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Madrid Car Hire
Madrid car hire provides all the information you need to go about hiring a car in Spain. Broken down into
easy to digest sections:- Driving License types
- Agency restrictions and practices
- Rental providers
Although this guides focus is on Madrid the same rules and tendencies apply for renting a car anywhere in Spain.
There are differences in conditions for Madrid Car Hire
when compared to the rest of Europe however they are not as restrictive as you might think.
One must question the need for a hire car if you are not leaving Madrid due to the excellent
Madrid Metro
system and
Bus links.
Driving License types
For the majority of visitors to Spain the driving license is the biggest headache they encounter. Spanish car rental agencies have a number of restrictions placed upon them by the Spanish government as to who they can and cannot rent a car to.
To hire a car in Madrid you must:- Have a Driving license in the language of their country
- Or a driving license in English
If your license is not one of these then you must provide an International Driving license. These are available from most automobile associations and/or travel agents in your country of origin.
NOTE: For your driving license to be valid in Spain it must include your photo or be accompanied at all times by your passport.
Car rental agency practices
In the majority of cases your Madrid car hire will go off without fuss and you will enjoy exploring Madrid trouble free. There are however a number of practices and restrictions placed on car rental by the Madrid (and indeed Spanish) rental agencies.
Restrictions on hiring a car in Spain include:
- In the majority of cases you must be over 23
- You cannot swap drivers without paying an additional fee
- In winter it is obligatory to take chains in certain areas
- Rental cars may not be taken off road, this includes beaches and their parking areas if not hardstanding
These restrictions are mandated by Spanish law in most cases however there are agencies, naturally with higher tariffs, that will allow some of these activities or rent cars to younger drivers.
Madrid hire car agencies also employ a number of practices of which you must be aware if you are considering hiring a car in Madrid or Spain:
- Deposits: A deposit will be taken from your credit card and will only be unblocked at the end of the rental. Make sure you have enough credit for other payments during your vacation.
- Fuel pre sale: Most hire car agencies in Madrid will offer to sell you a full tank of petrol at the start of the hire. This means you can return the car with whatever is left in the tank. NOTE: They will not refund the unused portion, if any.
- You are responsible for all damages to the hire car so make sure you note absolutely every scrape or dent before accepting the hire car.
- Generally speaking Only the major Madrid hire car companies offer airline miles or points
- You are responsible for all fines and parking tickets during your rental of the vehicle
Although the restrictions placed by the Madrid hire car companies are numerous it is not a difficult process to collect your car and providing you adhere to the conditions there should be no problems. The majority of car rental agencies in Spain have
English speaking staff
Madrid car hire providers
There are a number of Madrid car hire agencies including both the major players and some Spanish car hire
companies. The quality of both is the same and the hire conditions tend to be the same as well.
International hire car agencies in Madrid
- Avis
- Budget
- Dollar
- Europecar
- Hertz
- National
Spanish hire car agencies in Madrid
Now you know how to go about your Madrid car hire find out about the roads you´ll be travelling.....
[Madrid Hotels]
[Homepage]
[Madrid Tapas]
