Travelling is fun, but without proper planning and a well-thought-out detailed itinerary, it can prove to be a nightmare. Spain is an all-time travelers’ choice for a number of avenues to explore. If you plan to visit beautiful coastlines and watch scenic beauty, you need to understand how car rentals work in Spain. Since travel includes considerable costs in flights, hotels, and meals, looking for a cheaper alternative while renting an automobile is always desirable.
Should You Choose Public Transport?
Travelers can have different preferences. You may think that you can save on expenditure by using public transport. The question of whether you would benefit from a rented vehicle would depend on your travel preferences in Spain.
If you want to explore the cities in southern Spain, such as Madrid, Valencia, Seville, and Malaga, you can choose public transport. That is true for Barcelona too. The public transport network is good, and it is cheaper if you have limited vacation time. Moreover, why bother driving and looking for parking spots when you can just sit back and relax and save money. If it is only you and your partner traveling, you can think of going for public transport.
But if you would like to explore the scenic landscapes on the cities’ outskirts, driving yourself may be a better option. If you are traveling with kids, renting your vehicle is beneficial. Additionally, public transport in particular places might not be available. It could also create more of a hassle, as well as expensive.
International Driving License and Age
If you have an EU driving license, you do not need a separate license to drive in Spain. But if you do not have one, you would need an international driving permit. You cannot hire a vehicle if you are younger than 21 years of age. Some companies also have an upper limit of age, and they do not lend to older adults above 65 years of age. For a few specific vehicle models like luxury cars, the minimum age requirement is 25.
Other Necessary Requirements
You need to have a credit card with a minimum of three-month validity along with a driving license to rent the car. Also, rental companies only accept deposits from credit cards with the driver’s name present on them. You would need to have a credit card even when you have made the booking online. Most rental companies only take Visa and MasterCard for the transactions. These might not accept the payment through American Express and many other credit cards.
Rules Relating to Return of the Car
If you choose a renowned rental company, you might have the option of returning the car to a different city than the one from where you hired it. Some services such as billig leiebil i Spania may also let you drop the vehicle at the nearest airport. In contrast, some would like you to drop it back in the same city.
Also, there are rules for petrol refilling. Some rental companies require you to refill the petrol tank to full while returning them. For the others, they might simply charge you for a tank full of gas.
Condition of the Car
In many countries, including Spain, it is better to click pictures or make a video of the automobile you are hiring when renting it. You should ascertain if the vehicle had any scratches on it while you are renting it. You might need to pay a hundred dollars or more for a small scratch which might not have occurred during your drive.
You need to check if the car is in perfect working condition, rather than getting involved in an argument with the provider later on. Some companies are notorious for bothering travelers, particularly international travelers, who are not aware.
Insurance
You should know beforehand if there is any additional insurance cost required for traveling to Portugal or any other city in Spain. Most companies already provide theft waivers and collision damage waivers. If any other event damages the automobile, you might have to pay out of your initial deposit, generally in the range of €500 – €3000.
However, you might also take Full Coverage insurance. Still, you need to be careful of what damage the rental company is covering or not covering as part of the Full Coverage Insurance.
Additional Costs Involved
You will also need to check if there are any additional costs involved. Always check if the quoted price of the rental is inclusive or exclusive of tax, whether there are any airport surcharge fees to drop off the car at specific airports.
Automobile rental companies also charge extra if more than one passenger would be driving the vehicle. The agreement should duly mention all the names of other drivers. Also, if you want to avail any additional facility such as putting a child seat, adding a GPS seat, etc., be prepared to pay more.
Deals and Discounts
The rental company might also have specific deals to offer. For example, you earn reward points with every booking made, which you can redeem later. You can also have a full cashback option on cancellation.
Some companies also provide an automatic re-book feature if the price falls after booking a vehicle in advance. Also, some credit cards offer free insurance for rented cars. But to avail of that, one needs to have all the damage-related documentation like damage invoice, accident report, etc., ready at the time of claim.
Renting a vehicle is indeed fun when you have the leverage of stopping on the go and the privacy it gives you. But, most importantly, you need to read the Supplier’s agreement in complete detail. And if you have any questions concerning the cost or the insurance cover, you should clarify those there and then. While booking, make sure you specify your automatic car preference since most rental cars in Spain are manual stick-shift cars.
If you have made up your mind to explore the snow-capped mountains, the marvelous stone castles and explore this culturally diverse country, don’t think much and pack your bags! Know all about the culture and demographics of Spain here.
Since Spain is a regular tourist destination, car hiring is not very expensive than in other European countries. One reason is the competition within several providers offering this service which keeps shifting the prices down. If you are low on budget, you can get significant discounts during the off-peak season, ie. December till March. Just visit the website of the rental companies, check the offered prices, do a quick check on the cost comparison site and book your cars well in advance.