LOW COST CAR.ORG

At many airports in Spain you will find a desk of multinational companies like Avis, Hertz, National or Europcar in the terminal building. But at popular tourist destinations like Alicante, Almeria, Malaga, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Gerona, the Balearic Islands or the Canaries you will also find a choice of local car hire companies with a similar philosophy as the low-cost airlines offering cheap all inclusive car rental prices.

Depending on you travel destination the prices can differ a lot. If you went to Spain and picked up a car at Barcelona or Madrid airport, you could end up paying twice as much as for car hire in in popular destinations like Alicante, Malaga or Palma de Mallorca. The competition in these and local car hire companies are competing with multinationals for their slice of the market. Remember however that cheaper does not always mean better. Make sure that you know which car hire company is going to offer the service before you book to avoid unpleasant surprises afterwards.

Car rental companies in Spain will usually deliver a vehicle that is filled with fuel, although this may vary depending on the location as local car hire stations do sometimes not have a facility close by to fill up the vehicles returned by previous customers. When vehicles are returned to the car hire agency, some expect that you take care of refilling the fuel tankv your self, whilst others may request you to return the car with an empty tank when you sign the rental agreement.

Although rental agreements generally include unlimited mileage, there are still agencies offering rental cars with mileage limits. Normally there is a fee to be paid if a certain amount of kilometres has been exceeded. But, as said before, in Spain unlimited mileage is usually included in the rental price.

Another important consideration, aside from the type of car you would like to rent, is the optional insurance coverage. This service, which is relatively inexpensive, will cover any damages to the vehicle. Generally, if insurance is not purchased, the customer may be held financially responsible for any damages that occur with the car during the rental period stated on the rental agreement. If the insurance does include an excess consider that, while on the road, anything can happen. Insurance coverage is often the only link between a holiday with complete peace of mind or considerable additional expenses in case of damages to the car or an accident.

Rental vehicles have to be returned at a specified time of day or the client may incur a late return fee which usually is the amount corresponding to one extra rental day. It is important to notify the car hire company if there is an unforeseen delay in the car return.

Most car hire companies require the customer to provide a valid credit card in order to deliver the vehicle. In some cases, the credit card is not actually charged until the rental period expires on the date specified in the rental agreement. Some rental companies in Spain will refuse to deliver the car if the client is not able to provide a valid credit card at the pickup of the vehicle.

Rudi van der Zalm is the founder of Hispacar, one of Europe's most popular websites for cheap car hire in Spain. The intelligent search engine helps travellers to compare the car hire prices in many popular travel destinations in Spain.

Article Source: How to Book Low Cost Car Hire in Spain