Spanish car hire/rental

gerwalsh27

Hi, a few questions I am head to Spain in August and I am looking to hire a car. Just a few questions if anybody has any advise on the following questions that would be great.

1. What is the best price company to use
2. Which fuel option is best
3. Can I use a visa debit card or does have to be a visa credit card
4. The extra insurance
5. Are all the car hire company's con artists lol
6. Would a ford festa/fiat panda/vw polo etc do for 2 adults 2 kids (13&5) 4 x10kg cases & 2 x 20kg cases

Thanks

razorblunt

Main point to note ... avoid Goldcar! They are absolute cowboys. August is a premium month so I'd expect ptices to be high, you a rental comparison site though as you can filter out the smaller agents that can have somewhat ridiculous policies.

2. Which fuel option is best >>> The majority will be petrol I'd imagine.
3. Can I use a visa debit card or does have to be a visa credit card >> Credit Card unless you're willing to stump up alot of cash
4. The extra insurance >> I've heard there are ways around this, by insuring yourself before you go but I don't think most companies recognise this, it works out around 12-20EUR per day, unless, again you stump up, up front
5. Are all the car hire company's con artists lol >> No, big names are generally ok, I've had the worst experience with Goldcar though
6. Would a ford festa/fiat panda/vw polo etc do for 2 adults 2 kids (13&5) 4 x10kg cases & 2 x 20kg cases >> I've gotten 3 adult 20kg bags into a corsa before, but it would depend on your height, will kid #2 be squashed in behind you? It will be tight enough though, unless you put a 10kg bag or two in the middle back seat.

gerwalsh27

Thanks for coming back to me. Petrol is fine, but by fuel option I meant full/full or full/empty or flexible fuel or full/refund.. ??

I don't mind being tight coming and going to the airport as my transfer to the apt is only 40 min and I can stick 2/3 of the 10kg bag in the back with the kids, 1 in the middle in the rear, 1 behind the front passenger seat th e little fella can prop his legs up on it... & 1 in the front on the passenger's lap.. tight squeeze but should do it...

Alot of the company ya are looking for anywhere from €750-€900 credit card block, if u don't take there insurance out with stumps up the hire cost bigtime...

Thanks again

razorblunt

gerwalsh27 wrote: »

Thanks for coming back to me. Petrol is fine, but by fuel option I meant full/full or full/empty or flexible fuel or full/refund.. ??

I don't mind being tight coming and going to the airport as my transfer to the apt is only 40 min and I can stick 2/3 of the 10kg bag in the back with the kids, 1 in the middle in the rear, 1 behind the front passenger seat th e little fella can prop his legs up on it... & 1 in the front on the passenger's lap.. tight squeeze but should do it...

Alot of the company ya are looking for anywhere from €750-€900 credit card block, if u don't take there insurance out with stumps up the hire cost bigtime...

Thanks again

Ah right, sorry, I always go full/full, seems to be the most reliable I found.
I mostly rent in Faro and fill the tank when I'm about 20 minutes away from the airport.

That insurance is unfuriating alright, I keep meaning to read up on it seeing if the once off insurance you see being advertised (Allianz I think) actually works.
A friend of mine claimed it did (in the US) but when he too landed at Faro he had to fork out extra too.

jonny_b

gerwalsh27 wrote: »

Hi, a few questions I am head to Spain in August and I am looking to hire a car. Just a few questions if anybody has any advise on the following questions that would be great.

1. What is the best price company to use
2. Which fuel option is best
3. Can I use a visa debit card or does have to be a visa credit card
4. The extra insurance
5. Are all the car hire company's con artists lol
6. Would a ford festa/fiat panda/vw polo etc do for 2 adults 2 kids (13&5) 4 x10kg cases & 2 x 20kg cases

Thanks

It depends what part of Spain you are going to. Local companies can offer much better deals. Some with no deposits

Tigerandahalf

My advice is to go for the big companies. It will work out better in the end. Less hassle for the sake of 1/200 eur.
Always get a return tank full policy
Get the max insurance so you have no excess
Get a car big enough. A loose suitcase in a crash could do a lot of damage.
The big companies tend to have their car hire facilities within or very close to the terminal. Very handy on a very hot or wet day. You don't want to walk upto a mile to get the car.
Getting the excess reduced to zero means you have no worries. If the car gets scratched so what. You also don't have to worry about getting checked when you drop it off. Many have got stung in that way.
Get a credit card. It only costs 40 eur stamp duty each year and is always very handy to have abroad.

orlaithmum

Car hire prices in Spain seem to be very expensive this August compared to previous years. Last year we got a Ford C-Max for the 1st 2 weeks in August for just over €400 with Hertz (which was a very good deal - we normally pay €500-€600 for 2 weeks). This year they are looking for €1500 for the same car! All of the other reputable car hire companies seemed to have bumped up their prices too, but I would still recommend avoiding the likes of Goldcar and Firefly.

As regards extra insurance, I always get a yearly policy with carhireexcess. It's €49 for european cover, but does for all rentals in the year. The car hire company will block upto €1500 on your credit card while you have the car though. I have been charged for a dent once & had no problem claiming the money back from carhireexcess - I think it was refunded within a week or so.

peckerhead

orlaithmum wrote: »

I always get a yearly policy with carhireexcess. It's €49 for european cover, but does for all rentals in the year. The car hire company will block upto €1500 on your credit card while you have the car though. I have been charged for a dent once & had no problem claiming the money back from carhireexcess - I think it was refunded within a week or so.

+1 to this. It's way cheaper than the per day price the hirer will quote you and provides exactly the same peace of mind.

And I'll put in a plug for DoYouSpain.com, who I've found to be pretty good. If you book more than a month in advance you can get special offers, and everything remains fully cancellable at no cost until a day or two before the rental, IIRC. However they do include Goldcar among their companies, so check the quotes closely.

BraveDonut

Does anyone know if they generally accept American Express for the card that they will apply the €1500 that is blocked?

coylemj

BraveDonut wrote: »

Does anyone know if they generally accept American Express for the card that they will apply the €1500 that is blocked?

Amex cards are generally unwelcome with most traders, retailers, restaurants etc. Word on the street is that they are slow to pay and they usually get a frosty reception when proffered. In fact most vendors will actively ask if you have a different card if you roll up to the counter and flash an Amex card, even if they have the Amex sticker in the window. The big renters will probably take it but I wouldn't be too confident of the smaller rental companies accepting them.