Spain car rental

We are headed to Spain for most of November and I'm trying to sort out a rental car. We fly into Barcelona and are staying in Margalef. Anyone been in the last few years and have suggestions? 

From my research doyouspain.com is mentioned in other posts and they have the lowest prices but they feel too low to be true (336 euros for the month for a small car from a company called OK Mobility). Compared to Hertz Spain the same car is 783 euros. All the other companies I've actually heard of are over 1,000 euros which is a huge price spread for the same Fiat 500 tiny car. I suspect some of these prices include the mandatory insurance and some don't but it's hard to tell.

Any suggestions/tips help are appreciated.

I posted about DYS. They are legit. I have been renting through them for 8 years and never a problem

the cheapest I ever got was about 4 cents per day

if you have car insurance or a credit card which covers the rental, bring a copy of that doc. You should be fine

my favorite rental companies in Spain are Wiber, Click, Recordgo and Goldcar but some have small surcharges so read the T & C section. also be sure to click on Full/Full for the gas option

I suggest avoiding the nasty companies. PM me if you want a list of those. they are sometimes cheaper but have horrible staff and policies

Also, if you rent for a full month you may be able to get the full insurance for much cheaper (we did that with Eurocar once). 

Being fom the US, I personally haven't had any credit card or car insurance on my US car willing to cover foreign rentals. If you're European I'm sure they might be far more cool about things like that(Europe is usually cool in ways the US isn't), that's just been my experience.

To be clear, I could fully be wrong and you might get a completely different result with your car insurance or credit card. Good luck!

edit- I've always just paid the extra cash for Advantage Rent a Car because they're open 24/7 and way way easy to deal with, I'm on the road faster without the crazy waiting lines, in my experience. 

Also planning a trip to Catalonia in November so following with interest. Car rental prices went up a lot post-Covid but, even taking this into account, $700+ for a month is far too much. 

I’ve not used OK Mobility but reviews are not encouraging: uk.trustpilot.com/review/ok…  I note their deals do not allow you to cancel. Of the companies I have used from Barcelona, Centauro have been reasonably good, Goldcar have been poor, and Firefly somewhere in between. This ranking may differ from office to office and year to year as staff change. Advantage don’t cover Europe.  I'd be interested to hear about Richard's bad companies! 

I'm getting quotes for a Fiat 500 for a month from Centauro via holidayautos.com of £380 (~$500) if I set payment in £GB. If I switch payment to $US, the price rises to $770. The algorithm clearly thinks American holidaymakers are richer than Brits! Have you tried changing payment currency?

I have had CDW from Chase, Amex and several other cards. I am American and I use my credit cards from my US billing address. I have had some minor damages over the years and my credit card insurance always paid and very quickly, without any hassles

I don't know about Euripean cards or coverage

usually and in most countries, US residents get lower car rental rates than Europeans but you must have a US address. We also get unlimited mileage but Europeans sometimes do not.

Duncan-I will PM you the horrible companies names

~700 euros seems like the common rate when looking at the non-sketchy agencies. OK Mobility is the only one I can find that is way less and the reviews look bad. I'm leaning towards just sucking it up and going for one with good ratings. https://www.centauro.net seems like it has overall good reviews, Fiat 500 for 641 euros for a month seems rough but not sure there is a good alternative.

sometimes you can get much lower rates by making 2 or 3 consecutive reservations esp when 1 or a few days are at an expensive time. ask for quotes on doyouspain for one week at a time and then the next week and move around the reservation dates.

but you would have to return the car and get a new one in the middle of your trip

I understand that Spanish (unlike French, for example) car rental companies require non-EU drivers to have International Driving Permits (IDP).  I think you can get one on the spot in a AAA office or through the mail.  I rented cars in Spain in the distant past and didn’t encounter this but a friend was told this by a Spanish rental company in the last few days.

Rented cars in Spain a number of times.  Never been asked for an IDP.  Most recent was a three week rental I just turned in 10 days ago.  I do carry an IDP just in case but I've never been asked to produce it.  Just a credit card (the one the booking was done with), US passport and a US driver's license.

Hertz, three week rental, no extra anything, economy class four door (Opel Corsa) for 440 euro.  Folks I was travelling with had one of them small Fiat convertibles for under 300 euro for three weeks through, I think, Drivalia.  Seemed ok except when they wanted to extend a day and the charge would have been 120 euro more.  Thing was tiny though and I think with luggage two people would have struggled a bit for room.

Was kinda surprised how reasonable rental cars were given we were there during the start of the summer season.  Prices went down the closer our departure was.  A trick I've heard is to book a refundable car then see if the price goes down the closer the trip is, then, cancel if need be.

Cheers!

I rented in Barcelona airport earlier this year.  No problems at all with either UK or USA drivers licenses.

I used https://www.recordrentacar.com/ this time around, prior I had good luck with Eurocar.  Check the details -- extra drivers, leaving the country (or not), and mileage limits will affect who will work out cheapest.

You should Google reviews for these cheap European rental companies and go with what the majority of people and ratings say instead of the experience of one or two persons.  Much more statistically significant than one experience.  The reviews for these cheap rental companies are generally not good.  In most cases you get what you pay for.  I rented with Eurocar one year in Spain and now rent with Avis/Budget.  I guess if you are on a tight budget you have to go with the cheap companies and roll the dice.    

Brian wrote:

You should Google reviews for these cheap European rental companies and go with what the majority of people and ratings say instead of the experience of one or two persons.  Much more statistically significant than one experience.  The reviews for these cheap rental companies are generally not good.  In most cases you get what you pay for.  I rented with Eurocar one year in Spain and now rent with Avis/Budget.  I guess if you are on a tight budget you have to go with the cheap companies and roll the dice.    

Absolutely agree with this - concur that you get what you pay for in more ways then one.  I also agree and always follow the advice of locking in a refundable rate early on and then constantly checking to see if you can do better.  I have "won" several times.  Although occasionally there are non-refundable offers that are so much better I have gone that route.

I got burnt once not having a IDL.  trying to rent at the dock in Pothia in Kalymnos.  I had a reservation but they were adamant that I needed an IDL.  Shopped around at some different places and eventually found one that didn't ask (I certainly didn't tell).  Other times in Spain, France and Italy I have never been asked to produce an IDL despite the terms and conditions of the rental companies suggesting I would need one.  I've always had one since my experience - easy and cheap at an AAA office - its a pain that they are only good for a year.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Auto Europe? autoeurope.com

I've used the site for short-term (approx one week) rentals several times and it's always worked out well. The site works like Orbitz, you plug in your dates and you get a list of providers and prices from which to choose. 

I've rented twice in Italy in the past year. Saw online that I needed an IDL and I got one from AAA but both times in Italy when I took it out to get the rental car the agents told me to put it away and did not want to see it. They took my NY drivers license instead. 

Thanks for all the help. I booked a refundable one and will keep an eye on the prices to see if they get any better.

Brian wrote:

You should Google reviews for these cheap European rental companies and go with what the majority of people and ratings say instead of the experience of one or two persons.  Much more statistically significant than one experience.  The reviews for these cheap rental companies are generally not good.  In most cases you get what you pay for.  I rented with Eurocar one year in Spain and now rent with Avis/Budget.  I guess if you are on a tight budget you have to go with the cheap companies and roll the dice.    

This, exactly this. These smaller, and way cheaper rental car agencies frequently have awful reviews, long lines, not enough staff, staff that is not even there when the website says they're open etc etc.

That's why up-thread I said I always go with Advantage and just assume it's going to be more expensive, but the reviews are excellent. Even if you arrive at a time at night that's totally absurd, you're in your Fiat 500(super fun car btw, 6 speed and you can park them anywhere,  and they're fast af) and on your way and enjoying you vacation with minimal hassles. Again, good luck and Godspeed!

Anyone have similar beta on Italy? In the north, specifically. 

In Italy, my credit cards can't cover insurance.  So...there's that.

Doctor Drake wrote:

Anyone have similar beta on Italy? In the north, specifically. 

We just flew back from Milan 3 months ago, every rental agency had shit reviews except Advantage so we went with them, smooth as silk.

I'm on a similar itinerary and roling solo, coming from SLC! Looking to find partners! I land in Barcelona on Nov 16th  and fly back out December 7th. Would anyone be interested in linking up and or sharing a rental car?