10 tips for renting a car

1. How many kilometres can we drive per day?

One of the main tips for renting a car is knowing how many kilometres you are allowed to drive each day you use it. Sometimes, very low prices are offered in exchange for a very limited mileage allowance, meaning that you will have to pay more for longer distances.

2. What kind of insurance do we have?

Normally, comprehensive insurance is included with the car rental, but rental companies often use a trick by setting a very high excess. That is why you should ask about the excess and how you can reduce it. In most cases, you will have to pay an extra fee, which should be taken into account when calculating the rental price.

3. Can we leave Spain?

Although we often assume we can go wherever we want with a rental car, the truth is that this is not always the case. Renting a car in Spain usually comes with certain limitations, such as not being allowed to travel abroad. This is especially important if we are in border areas, such as the Basque Country or Extremadura, as it is quite possible that we may not be allowed to cross into France or Portugal.

4. Rent in advance

Among the best tips for renting a car is to do it in advance. This will prevent us from being left without a car if we travel during busy periods, such as holidays.

5. Review the rental contract carefully

Among the best tricks for renting cheap cars, there is one that is essential: read the contract carefully, because sometimes they try to charge us for services we have not requested, such as a GPS that we do not actually need.

6. It is very likely that we will need a credit card

If we need to rent a car in Fuengirola, it is normal for the company providing the vehicle to ask for a deposit or security bond, which in some cases can be paid in cash or with a debit card. These are exceptional situations, because normally they will ask for a credit card, especially if it is an expensive vehicle.

7. You must carefully check the condition of the car before taking it

Rental companies are supposed to inspect cars thoroughly before customers take them, but this is not always the case and we may find scratches, dents or even faults inside the car, in the mechanics, etc. That is why we must inspect the car carefully and make sure that all bodywork damage is recorded in the contract, asking for another vehicle if there is a mechanical issue, a problem with the lights or elements that are not working. We recommend leaving the car in any of our car parks to avoid vandalism or theft.

8. You should always return the car with a full tank

Normally, we are given the vehicle with a full tank of fuel, so the best thing is to return it the same way, which is known as the “full-to-full” policy. It is advisable to do so, because otherwise they will charge us for the fuel (not at the official price) plus an extra management fee of more than 20 euros.

9. New drivers cannot always drive a rental car

Most companies require the driver to be at least 21 years old and to have held a driving licence for at least one year. Be careful about letting your 18-year-old and inexperienced child drive the car, because if they have an accident, the insurance will not cover it and the company will claim the damages from us.

10. We can hire additional extras

If we need items such as a baby seat or a roof rack, car rental companies usually have them available for a low daily price, so they can get us out of a difficult situation. If we use them for many days, there is usually a cap, which means that after a certain number of days they will not charge us more for using them. This often happens after the tenth day (each company has its own policies in this regard).

Renting a car in Seville allows us to travel around the province with total independence, as well as explore the rest of Spain if we feel like it. That said, it is worth knowing how rental companies work, because this will save us from more than one problem with them.