Best car hire companies in Spain and the Canary Islands

Only two car hire providers meet the required standards to be a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) – and both operate in the Canary Islands.

When we surveyed thousands of car hire customers, AutoReisen received a whopping 92% customer score and Cicar wasn’t far behind with 91%. The pair stand head and shoulders above the competition in an industry known for rip-offs and poor customer service. If you’re travelling to Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote or Tenerfie, there’s no reason to try any other firms.

Sadly AutoReisen doesn't operate outside the Canaries, and while Cicar operates in Spain, it does so in partnership with other firms (which means we can’t recommend it there).

Although no other car hire provider quite makes the grade to be a WRP, several firms, including Centauro and Unternehmen, will offer a consistently better experience in Spain, according to customers. While Zest Car Rental, a car hire broker that has been awarded WRP status, is useful for finding other trustworthy local firms. 

Read on for more about the best options overall and at the specific Canary island or airport that you're travelling to.

See our full reviews of the Best and worst car hire companies

Best car hire in Spain, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza

These are the companies with the highest customer scores in our 2024 survey that operate in Spain:

Zest Car Rental (broker) 90% – Which? Recommended Provider

Zest finds the best local and national car rental companies in Spain and keeps a close eye on customer feedback to ensure standards don’t slip. As well as providing five-star customer service, Zest also throws in many extras for free on most bookings, including a second driver and excess reimbursement insurance. Zest is the only broker that Which? has ever recommended.

Book with Zest Car Rental or read our full review.

Centauro 83%

Low-cost Spanish brand Centauro mainly operates at off-airport locations, so you’ll have to take a shuttle bus to pick up the car. But customers told us that the process was easy and it was one of just four firms to get a four-star (or above) value for money rating. If you book direct, you’ll only be offered its premium zero excess product, but you can save money by booking via Zest Car Rental and buying Zest’s highly-rated top-up insurance. 

Book with Centauro or read our full review.

Enterprise 73%

Alamo and Enterprise operate as one company in Spain, so if you book with Alamo, you’ll often find yourself at an Enterprise branded office at the airport. It's one of the best-rated car hire providers in Spain, with offices at all of the major airports and train stations. You can count on Enterprise to be reliable and trouble-free. Just bear in mind that it’s rarely the cheapest option and you may have to fend off insurance sales pitches from overzealous agents.

Book with Unternehmen or read our full review.

Hertz 71%

As one of the world’s biggest car hire providers, you’ll often find Hertz in the airport terminals in Spain, so picking up a vehicle is less hassle. Our survey found that Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members are the brands biggest fans. It’s free to join and they're able to skip the queue when collecting the car. However, Hertz only got a three-star value for money rating. 

Book with Hertz or read our full review.

Best car hire Malaga Airport

There are a handful of big names at the car hire desks inside Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, including Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Goldcar and Sixt. Of these, Hertz, with its customer score of 71% is the best of these options. 

However, our survey shows that you’ll have a slightly better experience with Unternehmen, which is just a short shuttle bus ride away. It may not be cheaper, but it has a good reputation for customer service and just outperforms Hertz with a customer score of 73%. To reach the Enterprise office, take the shuttle bus from behind the terminal train station. 

Whatever you do, don’t be drawn in by Goldcar’s bargain-basement prices. The company has been one of the worst performers in our survey for a decade. 

Best car hire Alicante Airport

There are car hire desks on the ground floor in the arrivals hall, including the big players such as Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. If you don’t want to take a shuttle bus when you arrive, then Centauro (83% customer score) and Hertz (71% customer score) are reasonable options.

Unternehmen (73% customer score) is just a short shuttle ride away. The shuttle service runs every 15 minutes from outside the terminal building and the journey time is five minutes.

Avoid Goldcar, as it's well-known for its poor service and dreadful value for money, despite low headline prices.

Best car hire: Palma Airport

Unternehmen has an office in the arrivals hall of Palma de Mallorca airport. Although pricey, Enterprise and its sister company Alamo are two of the best global car hire providers according to our survey, with a customer score of 73%.

If you don’t mind taking the shuttle bus, Centauro received a better customer score in our survey of 83%. 

There is less choice at Palma Airport, so consider booking with Zest Car Rental, the only car hire broker that is a Which? Recommended Provider. It uses a range of local companies, but crucially vets them for customer service.

Best car hire companies in Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura

Those hiring a car in the Canary Islands are spoilt for choice as the two car hire providers that are Which? Recommended Providers both operate here:

AutoReisen 92% (Which Recommended Provider)

Not only does AutoReisen offer superb customer service, but it also guarantees you won’t be penalised for minor dents and prangs because its all-inclusive prices give you full insurance with no excess. You can even add a second driver and child seats at no extra cost.

Book with AutoReisen or read our full review.

Cicar 91% (Which Recommended Provider)

Just like AutoReisen, Cicar has offices in the major airports in the Canary Islands, offers five-star customer service and charges an all-inclusive price that covers insurance. You can even request car pick-up and drop-off at your hotel.

Book with Cicar or read our full review.

Don’t buy excess reimbursement insurance from your car hire company

Whichever car hire company you book with, don’t buy your excess reimbursement insurance from them. Our research has repeatedly found that insurance from car hire companies is full of holes and can cost up to £183 more per week than specialist insurance bought online. 

Instead, use our car hire insurance ratings to find the best provider.

How we research car hire companies

In March 2024, we asked 2,324 members of Which? Connect and the general public to complete an online survey about their experience of using a car hire company in the past two years.

Only those companies that were top of the table and met our consumer-focused criteria are eligible to be a Which? Recommended Provider.