Tops tips for car hire In Tenerife

[rainydogday]

I need to book a car from South Airport in Tenerife. We are going Feb half term. We have never hired a car before as a family. Although DH has driven abroad years ago and is a confident driver. I am a nervous passenger but need to bite the bullet and hire a car as our accommodation is about 30-40 mins away and we would like a bit more freedom. Any tips on who to hire from, rough price to expect for a week? And what is like leaving the airport? Is it a nightmare or ok?! I keep putting it off but need to do it

We have booked with Autoreisen for the last 20 years in Tenerife and never had any issues really easy to book online all details done before you get there so just a case of picking up keys and off you go the airport is pretty small and the hire cars are just outside everything is sign posted and straightforward the main motorway the TF-1 is just like any other it just takes a bit of getting used to driving on the "wrong" side but once you'll get the hang of it quickly we always get the extra insurance it's only a few more euros and worth it for peace of mind I think it's called comfort insurance there are tons of tourists in hire cars and the locals are probably used to us!!

We have booked with Cicar on a few occasions. Pick up at the airport (although they also have other sites), reliable and cheaper than the others

I was also coming on to recommend Autoriesen for honest pricing although we've not hired a car abroad since before covid (mainly due to taking different types of holidays where we've mostly not needed a car) so don't know if anything has changed.

A lot of car hire places in Spain are crooks quite frankly who will draw you in with a cheap price but then give you the hard sell with a load of extra insurance and a fuel policy that has you paying for fuel you won't use. Do not use Goldcar under any circumstances. Buy your excess insurance in the UK as its much cheaper.

Moneysavingexpert.com has a good guide on the full ins and outs of this.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-car-hire/

Make sure you have a credit card for the deposit. If you're one of those Mumsnetters who 'doesn't need to a credit card' hiring a car abroad is one of those times where its likely to be useful.

As for leaving the airport, have a look on Google maps and street view to see which lane you'll need to be in etc. From memory its well signposted and the roads are generally much better than the UK mostly good.

I can't drive a left hand drive car, I've tried a few times and can't get my head around it.

But I help DP by keeping an eye on his road positioning on my side of the car - apart from a small disaster the first time we hired a car abroad (he misjudged overtaking a bus at a bus stop and hit the back of it) he's been fine but likes to take a break from driving on holiday as he does it a lot for work, which is another reason why we haven't hired a car recently.

Another vote for Autoreisen. Once DH seemed to drive into a boulder at the side, to the point I could hardly open the door, they didn't even charge us extra when he pointed it out. Great company.

Look at getting a Car Hire Excess insurance policy in this country before you go so you don't get fleeced by the Collision Damage Waiver cover from the car hire company in Spain.

Thank you. I am going to book with Autoreisen. I am want to book it in my DH name as he will drive it. But he doesn't have a credit card only a debit card. Do you think they will accept my credit card for the deposit thingy incase of any prangs? I am going to and will add as a driver just incase.

If you take zero-excess insurance when you rent then you will not need to leave a deposit, so the credit card issue doesn't arrive.

Note that "zero-excess" is more than just "full" insurance, which has an excess like your own car's fully comprehensive does. Zero-excess costs more, but you can bring the car back on fire if necessary. It is way better for your peace of mind if you are a bit nervous about driving and parking abroad.

Have a look at Cabrera Medina, where I rented a car in Lanzarote a few years ago. They were excellent. I seem to recall that they only do zero-excess.

Some companies (I don't know if Cabrera Medina do this) now offer a service where you pay in advance (zero-excess), upload your driving licence, and they give you a QR code. At the airport or resort you scan that code at a machine and the car key drops out. You literally don't have to talk to anyone at a desk.

We hired few times in Tenerife. Mostly use Cicar, pick up at airport is easy, cars ok and usually cheaper than others. No problems so far.
Last time also booked with CarzRent, price was good and everything clear, no stress. Leaving airport is fine, roads are ok. I was nervous first time too but it’s not bad at all.

Another vote for Cicar. They are only in the Canaries, which is a shame as they were fantastic when we used them and we’d use them all the time if we could. Really
reasonably priced, full insurance included. They don’t check the car on the way out or the way in because it’s all covered! That felt very strange but it’s fine.

When we dropped the keys off they asked how much petrol was in it, and refunded the cost of the half tank there and then, no questions or even verification.

ETA we get an automatic which makes driving on the other side much easier.