How to rent a car in Spain?

Spain remains one of the most visited countries on earth and it’s easy to see why. The Iberian nation offers miles of beach, a rich culture, delicious food, friendly people and of course, some amazing weather. Incidentally, Spain was the first foreign country I ever visited when I was a small child. After not visiting much as an adult, I recently fell in love with the nation all over again whilst on an epic Spanish road trip.

Table of Contents [show] Driving In Spain

 Spain is a pretty big country (at least by European standards) but is very well connected by a modern, well-maintained network of fast and efficient highways. Therefore, with a set of your very own wheels, it is perfectly possible to take in quite a lot of the country even if you only have a few weeks. In this post, we will provide all the essential info you need for your own Spanish road trip and even suggest a few little itineraries. Pros of Renting a Car in Spain Renting a car in Spain has many advantages. For many, the main gain is the sense of freedom it offers. You can get up in the morning, jump in the car and set off wherever you want to go. For us, we found it enabled us to move around a lot faster than we could have done on public transport allowing us to cram in a lot of different places into a short, 10-day itinerary. It also allowed us to visit of a lot of small towns and villages which would have been very difficult to visit without a vehicle.

Take it from me, the real magic of Spain still lies in its white villages and hilltop castles. Also, having a car allowed us to make a few unexpected detours and stop off along our route. We stopped to take in the sun olive groves and also called into a Vine Yard for a quick tour – none of this would have been possible had we taken public transport. “Oi bus driver, pull over and wait I want to go and sample that wine!” It wouldn’t quite go down so well with the other 50 passengers itching to get home would it?!

Cons of Renting a Car in Spain

 Of course, there are some downsides of renting a car in Spain. The flip side of the unbridled freedom it offers is the degree of responsibility it entails.

Driving through Spanish cities and highways means you are responsible for looking after an expensive piece of borrowed equipment and that may play in your mind – you can’t simply jump onto the bus or train, relax and enjoy the view. That said if you take out Full Coverage then will indemnify you against damage or theft. When I did my Spanish road trip, I bought Full Coverage for 7.95 Euro per day which is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Finding and paying for parking can also be a serious buzzkill in certain areas. Then, getting lost can be fun for a while but getting lost without a sat nav or Google to help you out, it would suck. The costs of renting a car may also work out more expensive than using public transport. This depends on a number of variables which we will look at in more detail in the next section.