A complete guide to car rental in Spain

Car rental in Spain is easy. But, do you need to rent a car during your trip to Spain at all?

It actually depends on your agenda and where exactly you’re planning to travel.

If your main goal is only to spend time in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Seville or Málaga, you don’t need a car. In fact, having one will make your life harder.

However, if you’re considering the idea of getting out of large cities and exploring what’s there nearby (which I highly recommend doing), that’s a totally different story. Spain has so much more to offer than big cities and this is when renting a car becomes very useful.

Do you want to know where to rent your car in Spain?

Save time and money booking your car rental in advance. You can book it online right now!

A complete guide to car rental in Spain

I love traveling by car. And it’s something that I often do, especially to explore lesser known areas of Spain and discover hidden treasures…

Every day I get a couple of emails asking me about car rental in Spain, how to book a car rental online that doesn’t cost a fortune and what’s the best itinerary possible using the car. That’s why after many years using rental cars myself, I decided to come up with a complete guide related to car rental in Spain based on my own experience.

The following section contains all the information that you need to know to make the most out of your rental car while in Spain.

Here is a complete summary of all the guide:

1. What’s the best way to travel across Spain: a road trip or take the train?
2. Traveling to Spain by car
3. 10 epic Spain road trips
4. How to book your rental car online
5. How to find cheap car rental rates?
6. 8 Rental car tips & hacks for your Spain road trip
7. Do you need an International Driver’s Licence?
8. Getting around Spain by rental car
9. Driving in Spain: rules and recommendations
10. Car parking in Spain

Why should you travel around Spain by car?

When you travel to Spain, you can stick to one city and thoroughly explore it, or you can spend a week or two and go to several cities so that you can see more of the country and get a sense of all that makes it great. There can be great differences from city to city or province to province, so traveling around will give you a much better sense of the Spanish culture.

Car travel in Spain is extremely easy, comfortable and safe. Whether you are planning short trips in and around Madrid or driving huge distances across the length and breadth of Spain through the beautiful Andalusian countryside, a car is a great option that you should consider for your next trip.

Here are 7 reasons proving that car rental in Spain is a good idea.

1. You can do what you want, when you want

One of the biggest benefits is flexibility. You can basically stop your car anywhere you want.

In addition to this, you can travel at you own pace. So you can visit a destination in a few hours or spend as much as you want depending on whether you like it or not.

2. Go on off the beaten track

There’s also something that I love about driving in a different country: it gives you a number of new experiences that will become great stories. Don’t stick to the typical roads. Get off the main highways and explore the unknown.

Hiring a car in Spain will help you save time and go on off the beaten track adventures.

3. It’s a very comfortable way of traveling

A car rental allows visiting remote places, hidden trails or restaurants with a view, impossible to get to by other means of transportation. Also, there is nothing better than a car waiting for you at the railway station or airport (no extra fees for a taxi!). Once you get there, you’re ready to go!

Oh, and you don’t need to carry your luggage to the bus, train or metro…

4. Skip long check-in and security lines

Forget about lengthy check-in procedures when traveling by car: there is no need to go through any security screening!

5. Your rental car is always reliable and on schedule

You don’t need to rely on a schedule and deal with delays. Your rental car is always going to be on time for you.

However, I won’t lie to you: you may run into traffic jams getting to or exiting some of the big cities. So try to avoid rush hours.

6. It’s easy to get a very cheap rate

Because the competition among car rental companies is so fierce, they usually offer really good deals and a wide range of cars.

7. Your budget may significantly decrease if you divide expenses

Imagine four of you are travelling, and you decide to rent a car instead of using public transport. And even if renting car and paying for fuel may turn out into quite much money, if there are four of you and you divide all expenses for four persons – it will be cheaper for sure.