Car hire at Murcia airport or at Alicante Airport is considerably cheaper than in the UK,
even as the pound sinks. I have been advising checking
out Goldstar. See below for why I
preferred Goldstar Europa, but note the warning about bringing teh car back on
empty. However recently they have made a change that make them less attractive,
namely that if you drop the car at a different airport (which I use a lot)
they are charging a supplement of I think €30 (since early 2009). They also do
not offer breakdown cover (I think this is new). However last time I tried (May
`09) they were cheaper for a short hire than the competition.
Previously I had
been using carjet for about two years, I have discovered that Goldstar (as they
now brand themselves; previously Europa) has a
number of advantages, especially for short and last minute bookings. You can
book online at the last minute (frequently the night before in my case, right up
to midnight Spanish time at least, and you can call their office on the day, but
calling the main number on the website gave me a better deal than calling the
local office last time) whereas usually carjet requires
more time (I have done this a number of times recently). You don't have to
commit to pay or anything. It was cheaper for bottom of the
range 3 day hire (57€ vs 66€ from Murcia Airport returning to Alicante in 2006;
prices have gone up somewhat recently; in Aug 08, peak season, I am paying 62€
for a Ford KA, 3 days, while Carjet is quoting 68€, so Goldstar is still cheaper).
Their philosophy seems to be to price low and go for volume, and not to fuss
about anything, making upfor scratches etc. by sheer turnover. As the insurance
currently covers bodywork as I understand it, they never seem to worry about
anything much, or where you drop off the car (if you switch airports at the last
minute say). I recently used Europcar, which took ages as they fussed over
all sorts of things (although otherwise was fine). You are
less likely to have to queue if all the Carjet etc. people are sent elsewhere,
although as it is very competitive there is often a queue nevertheless.
Pros: cheap, flexible, non-fussy, good insurance cover (doesn't cover
windscreen and tyres)
Cons: over 3 days, you are told to bring back the car with an empty fuel
tank, which at current prices can be costly if you don't use the car much
I'm
not aware of any other drawbacks with Goldstar. The important point: for 3 days or less you
are supposed to refill the car when you return it. Otherwise they say to return
the car empty: so if you only use a fraction of the tank, given you have
to pay for the whole tank up front, this can add a lot at current petrol prices,
and other providers may be different.
My previous advice: I have found
www.carjet.co.uk - Alicante Airport or
www.carjet.co.uk - Murcia Airport to be a good and cheap way of renting a car (thanks to Paul for suggesting this site
a few years ago, which
I wasn't aware). Prices are inclusive. The site is very clear about what's included (a lot) and
what's not included, especially on the insurance side; you can cancel up to 24
hours before. I have used this site a number of times, and have
varied hire period very easily by ringing their main number. They use different
main terminal companies. I have been very impressed. You may find something
cheaper if you hunt hard, but not by much. Note that if you are given a quote
with Auriga at Murcia you will have to get a courtesy bus a couple of km to
their office unless they have relocated since 2006; it is pretty quick though.
You can also hire direct from the bigger
companies which operate from Alicante or Murcia airports (e.g.
Sol-Mar), or go to one of numerous companies
which operate out of the car park at Alicante in particular. One which I have found reliable
is Star (http://www.rentspain.com/ Tel.
0034-902 180 808). They need to know when you're arriving as their vans are not
permanently manned. Star operate at Murcia airport as well as Alicante.
Centauro is another I have used in the
past. Another
I have used is Lara (http://www.laracars.com/,
Tel. 0034-966 796 029). Other companies which I have not used include
Victoria ,
Javea Cars.
Connect, who are located inside
the terminal building
 | TIP:
If you are given the option of paying in euros or in pounds when you pick up
in Spain it usually means that the hire company's euro prices will be
converted to pounds using their bank's exchange rate which is usually
undisclosed. The advice is always to go for euros. According to BBC Moneybox
20.6.2009 Centauro sometimes charges in pounds without consulting - which it
is not supposed to do (in theory you can ask your credit card company to
reverse this). |
| TIP: Check whether the company requires you to return the car empty or full. Usually
if you are hiring up to three days they say return full but otherwise it's
empty. If given
the option, returning full is probably better in that you don't end up paying
what they think a full tank costs. If full,
make sure you do so, or else you will probably be charged far more than the
fraction of the tank left empty. If empty, this will not be such a
good option if you will not be using a full tank during your hire. |
| TIP: A disadvantage of the within terminal car hire companies is that you can
get stuck in a very long queue at busy times. On the other hand you can be sure
someone will be there, not true of the airport parking vans if you arrive at a
time other than the one you said. |
| You normally need a credit card when hiring in Spain; a Visa debit card is
also OK but apparently not Switch/Cirrus, as I found to my cost recently! |
| TIP: Articles about car hire always stress the danger of being ripped off
about small scratches etc. They advise that you very carefully check the car
before you drive away to make sure that all existing scratches, bumps etc. are
accounted for on the contract document you get. Otherwise you might get
charged a lot after you drop the car back. |
| You are usually advised to keep your hire documents in the car with you. I
understand that the reason for this is if the police stop you, they can tell
you haven't stolen the car as your hire document will match your passport. |
You can also use one of the bigger sites such as
holidayautos which offer competitive
prices whenever I have checked them out (you can also pay in sterling so you
don't lose on the exchange rate).
Don't forget your driving license! (Unlike UK car hire, I have never been
asked for the paper counterpart to my photo driving licence, but it's probably
worth bringing, just in case.)
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