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Island or coast: car hire in Spain
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Mallorca and the Costa del Sol drive very differently: what renters meet on each, from card rules to roundabouts.
Home / Spain
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Mallorca and the Costa del Sol drive very differently: what renters meet on each, from card rules to roundabouts.
Five places to collect, four very different drives. Car counts are from the Spanish searches of 22 October 2026 (7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026). Times are OSRM routes on clear roads with no stops, and the road rules behind each card are sourced further down.
The resort side of the island: Los Cristianos is about 30 min away and Costa Adeje much the same, 30 min, mostly on the TF-1.
The Teide cable car is about 55 min (51.3 km) uphill, 26.2 km of it on the TF-21, one of the two park roads closed for ice in March 2025.
147 of the 164 cars in its search were handed over in the arrivals area.
The north side, and the airport Aena calls Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna: La Laguna is about 10 min away, Santa Cruz about 15 min and Puerto de la Cruz about 30 min.
Teide is about 1 h up the TF-24 and TF-21, the two park roads the Cabildo closed for ice on 2 March 2025; the resorts of the south are about 1 h down the TF-1.
All 137 cars in its search were at the airport. The two Tenerife airports are about 1 h apart, and a one-way between them is priced below.
Between the capital and the southern beaches: Las Palmas is about 40 min, Playa del Inglés about 40 min and Puerto de Mogán about 1 h, mostly on the GC-1.
Tejeda, for Roque Nublo, is only 50.7 km yet about 1 h 30 min of inland mountain driving; Agaete, where the Tenerife boats dock, is a drive of roughly 1 h 15 min.
All 67 cars in its search went out from the airport itself; Las Palmas city listed none.
Palma Cathedral is about 20 min from the terminal, and the centre has a low-emission zone with rules for foreign-registered cars.
Sóller is about 40 min, 19.9 km of it on the Ma-11 through the Tramuntana tunnel; Pollença, about 50 min away, is the way in to Cape Formentor’s barrier road.
90 of the 122 cars in its search came with an airport pickup; the rest meant a drop-off at your address or a visit to a rental office.
Torremolinos is about 15 min from Malaga Airport (Aena’s Málaga-Costa del Sol) and the Plaza de la Constitución about 20 min; Marbella about 45 min and may use a toll motorway.
Ronda, inland, takes about 2 h; Granada and Seville routes may use the AP-46. Of our five Spanish searches, only Malaga’s cars offered a Portugal fee (13 of them).
130 of the 140 cars in its search were at the airport; in Fuengirola and Marbella the only pickup listed was delivery to an address.
Pins in Google Maps: Tenerife South · Tenerife North · Gran Canaria · Palma de Mallorca · Malaga
One search per airport, 7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026, Spanish airport searches of 22 October 2026. In the “typically” row half the cars cost less than the figure shown and half more. Your own dates may price differently.
| Per airport | Tenerife South | Tenerife North | Gran Canaria | Palma de Mallorca | Malaga |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars listed | 164 | 137 | 67 | 122 | 140 |
| Typically, per day | €51 | €65 | €38 | €30 | €54 |
| Typical deposit | €200 | €200 | €300 | €200 | €200 |
| Automatic | 63 | 47 | 18 | 51 | 64 |
| Manual | 101 | 90 | 49 | 71 | 76 |
| 7 to 9 seats | 26 | 24 | 10 | 18 | 20 |
| Cars with a daily km cap | 35 | 18 | 36 | 45 | 88 |
Bookable cars per airport search for 7-day hires on three start dates (16 November 2026, then 18 January 2027 and 14 June 2027), all counted on 22 October 2026. The two Tenerife searches share cars, so their counts do not add up.
| Airport search | 16 Nov week | 18 Jan week | 14 Jun week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenerife South | 164 | 138 | 33 |
| Tenerife North | 137 | 109 | 21 |
| Gran Canaria | 67 | 73 | 23 |
| Palma de Mallorca | 122 | 122 | 34 |
| Malaga | 140 | 147 | 37 |
What each airport’s cars asked for: 7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026, Spanish airport searches of 22 October 2026.
Asked for on 37 cars at Tenerife South, 37 at Tenerife North, 9 at Gran Canaria, 40 at Palma de Mallorca and 0 at Malaga. Where a car needs one, it shows this before you book, and the main driver brings their own embossed credit card, in plastic.
A Fiat Panda at Gran Canaria Airport carried the “No credit card” mark, yet its deposit could be paid only by card, credit or debit, and the balance by card too (quoted for the same hire). Read the payment methods on each car.
36 cars at Tenerife South, 36 at Tenerife North, 15 at Gran Canaria, 30 at Palma de Mallorca and 27 at Malaga listed no deposit at all. The search’s deposit filter hides the rest. Set against other places, that is thin: Tenerife South’s 36 of 164 was a smaller share than at the middle destination in our comparison (our 22 October 2026 comparison of 19 destinations, every search a week from Monday 16 November 2026).
Possible on 46 cars at Tenerife South, 46 at Tenerife North, 10 in Palma and 4 in Malaga, and none on Gran Canaria. The voucher gives the date the deposit is returned.
The Spanish advance, paid online at booking, is 15 to 20% of what the car costs; the rental company takes the rest at pickup, by whatever methods that car lists. Read the day price and the deposit side by side.
On Tenerife the south airport serves the resorts and the north one La Laguna and the Teide roads. Gran Canaria, Mallorca and the Costa del Sol each have one. Search with your real landing hour.
Spanish lists mix cars that want an embossed credit card with cars that do not, and a low day rate can carry a large deposit, as Palma’s cheapest car did in our read.
On the car page, choose cover, add a child seat or name a second driver. Only Costa del Sol cars offered a fee for Portugal when we looked, so on the islands there is nothing to add.
Your voucher, sent by email, names the Spanish company and where it meets you. Settle the balance there by a method the car lists, and find the V-16 beacon and the vest before leaving the car park.
Spain’s traffic regulations in the BOE, the official state gazette (articles in brackets), the DGT and its magazine, the EU’s Your Europe page, the UK government (FCDO) and clause 6 of the terms; Spanish sources rechecked 23 October 2026.
Under clause 6 the Spanish firm has to be told without delay and a police report obtained, unless the firm agrees to another arrangement. Leave out either step and the car’s insurance is cancelled, with the full cost on you. In Spain dial 112 for emergencies, 062 for the Guardia Civil.
From the island council of Tenerife (Cabildo), the DGT, the Balearic and Canary governments, the FCDO, the ferry operator’s own site and clause 8 of the terms. Island sources looked up 23 October 2026.
Clause 8 of the terms keeps every rental car on paved public roads. On Tenerife the Cabildo adds its own rule: driving on the forest tracks is prohibited in general, ordinary cars may still reach the recreation and camping areas, and the signed “VM” network is for 4x4s and trail bikes. A hire car keeps to the paved road either way.
The roads up to the national park close for ice. On 2 March 2025 the Cabildo shut the TF-24 from La Esperanza (km 24 to 43, El Portillo) and the TF-21 from La Orotava (km 16 to 43, the cable car base), warned that the TF-38 from Chío could follow, and closed the TF-445 to the Teno lighthouse as a precaution. After the snow of December 2025 it rationed traffic instead: 16 to 19 December, 10:00 to 18:00, with the TF-21 one-way uphill from La Caldera to Portillo Bajo. In winter, check for a current notice before driving up.
A barrier road in summer. In 2026 the measures ran from 15 May to 18 October, 10:00 to 22:00, on the Ma-2210 from km 2 near Pollença: private cars could reach the Formentor beach car park (km 8) until it filled, then only authorised vehicles passed, and driving in on a red light with the barrier down is fined. Past km 8.7, towards the lighthouse, only authorised vehicles go through, among them the TIB shuttle bus, residents and bicycles; hire cars are not on the DGT’s list.
The Ma-11 runs under the Tramuntana mountains to Sóller, about 40 min from Palma Airport. The Balearic government announced in February 2017 that the tunnel would be toll-free from 1 September 2017.
Calima is Saharan dust that cuts visibility in the Canaries: on 3 September 2026 the Canary government, citing AEMET, the state weather agency, declared a pre-alert for Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa. The FCDO notes that wildfires happen often in summer, the islands included, and asks drivers to take care through woodland; it also says flash floods can disrupt travel and points to AEMET’s warnings.
Fred. Olsen sails Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Agaete on Gran Canaria in about 80 minutes, and Los Cristianos to San Sebastián de La Gomera in about 50, carrying cars (its own site). Driving to Agaete from Gran Canaria Airport takes roughly 1 h 15 min. Whether your hire car may board is another matter: the terms say nothing about ferries, and our booking partner’s Canaries page says not every car is permitted off the island, asking you to contact it before booking. In the one-way read of 22 October 2026 (hires from 16 November 2026), 35 cars took a booking from Tenerife South to Gran Canaria and 8 from Palma to Ibiza, yet none said how the car crosses. For Mallorca we found no statement at all, so clear any crossing with the rental firm first.
From the Malaga city council, Palma’s edict in the Balearic official gazette (BOIB 37, 24 March 2026) and the Canary government, read 23 October 2026.
From the Ministry of Transport’s toll release of 30 December 2025, Aena’s airport pages and clause 11 of the terms, checked 23 October 2026.
Your licence, the original: no photocopy and no phone version. A licence not in Latin letters needs those details as well, and a Spanish desk needs it valid at least until your return date.
An International Driving Permit, where it applies: strongly advised by the rental terms for any licence recognised only in the issuing country. The DGT’s pages for foreign drivers point non-EU, non-EEA licence holders to one. On UK licences, the UK government’s view is that a photocard licence is accepted in Spain and a provisional one is not; its permit table puts Spain, the Balearic and Canary Isles included, among the countries where a UK licence holder needs no IDP, while telling hirers to check with the company.
Passport or ID: the UK government notes that Spanish rental companies must by law register the passport details of tourists collecting a car, and that drivers must carry a valid licence and ID at the wheel.
Card, where the car calls for it: the main driver’s own embossed credit card, the physical one, or a debit card where both the car and the voucher allow it.
Age and years with a licence: each car sets its own. Across 7 Spanish cars quoted for us on 22 October 2026 (7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026), each car’s minimum age fell between 18 and 25, and 1 to 2 years with a licence were needed. The search filters match cars to your age.
Give a number with the international prefix, and keep it reachable through the return, starting the day before your Spanish pickup. The company may ring, or message through WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram.
Which cover levels the cars in each Spanish search offered (7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026; Spain tally of 22 October 2026).
| Level offered | Tenerife South | Tenerife North | Gran Canaria | Palma de Mallorca | Malaga |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars listed | 164 | 137 | 67 | 122 | 140 |
| Basic coverage | 146 | 119 | 66 | 93 | 128 |
| Full Coverage | 94 | 72 | 40 | 77 | 65 |
| Full Coverage Plus | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 13 |
Routed times on clear roads, no stops included, rounded up. Resorts in high season and mountain roads take longer.
The roads up to Teide on Tenerife and to Tejeda on Gran Canaria are mountain roads; the times shown are routed times with no stops.
Spanish rental terms and booking partner data, hires from 16 November 2026, looked up 22 October 2026.
Pick up in one place, drop off in another. Spanish hires from 16 November 2026, looked up 22 October 2026.
7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026, Spanish airport searches of 22 October 2026.
| Your party | What to book | What the Spanish lists showed |
|---|---|---|
| Two of you | A convertible, if the island calls for one | Tenerife South had 15 convertibles among its 164 cars, and only one of the 17 other destinations had a larger share (our 22 October 2026 comparison of 19 destinations, every search a week from Monday 16 November 2026). Book one early and check the cancel window, which is longer for convertibles. |
| Up to five | A 5-seater | Every Canary car came as “or similar”, so the boot you get may differ from the photo; measure your bags against the class, not the model. |
| Five to nine | A minivan or large SUV with 7 to 9 seats | 26 cars at Tenerife South, 24 at Tenerife North, 10 at Gran Canaria, 18 at Palma de Mallorca and 20 at Malaga with 7 to 9 seats. Lists are short, so book a large car early, using the seats filter to find one. |
| Ten or more | Two vehicles | The biggest car across the five Spanish searches seated 9. |
| Children | A child seat or booster, added when booking | Spanish law puts children of 135 cm or less in the back, in a child seat or booster, bar three exceptions. |
| Sharing the wheel | Add a second driver | Of 7 Spanish cars quoted for us on 22 October 2026, 5 listed it free and 2 did not list it; each car shows its price and its age and licence rules. |
7 or more days before pickup, or 30 for a convertible or luxury model. Some Spanish cars carry an option that moves the cut-off to 24 hours: 114 cars at Tenerife South, 88 at Tenerife North, 54 at Gran Canaria, 83 at Palma de Mallorca and 99 at Malaga carried it (7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026, Spanish airport searches of 22 October 2026).
Write “Cancel” in the subject of an email and attach your voucher; the 6% payment service fee on a Spanish booking stays unrefunded, while the rest of the advance returns within 14 days. Cancelling past the cut-off, or a no-show at the desk, costs the whole advance. Moving the dates or swapping the car is done the same way: cancel, then make a new booking.
The model in the photo is an example: the company can hand over a comparable car. Every Tenerife and Gran Canaria car had it in the Spanish airport searches of 22 October 2026 (7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026); Palma offered 16 guaranteed-model cars and Malaga 6.
If a breakdown, or any force majeure, keeps your booked car from being supplied, the company has to replace it with one from the same class or a better one, terms and price unchanged.
Ring the Spanish company before the agreed return. A rental day is each started 24 hours, so bringing the car back a few hours past the pickup time on the last day adds one more.
Some do. In the Spanish airport searches of 22 October 2026 (7-day Spanish hires picked up on 16 November 2026), a credit card was a must on 37 of the 164 cars at Tenerife South, 37 of 137 at Tenerife North, 9 of 67 on Gran Canaria, 40 of 122 in Palma and 0 of 140 in Malaga. “No credit card” is not always “no card”: one Gran Canaria car with that mark would take its deposit only by card, credit or debit. Each car lists how it takes payment.
Yes, some. In those same searches, 36 cars at Tenerife South, 36 at Tenerife North, 15 at Gran Canaria, 30 at Palma de Mallorca and 27 at Malaga listed no deposit. All the others name their deposit on the car page.
If the car is registered in Spain, yes: since 1 January 2026 a connected V-16 light is the only legal warning device for Spanish-registered cars, and triangles no longer count for them. Your Europe adds that a car registered in another country may still carry triangles. A reflective vest is required too. In a release of 25 November 2025 the DGT, Spain’s traffic authority, put the fine for not carrying the V-16 at €80. Look for both when you collect the car.
Perhaps not as they do at home. The DGT’s rule is that you leave from the outer, right-hand lane; cutting out from an inner lane is, as a general rule, not allowed. Its magazine (May 2026) says to keep to the outer lane while it is free, use the inner ones to overtake, and go round again if you cannot reach the exit lane in time.
The rental terms are silent on ferries. Our booking partner’s own Canaries page says not every car is permitted off the island and asks you to contact it before booking. On 22 October 2026, 35 cars took a one-way booking from Tenerife South Airport to Gran Canaria Airport for hires from 16 November 2026, the extra charge inside the price, but nothing said how the car crosses.
Not every car allows a night handover. Testing 15 Spanish airport cars on 22 October 2026 at three in the morning, pickup and return (hires from 16 November 2026), we found 11 would not take a booking at that hour, one of those that would showed an extra night fee, and another simply cost more at night with no reason given. Aena also shuts the Tenerife South terminal to the public from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. when there are no flights, and the Gran Canaria terminal at night. Search with the hour your plane is due.
Yes. The AP-7 Málaga-Guadiaro and the AP-46 are on the Ministry of Transport’s list of state toll motorways (30 December 2025). Some routes from Malaga Airport, to Marbella, Granada or Seville for example, may use them. You pay tolls yourself.
Both cities run low-emission zones. Malaga’s is controlled by number-plate cameras: there, since December 2025 a car not domiciled in the city and without a DGT environmental label can be fined in the zone, and from December 2026 the same applies to “B” label cars. Palma has applied fines in its zone since 1 July 2025. Ask the rental company which label your car has before driving in.
The rental terms strongly advise one for any licence recognised only in the issuing country. The DGT’s pages for foreign drivers point non-EU, non-EEA licence holders to an International Driving Permit. On UK licences, the UK government’s view is that a photocard licence lets you drive in Spain.
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Palma and Malaga, priced for the dates you choose.