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    Summer car hire in Spain

    With winter firmly behind us and high season right around the corner, this is a good time to start thinking about booking a car for your upcoming holidays. The prices are likely to rise as the season progresses, and vehicle availability is also an issue to consider. Southern Europe, particularly Spain, has long been a favourite with British travellers. Here are our tips for hiring a car in Spain this summer.

    Carefully consider the fuel options

    Even if it was not always the case, nowadays the 'default' fuel option for low cost car hire companies in Spain is the 'full to empty' option. If you wish to avoid this in favour of the more traditional 'full to full' policy, you can easily find this information on our booking engine, which now has brand new fuel filters that even allow you to only display cars with your preferred fuel option. Click here for more information about fuel.

    Factor in the local waiting times

    Specially in the more popular destinations, some waiting time when picking up the car is to be expected. This is particularly true for low cost suppliers, which have lower prices and, as such, larger volumes of pick ups in any given day.

    Make sure you have all the necessary documentation

    Most car hire companies will require you to present your voucher, a valid UK driver's license (the full license, so both parts) and a credit card in the name of the main driver named on the voucher. Important: some local suppliers don't accept some types of credit cards, such as American Express. If you don't have a(n acceptable) credit card, you may be required to acquire extra insurance locally.

    Zero Excess

    Many of our offers in Spain include Zero Excess in their basic price, which is great in that it eliminates the normal excess. Please note, however that you will still be required to leave a security deposit, since some car elements and negligences are not covered by the car's basic insurance. Locally you may be offered additional insurance to cover these elements, but this insurance is normally optional.

    Additional equipment

    If you require any additional equipment, we highly recommend you request it when making the booking online. Even though these items are paid for locally, requesting them beforehand will help ensure their availability.

    Young Drivers/Senior Drivers

    The minimum legal driving age in Spain is 18. Some suppliers will allow drivers as young as 18 to hire a car, but they may require that an extra fee be paid for drivers younger than 25. Normally you will have to have held your license for a minimum of 12 months, though this may vary depending on the company and car category. You can always check the Age limit and Young driver's surcharge by clicking on Product Information on our booking display.Many companies impose no restrictions on senior drivers, but some may require clients over the age of 70 or 75 to acquire extra insurance. You can always find this information in the Terms, Conditions and Local Fees prior to booking.

    Travel to islands/other countries

    You should always advise Auto Europe if you intend to drive your rental to a country other than Spain or to an island (if you booked in mainland Spain), as this may not be allowed by the rental company or it may require the payment of an additional fee. Some companies will allow you to travel to Portugal or France without requiring any extra fee, but not all. Travel to Gibraltar may also be restricted. You can always find this type of information in the Terms, Conditions and Local Fees prior to booking.

    'One way' fees

    If you wish to deliver the car in a location other than where you picked it up ('one way'), this may also require the payment of an additional fee, but not always. Many suppliers will allow 'one ways' for free in mainland Spain. International 'one ways', on the other hand, are normally paid. 'One ways' between islands are, generally speaking, not permitted.We hope you found this article interesting! As always, you are welcome to leave your comments or questions in the comments section below, or come pay us a visit on Facebook or Twitter

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