If you are planning a trip to southern Spain and have already chosen one of the many possible itineraries, alongside choosing your accommodation you will also need to carefully consider car hire in Andalusia. The region, in fact, is particularly well suited to being explored on a road trip.
The car makes it easy to reach the whitewashed villages perched in the mountains, the more secluded beaches of the Andalusian coast and numerous places that are difficult to access by public transport. In this article we will therefore look at how to hire a car in Andalusia, where it is best to pick it up, and what to check before booking, with a few specific tips for those arriving from the United Kingdom.
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Where is the best place to pick up your hire car?
Basically, there are two cities where it usually makes sense to arrange car hire: Seville and Malaga. From these two destinations, most tours set off, whether you want to do an itinerary in the heart of Andalusia, or whether you want to tour the coast (Costa del Sol, the Costa de la Luz or the Costa Tropical). In these cities (and also in all the others where you will arrive by plane) there are various car pick-up points, including the one at the airport, which can be handy for anyone who wants the keys in hand as soon as they land in Andalusia.
However, collecting the car from the airport agency is not always the most convenient option: both in Seville and in Malaga, but more generally in all the cities of Andalusia, it is very difficult to get around the city centre by car. We would only recommend doing so if your accommodation has a private parking space, or if, in any case, you know where to park the car.
Where to park in the main cities
How, then, do you get from the airport to the hotel? Don’t worry, all the main airports in Andalusia are well served by taxis and shuttle buses that will take you to the city centre in no time.
In the end, the smartest choice may be to collect the car on the day you travel from one city to another, keep it for the whole trip, and then return it to the airport on the day you head home.
Hiring a car in Andalusia: what do you need to know?
- To rent a car in Andalusia, you must be at least 21 years old. Some agencies even require a minimum age of 23;
- In addition to this age limit, anyone intending to hire a car in Andalusia must have held a driving licence for more than a year. So, if you are 21 and have only just passed your test less than a year ago, you still won’t be able to complete the booking;
- Attention! Have you booked a car online using a prepaid card and are you going to collect it from the Spanish agency? Be aware that at the desk you will necessarily have to present an international credit card that is not prepaid, otherwise you will not be able to collect the vehicle you have booked! Why? Well, the reason is fairly straightforward: even though the companies have received the payment (or part of the payment) from your prepaid card, they need a guarantee for the deposit, and the only way to provide that is to present a credit card linked to a current account with a sufficiently large sum in it, which varies depending on the booking conditions. If you turn up at the agency without a credit card, you can complain as much as you like: you will not get the car you have hired and you will be left stranded. ARTICLE UPDATE: recently some car hire companies also seem to accept debit cards, but this possibility must be checked by consulting the hire conditions before booking the car.
- the credit card you present at the company desk must be in the name of the main driver of the car. Of course, you can add an additional driver to the contract, who must be registered at the time of collection of the car. At the agency’s discretion, the additional driver may cost you extra.
- se prendete l’auto in una città e la restituite nell’agenzia di un’altra città potreste dover pagare una tassa aggiuntiva, cosiddetta “drop-off” (tassa di sola andata). I preventivi forniti dai comparatori mettono sempre nel dettaglio l’entità di questa sovrattassa.
- all drivers named in the contract must present a valid driving licence at the time of collection. Those arriving from the UK can usually drive in Spain with a valid UK photocard driving licence and, for a standard holiday, it is not generally necessary to apply for an International Driving Permit (IDP). However, there may be specific requirements for certain types of licence, so it is always advisable to check the official guidance before you travel.
- DVLA check code: the car hire company may ask you to verify the information associated with your UK driving licence. Before travelling, you can obtain a check code online from the DVLA to provide to the company. The code is only valid for a limited time, so there is no need to request it too far in advance. For driving licences issued in Northern Ireland, the procedure may be different.
- it is advisable to check at the time of booking that the insurance cover is adequate, and that it meets all possible needs in case you are involved in some unpleasant accident (touch wood!): our advice is that your policy includes full cover (“no excess/with excess reimbursement”, according to the wording used by some companies).
- also check the conditions relating to the fuel: it is up to you to decide whether you want to return the car full or not.
- if you are unable to return the car by the agreed time, you will have to pay the difference at the time of drop-off. Some agencies halve (or even waive) the additional charges if the delay is communicated with sufficient notice.
- For those used to driving in the United Kingdom, the most obvious difference is, of course, that in Spain you drive on the right-hand side of the road and the driving position in standard hire cars is on the left. Pay particular attention, especially in the first few miles, at roundabouts and when setting off again after a stop on quiet roads. In this respect too, if you do not feel comfortable changing gear with your right hand, it may be worth considering a car with an automatic gearbox. In general, automatics are less readily available than manual cars and can be more expensive, so it is advisable to book them well in advance.
- If your itinerary includes entering Gibraltar with a hire car, check the terms of the contract first: the rules on crossing the border, insurance and any required authorisations can vary from one company to another. Alternatively, park the car before crossing the border and visit Gibraltar on foot.
How much do tolls and fuel cost?
The only toll motorways (autopistas, in Spanish) are the AP-4, which connects Seville and Cádiz and the AP-7, on the Costa del Sol. The rest of the roads (including the autovías, very similar to motorways but with lower speed limits!) do not require a toll. What’s more, you’ll be pleased to know that petrol prices are very low: as you’ll have gathered, travelling by car is one of the costs that will weigh least on your finances during a trip to Andalusia.
The most reliable car hire companies in Andalusia
Car hire in Andalusia, as indeed throughout Spain, is something that can be done with complete peace of mind, given the reliability of the companies. In the various agencies across the region you will find branches of the largest and best-known international car hire companies: all you need to do is choose the one best suited to your needs. Here is a list of the international car hire companies most commonly used by travellers embarking on a road trip in Andalusia:
- Advice/Budget
- Europcar/Alamo
- Hertz
- National/Atesa
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Goldcar
- Sixt
The most reliable local company is Centauro.
The types of cars available for hire in Andalusia cater to all tastes: from economy to SUV, via the classic compact, the people carrier, the luxury car or even the minivan. As a rule, it is advisable to hire a car from the mid-range upwards, because it has a larger boot and is generally better suited to a road trip, even though the roads in Andalusia are of good quality overall (with a few exceptions).
Low-cost booking tips
In my experience, the most cost-effective way to save money on car hire is to book in advance, and to do so online on reliable price-comparison websites, where it is possible to find low-cost car hire deals and special offers with very advantageous terms that I have never found on the official websites of the individual companies.
Moreover, if you are not sure about your choice, many companies allow you to cancel the booking up to 24 hours before pick-up, which can be useful in the event of last-minute unforeseen circumstances (this happened to me, and fortunately I was able to cancel the booking without losing a single euro).
I recommend looking for the car that best suits your needs on the site listed below:
Other articles on the subject
- Seville Car Hire: tips for the airport and beyond: A series of strategic tips for hiring a car in Seville and saving money!
- Car hire in Malaga: airport or city centre? Tips for saving money: Where is it best to hire a car in Malaga? What are the best ways to save money? Here’s a guide
