Tenerife Car Hire - tips, suggestions and recommendationsLet me start with one simple statement: it is far better to book your car hire in advance online. I have to admit, I don’t take my own advice and just leave it till I get to the airport. It backfired on me one time, because nobody had any cars available! You will also probably get a better deal, financially.
 Photo: Thomas Doerfer There is a full range of companies to be found in Reina Sofia airport, at the end of the baggage collection area. They range from multinational, like Avis, to local ones, such as Cicar (the “Ci” in the name stands for Canary Islands - although why it should be in English is a mystery). As you would expect, the prices offered reflect the “importance” of the company. Avis car hire, for example, may be slightly more expensive. Myself, I usually choose Europcar. It’s reliable, has nice cars and is reasonably cheap. One time I was hiring a car, using credit card and the man asked if I had used them before. When I said, yes, a number of times, he said he wouldn’t put the bill through onto my credit card until I returned the car, meaning the car hire fee wouldn’t show up on my statement till eleven days later. A nice touch, I thought. Check Out Europcar's Prices and |
| Should you ever be stopped by the police when driving (and they have been known to set up impromptu road blocks), always make sure you have your driving licence, passport and the hire car contract with you. (Fortunately, if you're a tourist driving a hire car, police are more likely to let you go - unless you're committing a really serious driving offence. More so if you make out you can't speak Spanish, even if you can.) When you park your car overnight, a good ruse is to leave the glove compartment open, with nothing in it. Hire cars are a notorious target for thieves to break into and, if they can see there's nothing of value inside, most likely they'll leave it alone. |
I knew someone who used to leave his hire car unlocked overnight, the theory being that, if thieves were going to target it, at least they wouldn't have to damage it by breaking in!
Safe driving!
IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT
I've had a minor bump whilst driving a hire car in Tenerife and, from my experience, the resulting process is quite easy.
Within the documents you receive from your car hire company, there should be an accident report form. All you do is get the other party to fill in his/her details, then the company will deal with it. You won't get penalised in any way. (With that last point, I'm speaking from, once again, my own personal experience. It may not be the case with every car rental company.)
For more information on driving in Tenerife, click here.
travel site links:
Freewayspain - Property Letting & Management - Freewayspain offer a comprehensive information guide including golf and property services on the Eastern Costa del Sol in Spain and a selection of villas and apartments to rent in the region.
World Travel Options - Feed your travel bug here and find inspiration for your next vacation. You can book accommodation, flights, tours and more. Also meet Marly, my travelling teddy bear.
Scuba Diving Place - One-stop-center for your online Scuba Diving information and vacation.
Holiday Loans - Spoil yourself and apply for the holiday loan that suits your needs.
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