for a full vacation and have the convenience of moving around than renting one day here, one day there (which will be also taking a lot of time out of your day).

Prices for Automatic Transmission Car

Spain is one of the most expensive countries in Western Europe to rent an automatic car. Most cars are manual and prices for them are lower. Normally, the cost for the automatic transmission can sometimes be up to 1.5 – 2 times higher (from those prices I mentioned above).

There is a small chance a car agent may give you an automatic car if there are no manuals available. It has happened to me before on a few occasions when hiring a vehicle in summer, yet, I wouldn’t count much on that.

Compare prices between manual and automatic transmissions:

5. Should You Rent Suspiciously Cheap Cars During Off-season?

As I mentioned above, sometimes you can see some ridiculously low prices for rental cars during low seasons. €20 for a small rental car or €50 for a nice SUV per week is a rate you can find quite often. I have seen cars go for as low as €2 per day, during February and March.

This just seems way too cheap for a company to make a profit. So how does a rental company make money and what is the catch for you?

While there are far fewer people traveling in low seasons, Spain still receives a fair amount of tourists who get quite attracted by the low prices of cars and accommodations. This way rental companies are still able to rent out a good portion of their fleet.

Of course, they don’t profit from cars that go for €3 or €5 or even €10 for a more expensive car, but they still sell insurance which goes for €15-€25 per day and this is how they make money in the end of the day. 

However, if you don’t purchase full insurance, you will leave a pretty big deposit of €900 – €1100 which they will try to take upon return (not the whole amount but some of it).

I am not saying they will definitely charge you for anything, but chances are high that any company (absolutely any, even the most trustworthy one) will try to find some reasons to charge you for something (be it a small scratch or dent, even the one that was on a car before).

So should you still go with a car this cheap? Absolutely. Take advantage of low season prices. But (!) – purchase insurance for the peace of mind and take hundreds of photos and a couple of videos of the entire car from different angles! Doing even the bottom of the bumper and roof.

If you book your car on DiscoverCars, they offer full coverage during the booking process, which is one of the cheapest among booking sites. Full coverage is not insurance for your car, but it protects your deposit in case your supplier withholds it for any damages. You make a claim and get a full refund for the lost funds.

6. Do You Need Car Insurance in Spain?

Other than that time of the year when prices for Spain car hire are low you still may wonder if insurance is necessary or not.

But how does it all work with insurance, do you know?

The majority of rentals online come with the Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Waiver. What it means, is that if you drive your car into the lake or something, you don’t get away with it completely. Instead, you are going to pay for damages out of your deposit.

This deposit usually is €500 – €3000 depending on the company and type of a car you get. If you rent a luxury-type car, you will have to provide two credit cards for two separate deposits.

In case of an accident or simply a scratch, the car company will take money from the deposit you left. And so you know, they charge a lot. For a tiny scratch, you may have to pay a few hundred dollars (this is what happened to us.)

If you are involved in an accident when it is not your fault, they will still charge you for the damages no matter what. How much the company charges is never clear in advance.

When to Purchase Full Coverage?

Your second option is to purchase full coverage during your online booking. This is the cheapest and most convenient option to insure your deposit.

If you are hiring a Spanish car for a day or a few, the price for the insurance usually starts at €12 per day and more. If you plan to rent for a week or more, then the price may go down to €8 per day or more. The lowest I have seen is €6 per day if you are renting for 28 days. But that depends on the season. Particularly this cost I had for the fall and spring.

With full coverage, you do get a worry-free experience. However, you need to make sure that your full package covers EVERYTHING. Sometimes the company excludes windshields, tires, mirrors, and roof damages even though it offers “full coverage”.

Another important thing to understand with this online insurance is that you still have to leave the deposit. And if there is any damage to the car, the car supplier will charge you the same as if you only had the collision damage waiver. What your insurance package does, in this case, reimburses you for everything and it is a relatively easy process.

Another option is to get full insurance directly from a car supplier at the counter desk. In this case, you can really have a worry-free experience and do with a car whatever you want (literally). But this is where the car hire company really makes money. The insurance costs can easily go up to €25 euros per day.

Compare Prices for Insurance Between Different Companies

7. What Documentation Do You Need to Hire a Car in Spain?

Picking up a rental car in Spain is easy and it doesn’t differ from most places.

Have your Driver’s Licence ready. As long as it is in the Latin alphabet, you will not need an International Drivers Permit, although many contracts online say it may be required. I think the reason they mention it is because of the police. If police stop a visitor from the U.S., they’ll ask for an International Drivers Permit. So you may want to have it just in case.

Even if you have already paid for the rental, have a credit card ready for deposit. The credit card must have the driver’s name on it and be valid for another three months.

NOTE: Even if your partner, wife, or husband has a credit card with the same number on it and wants to pay for the rental, rental companies will not accept it. They only want the card with the driver’s name on it.

If you, as a driver cannot provide such a card, your only way to avoid a deposit is to purchase the full insurance at the counter desk or add a second driver to your contract. Another option – check cars with Localrent that do not require a credit card.

Be aware, that most car rental companies only accept Visa and MasterCard. No American Express. And don’t forget to set a travel notice for Spain with your bank.

8. Additional Costs Upon Spain Car Hire

What I noticed (after renting a car in different parts of Spain) is that hidden charges are a big thing.

There are the airport surcharge fees and taxes. Many countries in Europe actually include that in the price that you see online, but not in Spain. Some Spanish companies that have an office inside the terminal may have an airport surcharge as extra, although the amount is not large.

If you can, book a car with a fuel policy of Full to Full. In this case, everything is simple. You get a car with a full tank, you return a car with a full tank. Everybody is happy.

Many times your cheapest rental option will be Full to Empty. And this does NOT mean that they give you a car with a full tank and you can return it dry. It actually means that you have to prepay your gas at their rate per liter. If you return your car with some fuel left, they reimburse you for that fuel.

Yet, you are not going to get the same money back that you paid at the counter desk. It is always going to be less.

More than that, unless a free additional driver is included in your rental package, you will have to pay extra from €5 to €15 per day. So throw your coin on who’s gonna drive before the trip.

Another Important Note: You can rarely take a car outside the country as is, even to Portugal. But you can take a car to another country for a fee. Usually, it costs around €50 euros per rental period. In some cases, it may be a daily charge of around €10 per day.

If you decide to cross the border, don’t forget the Supplier’s agreement. If you don’t take it, your car insurance will not cover a cent in case of an accident, even your collision damage waiver.

Picking up and dropping off the car outside business hours means you have to pay for that too. The company needs to have someone to meet you in the office, so they always charge for this service.

Toll roads in Spain are not included in your rental price. Pay each toll at the booth as you go.

So, Final Word – What Is Car Hire in Spain Like?

Renting a car in Spain is easy, driving is easy for the most part too if you stay away from old towns of big cities and pay extra attention when driving/parking in small towns.

Spain is a big country with many sightseeing spots. While visiting all major cities is fun and traveling by public transportation between them is comfortable, if you want to see what Spanish nature or life is like outside metropolises, you need to rent a car.

With a vehicle, you can also save time and money, go on off-the-beaten-track adventures at your own pace and have the freedom to go wherever you want!

More Resources for Travel in Spain

• Spain bucket list – awesome Spanish experiences to have on your trip
• 5 Top Vineyards in Spain – to add to your road trip itinerary
• Northern Coast of Spain – best places to visit and things to do in Northern Spain
• Spain packing guide – what to pack & what to wear in Spain during every season