Home / Spain / Tenerife South Airport

Car rental at Tenerife South Airport

Hire from local companies at TFS. Many cars need no credit card, some hold no deposit, and each lists its cover and mileage before you pay.

The lowest weekly prices at TFS

The six lowest weekly totals for cars collected and returned at the airport. Search with your real flight times, as the choice changes with the hour.

Which vehicle suits your passengers?

Choose a gearbox you enjoy driving and enough space for your group’s bags. Check the car details if you are planning mountain trips as well as days by the coast.

Each airport in Spain has its own cars and prices, so search the one you land at.

Do you need the car from the first day?

An island holiday can combine days in one resort with days spent driving farther afield.

Going straight to your stay

Start the hire when you land and drive straight to your accommodation, with the car ready for the days that follow.

Waiting before you explore

Spending the first days by the pool? Price a shorter hire that starts later, so you only pay for the days you drive.

Keeping departure day simple

Set the return time from your flight details. Leave room to unload, hand the car back and reach check-in calmly.

A handful of TFS cars add an airport handover fee, already counted in their total. Judge cars on that total, not the day rate.

Tenerife South Airport guide: services and parking

Parking, services and the handover for drivers at Tenerife Sur Airport.

Services in the terminal

  • Cash machines In arrivals, boarding and outside the terminal.
  • Currency exchange Floor 1 arrivals, 7:00 to 23:00; also check-in.
  • Airport Wi-Fi Confirm your email within 15 minutes to stay on.

Parking and drop-off

  • P1General car park
  • Booking ahead online needs at least 3 hours’ notice.
  • No booking needed to drive into P1, depending on space.
  • Courtesy time of two hours follows the end of a booked stay.

Collecting and returning your car

  1. Meeting instructions Your voucher gives the meeting point. Some companies meet you at the terminal and some take you to their car park by shuttle.
  2. Supplier contact Ring the company if the flight is late, and keep your phone on so it can reach you.
  3. Return arrangements Record the car’s condition and check the return time suits your flight.
Stay reachable Keep your reservation’s contact number working from the day before pickup until return, and include the right country code when you book.

Driving away from the airport

  1. Lane signals A red X over a lane closes it; flashing amber means take extreme care and give way.
  2. Roadside checks Police regularly stop drivers at the roadside to test for alcohol and drugs.
  3. Reserved lanes Keep out of lanes reserved for buses, taxis and bicycles; they are not for hire cars.
Calima When calima, the Saharan dust, blows in, visibility in the Canaries can drop; check conditions before setting off.

Do you need a credit card to rent a car at Tenerife South Airport?

Not on many cars here, and some hold no deposit at all. Each car shows its card rule, its deposit and how the rest is paid.

Not alwaysMany cars need no credit card
€70 to €1,700Deposit, none on some cars
15 to 20%Paid online to book
At pickupThe rest, paid to the company

A car that needs no credit card can still ask for a debit card, so check the rule on yours. Tenerife South has plenty of cars in Spain that need no credit card to choose from.

Cars with no deposit at all are listed here too, for anyone after car rental in Spain with no deposit.

Leaving Tenerife South Airport for your accommodation

Times assume clear roads and no stops. Teide means the cable car base station, and Santa Cruz means Plaza de España.

Aerial view of the town of El Medano along the shore, with waves breaking on the rocks and the plain behind
Tenerife South Airport→El Médano
20 min
Aerial view of the sandy beach and white town of Los Cristianos below a brown hill, beside a blue sea
Tenerife South Airport→Los Cristianos
30 min
A rocky headland with palm trees above clear blue water on the Costa Adeje shore, under a sunny sky
Tenerife South Airport→Costa Adeje
30 min
The sheer dark cliffs of Los Gigantes rising from the ocean, with white clouds in a vivid blue sky
Tenerife South Airport→Los Gigantes
50 min
The peak of Mount Teide rising above red and brown volcanic ground, under a deep blue sky with white clouds
Tenerife South Airport→Teide
55 min
A seafront avenue in Santa Cruz de Tenerife lined with colourful buildings, with mountains and a blue sky behind
Tenerife South Airport→Santa Cruz
1 h

Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje, on the south coast of Tenerife, are reached on the TF-1 from the airport.

Road essentials beyond the resorts

Traffic direction

Drive on the right, and give yourself a moment with the seat and mirrors before joining the TF-1.

Leaving roundabouts

Leave a roundabout from its outer lane unless signs allow otherwise. Take another lap if you cannot reach it safely.

Breakdown equipment

The law calls for a reflective vest and, if the car is Spanish-registered, a connected V-16 light. Check for them before setting off.

Incident reporting

In an accident, contact the company immediately and get a police report unless it agrees another way, or the cover may not apply.

Mountain weather

Ice can close the roads up to Teide, even when the coast is warm. Check conditions before you drive up, and keep to paved public roads.

Taking your car to another island

Not every car may leave the island by ferry. If you plan a trip to another Canary Island, ask before you book a car.

Can you return your Tenerife South Airport car elsewhere?

Flying home from Tenerife North? Search with both airports before you book flights at opposite ends of the island.

Choose both places

Search Tenerife South as pickup with your return point added, then choose from the pairs that are listed.

Check the total

Select the airport you fly home from, then check the total. Any one-way charge is already in the price.

Confirm the return

Ask how the return works when you collect the car. Leave time to unload and for the inspection before your flight.

Flying home from Tenerife North Airport? Select it as your return point to see which cars allow it.

Planning around seasonal prices

Each bar is the typical day rate for a week’s hire from the 15th of the month. December comes out dearest here, and the late spring months cheapest.

Bringing children or pets

Second driver

A second driver costs extra on the cheapest TFS cars. Add them while booking; they need to meet the car’s own age and licence rules.

Child seats

Child seats are ordered with the car, each with its own price. Fit and test them before the first drive.

Bags and seats

Choose boot space for the whole group’s bags. If you need every seat, check the cases still fit behind them.

Travelling pets

You may travel with a small pet kept in a carrier. Keep it there throughout each journey in the car.

Cover and excess on Tenerife South hire cars

Each car lists its cover levels with the excess and the deposit under each. The rental price and the deposit are separate amounts.

Minimum coverageIncluded as standard
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
  • Damage to your hire car (not included)
Basic coverage
  • Limited collision cover (CDW) (included)
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
  • Glass and tyre damage (not included)
Full Coverage
  • Limited driver liability (Super CDW) (included)
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
Full Coverage Plus
  • Full damage cover (included)
  • No driver liability for accident damage (included)

Zero excess on the deals. Each of the six cheapest TFS cars includes Basic cover with no excess, but the company still holds a deposit.

Excluded damage. Standard insurance leaves out the wheels, underbody, windscreen and inside of the car.

Cover can be lost. No level of car hire cover applies to vandalism, neglect or damage done on purpose.

Licence and age rules

Pack the original national licence, with Latin-script details and an expiry after your return date. Copies are turned down.

International permit

If your licence only covers driving in its home country, an International Driving Permit is strongly recommended as well.

Age and experience

Check the age and experience rules on each car you compare. Similar models can set different limits.

Fuel and sand before the return

Return the car with as much fuel as at pickup and clean enough to inspect.

Fuel at return

  • You pay the company’s rate for any gap, and get nothing back for extra.

Vehicle condition

  • Beach sand and dust happen, but a car too dirty to inspect is washed at your cost.

Cancelling a Tenerife South booking

On the six deals above, a 24-hour cancellation option comes included at no charge. Confirm the car you choose carries it.

Notice needed otherwise

Seven days before pickup, rising to 30 for luxury cars and convertibles. Go past that, or do not turn up, and the advance is gone.

Refund timing

Cancel by email with your voucher; repayment follows within 14 days, after a 6% payment fee is deducted. To alter the booking, cancel it and book anew.

Tenerife South Airport car hire questions

Can I collect my car after a night flight?

Search with your real landing time. Not every car is offered for a night pickup, and the terminal closes to the public from 23:00 to 04:00 except for departing passengers.

Where can I refuel before my flight?

The petrol station outside the terminal is open 24 hours, with a shop and a pressure washer. Fill up there before the return.

Can I return at Tenerife North instead?

Yes, on cars that offer it. Choose North as the return airport in the search, and the one-way charge is shown in the price.

Does no credit card mean I can pay everything in cash?

No. Each car sets how the deposit is held and how the balance is paid. A car that needs no credit card can still ask for a debit card.

Can I book a guaranteed model?

No. Every car at Tenerife South is offered as a model or similar, so choose by class, seats and gearbox rather than the exact model.

More Spanish destinations and rental help

Find car hire for Tenerife South Airport

Enter your real flight times, then choose a car whose payment rules and meeting point suit your arrival.

Compare available cars