Car rental at Málaga Airport

Car rental at Málaga Airport from 99 € a day, brought to the arrivals hall. Every car is automatic, which matters more than most visitors expect, because manual is still the default at Spanish rental companies. A UK, EU, US or Canadian licence is valid without an international permit. The deposit can be left in cash, by bank transfer or in cryptocurrency, which gets around a foreign card failing a large pre-authorisation.

Your licence is probably fine

A photocard licence from the UK, any EU or EEA country, the United States or Canada is accepted as it is. No international permit, no translation, no notary. Bring the plastic, not a photo of it.

Licences written in a non-Latin alphabet are the one exception, and there an international permit alongside the original saves an argument. You also need to have held the licence for twelve months.

Will my card survive the deposit?

This is the question we get most from outside Europe. A US or Canadian card often bounces a four-figure pre-authorisation from a Spanish terminal, and the traveller finds out at the counter with the family waiting.

You have four ways round it: cash at handover, a bank transfer before you fly, card at handover, or cryptocurrency. The deposit is refundable and the amount depends on the car. For the Lamborghini Urus it is 5 000 €. For the rest of the fleet we quote it with the price, in writing, before you commit.

What the rate includes

Fully comprehensive insurance, roadside assistance, the automatic gearbox and the full tank you drive away with. Nothing is sold to you at handover. An additional driver is possible, has to go on the contract with a document, and is charged.

Litres, kilometres and the fuel rule

Fuel is sold by the litre and roughly 55 litres fills a mid-size tank. Distances and speed limits are metric: 120 km/h on the motorway, 90 on open road, 50 in town, 30 on most single-lane streets. Diesel is gasóleo or diésel, petrol is gasolina 95 or 98.

Full-to-full, so you refuel before you hand the keys back. There is a station on the airport approach road.