Car hire from Málaga Airport

Everything east and west of AGP is within an hour of the terminal. The question is which road you take out of it. The AP-7 costs a few euros and keeps moving. The free A-7 goes through every coastal roundabout and in August it does not move at all.

The first hour after a flight

You leave short stay, follow the signs to the MA-21 and then choose. West towards Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Marbella, east towards Nerja and Almería, or north into the city. Signs are Spanish only once you are off the airport road, and the sat-nav on the phone is worth setting up before you pull out of the space.

One thing that catches people: the airport slip road merges twice in the first kilometre. Stay right for the coast.

Destination	Distance	Normal	August	AP-7 toll
Torremolinos	6 km	10 min	20 min	—
Benalmádena	20 km	20 min	35 min	—
Fuengirola	30 km	30 min	50 min	3 €
Marbella	55 km	40 min	60 min	6 €
Estepona	85 km	55 min	80 min	9 €
Nerja	65 km	55 min	70 min	—

Before you drive off

Photograph the car with us, both of us on the same photos. Check the tank reads full, because you bring it back full. Ask where the toll transponder is if the car has one, and set the mirrors before you join the MA-21 rather than on it.

Distances to the smaller inland towns are on the Costa del Sol page.