Car hire in Gran Canaria: tips, prices and companies

Your trip to Gran Canaria is coming up, and now’s the time to work out whether you really need to hire a car, what type of car, where from and how much it costs. In short, all the classic car hire questions.

Beyond helping you hire one, the point is above all to avoid the traps and do the necessary checks

Do you have to hire a car in Gran Canaria?

Well, it depends!

• if you’re staying in a resort or by the beach and only want to chill, there’s no need. If you want to get out a bit, there are buses and plenty of organised excursions (I’ll show you all that), and hotels usually provide an airport shuttle
• if you want to explore the island a bit (or a lot), honestly I’d advise you to get a car, if you have a licence: as we’ll see below, it won’t blow your budget. It’ll cost less than the excursions.
• if you’re not very confident, you don’t need to be an ace behind the wheel to drive in the Canaries. Driving is calm and perfectly normal

So yes, I recommend hiring a car, because it doesn’t cost much and it makes getting around the whole island much easier.

How much does car hire cost in Gran Canaria?

The brochures say you can find cars from €2 a day. After running several searches, I can confirm it’s true! Not common, but true 😀

On the other hand, I easily find cars at €4 a day, but be careful, you need to hire for several days. For a single day, I find them for around fifteen euros. Not bad!

For €4-5 you already get decent cars, economy models with enough room if you have quite a bit of luggage.

In the very high season (Christmas or February holidays, say), it can go up to more than €15 a day, €120 a week, a bit more depending on the type of car you want.

But honestly, the prices are more than reasonable! Below are two searches I ran on Discover Cars for one week in low season and one week in high season. Click on them to see the image in full size.

Find the right car in Gran Canaria!

What type of car to hire in Gran Canaria

It’s very simple. The roads in Gran Canaria are excellent, they climb but not too much, so there are no restrictions on car hire. The first time I had a small Polo-type car, this time a Yaris hybrid. All of that is more than enough.

So there’s no need for a big vehicle or a big SUV. What should help you choose:

• good air conditioning! because it can get hot and shade is rare
• with low fuel prices, filling up doesn’t hurt your wallet. But as you drive calmly, a hybrid will save you a lot. Mine used 3.5 L/100 km
• manual cars are a little cheaper than automatics, but I find automatics much more comfortable. So given the small price difference, it’s worth it
• the size of the car. It depends on how many of you there are and how much luggage you have. But 2 people = 2 suitcases works fine!
• Comfort only matters if you’re going to drive a lot, or go up into the mountains regularly. For short trips, an Aygo or something similar will do perfectly. Otherwise, take something a bit more comfortable.

And although hire is really cheap (I still wonder how they do it), the cars are good quality! The ones I had on my last trips, and also what I saw in the garage when I picked up the last one. Spotless, honestly!

Do you really need insurance?

Well, well, well… the roads are good but there’s gravel on them, so a small risk of scratches. And locals drive very decently, so the risk of an accident is quite low.

Still, I’d advise you to take out insurance for several reasons:

• it doesn’t cost much! Really, at these hire prices, it would be a shame to get stung by the agency (excesses are high) to save €30-40 of insurance for the week.
• because you never know what might happen
• having insurance avoids a big deposit being taken when you pick up the car (the kind that blocks your card)

The car won’t be the biggest part of your budget, so I think you can afford the insurance

Which company should you hire from?

There’s plenty of choice in Gran Canaria (well, across all the Canary Islands, really), with all the European and international companies like Hertz, Europcar and Avis.

But I’ll admit that when I’m in the Canaries, I only use local companies with a very good reputation. And I can vouch for them, because I’ve used them!

So, off the top of my head, I especially recommend the local companies (present on all the islands):

• Topcar
• CICAR
• Autoreisen

Above all, though, I recommend comparing. Compare the agencies, use comparison sites, and even compare the comparison sites, because they don’t have the same info or the same discounts with the agencies. More on that below.

Find the right car in Gran Canaria!

The usual checks when you pick up the car

The classic trick of rental agencies is to make you pay for dents, scratches, scuffs… in short, the slightest little thing that “would be your fault”. Even when it isn’t.

So here’s my big tip (it’s common sense, but really, it still happens to me now and then): take close-up photos of the whole car. Check that every item listed on the contract matches something real on the car, and that every scratch has been noted. Otherwise they’ll charge you for it, even if it was already there.

So take photos:

• when you pick up the car
• when you return it

And if they tell you something after the return (because returns take 2 minutes) and it’s not true, you can send the photos. That ends the matter.

Also take a photo of the dashboard showing fuel and mileage, at the start and at the end.

Which comparison sites to use

Are comparison sites essential? Yes and no (talk about sitting on the fence).

You can book directly on the agencies’ websites. But it isn’t necessarily cheaper. Comparison sites have deals with the agencies, which sometimes gets them much better prices.

Above all, comparison sites let you… compare (well spotted!). So at a glance you can compare the different agencies, see Topcar vs Goldcar, the prices and the ratings. Especially the ratings, I’d say, because the agency’s reputation is hugely important.

Compare the comparison sites!

Every time I hire a car, I check two comparison sites:

• Discover Cars
• Booking (formerly Rental Cars)

Both are reliable and very clear about the car and the rental company (that’s hugely important). I can see the agency’s rating and other people’s comments, and that’s what guides my choice.

As I said, comparison sites have certain deals with the agencies. So if you use two, you won’t get the same results, which doubles your chances of finding a good deal, the right car with the right agency.

If I can avoid a con, I won’t hold back 😀

To make planning your trip easier (and mine too!), I’ve created a map of Gran Canaria with all the info you need (landscapes, viewpoints, accommodation…)

⭐️ Click here to open the map! ⭐️

Is driving in Gran Canaria easy, and what are the roads like?

Honestly, driving in Gran Canaria is very easy.

People drive in a civilised way. Sure, there’s always the odd idiot, but there’s no pressure, you drive at your own pace, people don’t overtake at all costs. The speed on the main road is between 100 and 120, but nobody drives like a maniac, I found it pleasant.

The road markings are a complete mess. The arrows painted on the road are terribly done. On a two-lane road, you’ll have an arrow pointing right in the left lane and an arrow pointing left in the right lane. I didn’t understand a thing 😀 And there are lots of places like that.

The roads are in excellent condition! Even the mountain roads are recent and well maintained, honestly a pleasure to drive on. No fear of hitting a pothole in the middle or anything like that.

Driving in the mountains is easy. As I said, the roads are good and wide. And people don’t pressure you. That said, they’re still proper hairpins, and roads with little visibility at times. So if you drive slowly, nobody will hold it against you, especially as it lets you enjoy the scenery. And if people are waiting behind you, there are lay-bys to let them pass easily.

Can you hire a car and travel between several islands?

Absolutely! And it’s very handy 🙂

But first, you should know that hiring a car on one island and returning it on another costs an arm and a leg. I just simulated a one-week hire, picked up in Gran Canaria and returned in Lanzarote: €380. The same hire returned in Gran Canaria is €45. Quite a difference.

You can go from island to island very easily by ferry. For example, you can hire a car in Lanzarote, take the ferry to Fuerteventura, then Gran Canaria, keeping the same car. You’ll “just” have to go back to Lanzarote to return it and avoid paying full whack.

For ferries, check the website of Fred. Olsen, the operator running the inter-island routes!

Find the right car in Gran Canaria!

4 great places to stay in Gran Canaria

Find your dream accommodationin Gran Canaria!

Conclusion

There you go, I think you know everything! Hiring a car isn’t essential in Gran Canaria, but it helps a lot. And it’s really handy if you want to explore the island.

You’re not taking a big risk either, because as we’ve seen it’s a tiny budget, with hire starting at a few euros a day.

But if you’d rather not have a car, there are ways to get around and visit, so take a look at the guided tours on the island of Gran Canaria!

⭐️ You can find ALL the articles about the Canary Islands here

If you want to know more about the Canary Islands, here’s the list of articles I’ve written:

• What to see in Gran Canaria in a week – the essential information for your trip
• Where to stay by the beach in Gran Canaria – the best options for where to sleep in Gran Canaria
• The map of the best places to stay – and much more info like landscapes, beaches and practical tips in one place!
• The most beautiful places in Lanzarote – discover my favourite of the Canary Islands!
• Which town to stay in, in Lanzarote – beach or mountains, find your dream accommodation!
• What’s the best month to go to Lanzarote – month by month, the pros and cons of Lanzarote
• The best map of Lanzarote – all the essential info to plan your trip on a single interactive map
• What to see in the volcano park of Timanfaya – an incredible national park, find out how to visit it
• How to get to the island of La Graciosa – Lanzarote’s little sister is gorgeous, do go for at least a day
• Which company to hire a car from in Lanzarote – big international companies or small local ones, there’s plenty of choice

If you need more information, don't hesitate to ask me by clicking here 🙂How can I help you ?