Renting a car in Gran Canaria is the best way to explore the island and it doesn't need to be a stressful experience if you follow our tips for the perfect Gran Canaria car rental.

One of the most common questions we get asked at Gran Canaria Info is "what is the best way to rent a car in Gran Canaria?".

The answer is always the same: It depends what you are looking for...

The cheapest deal is always too good to be true

If you want the cheapest possible car, it is tempring to go online and choose the lowest price from a car rental website. Howver, be prepared for extra charges once you arrive at the airport. Things like extra insurance that is only obligatory once you go to collect your car, fuel surcharges, deposits blocked on your credit card, or claims for damage to the vehicle or unpaid fines after you get home. The cheapest deals in Gran Canaria are hardly ever as good as they sound, especially on comparison websites.In fact, we get so many complaints about cheap Gran Canaria car rental that ends up being expensive that our advice is to never take the cheapest online deal.

Book local with a reliable company

To avoid the extras that almost invevitably come with the cheapest online car rental offers, go to one of the reliable Gran Canara car rental companies and book a car direct. Autoreisen, Plus Cars and Cicar are the three that offer consistetly good value cars with no hidden extras from Gran Canaria airport. 

You may have to queue to get your car, or even wait for a bit as there is still a shortage of budget cars on Gran Canaria after Covid: The leasing companies sold their fleets and are now having trouble getting new cars to replace them. 

The big box hire companies are expensive in Gran Canaria

Car rental in Gran canaria is really good value but nobody seems to have told the big boys like Hertz and Avis. Their standard offer is often way more expensive than all the other options. If you have a business account, or come at a busy time and there is nothing else available, go for it. But first, contact our trusted car rental partner...

Use Mr Car Hire Gran Canaria for a good deal and peace of mind

There is no way any small local operator can match the cheapest prices on offer online or with the big local companies. However, local companies can compete by offering a quick pickup , fully comprehensive insurance as standard, ongoing support during your holiday, and even pickup and dropoff at you accommodation.

So, if you just want to arrive, grab your keys and go, rather than queueing at a car hire desk, get in touch with Mr Car Hire. If you want a car delivered to your hotel or apartment building, then picked up at the end of the holiday. Get in touch.

If you'd rather have complete peace of mind and instant communication with, ask for a quote.

Mr Car Hire offers the complete Gran Canaria hire car service with car-to-door delivery anywhere on the island, fully comprehensive insurance and 24/7/365 support. 

Best of all, he does it at great prices and offers top service, no queues, dirty cars or long waiting times

You won't get the cheapest possible price because they are almost always loaded with hidden extras.

Alex Says: For a hassle-free Gran Canaria car rental and complete peace of mind, Mr Car Hire is Gran Canaria Info's recommendation.

Rent your car via Mr Car Hire and you'll get:

• A wide choice of cars at reasonable prices with absolutely no hidden extras
• Delivery to anywhere in Gran Canaria and car collection anywhere on the island
• Comprehensive insurance and 24/7/365 support and breakdown cover
• Personal service and a completely stress-free car rental experience

Contact him right here and Mr Car Hire be right back in touch.

When you see the prices of second hand cars in Gran Canaria you will probably think about importing a much cheaper car from mainland Europe or the UK. Whilst overall it can be cheaper importing a car there are many costs involved in importing a car to the Canary Islands and you need to consider them carefully before bringing your car here.

The first thing you need to know is that when importing goods into the Canary Islands the Canary Islands are not considered part of Spain, therefore any advice taken from Spanish companies will not be applicable to Gran Canaria, this is particularly important for importation tax. In Spain for some goods you are not liable to pay import tax, for the Canary Islands you are.

Important points on importing cars to Gran Canaria from the EU

If you have owned the vehicle for less than six months you will be taxed heavily.

If you have had a Spanish ID number (NIE) for more than 6 months, again you are liable to be taxed the import duty. This is 9-13% of the value of the car in Spain.

However, if you have owned the car for some time and you are a new resident in the Canaries you are allowed a one-off importation of your goods and import tax is not payable. You will need to obtain a document from your local authority in your origin country before you leave to demonstrate that you have been living there. This, along with local documents will prove your exemption from import tax.

There are additional charges once you arrive, these include matriculation and putting the car through the ITV. These can be up to 200€.

If you are confused have a look at the Agencia Tributaria website for the latest information however this can be often be even more confusing so if in doubt get in contact with a shipping agent such as Migrate Global Canarias.

Once you bring a car to the Canary Islands you are allowed to drive it here for up to 6 months before putting it on Spanish plates, if you don’t re-register it here in the Canary Islands within 6 months you are liable to pay extra charges. However if you take it out within 6 months you don’t have to pay anything.

You may have noted that used cars in the Canaries are not always good value for money. However, you should bear the above points in mind when deciding whether to ship your vehicle to Gran Canaria.

Driving your car into Gran Canaria

One alternative is to pack up your car, drive down to Cadiz or Huelva and use the ferry service. This can be an economical way of shipping a car and all your belongings to Gran Canaria, although it is not without cost and the sailing is 24 hours so it's quite a journey. Many people enjoy the adventure though, and if you already have Canarian residency documents you are entitled to a 75% discount on the ferry cost.

Shipping your car to Gran Canaria

Shipping vehicles to Gran Canaria, without actually driving them, is also common practice. From some parts of Europe and mainland Spain there is a roll-on, roll-off service, whereby you put your vehicle on the ferry at one end and collect it at the other end. Currently the only option available directly from the UK or Ireland is containerized shipping, which can be costly, but which is very safe and also offers you the option of moving personal/ household goods in the same container. The usual procedure is for you to deliver the vehicle to a nominated warehouse near your UK or Ireland address, where it will be loaded on a container, secured for sea transit and shipped here for you. If you are combining this with a household removal, that side of it would be carried out as normal, with a packing service if necessary, a collection, followed by loading together with the car at the warehouse.

Customs Clearance

All unaccompanied goods travelling between the Canaries and the rest of the world, including Europe and mainland Spain, have to clear customs. This is usually a paper-based procedure, although some containers are opened and inspected, but the important thing to know from the outset is the documents you will be asked for, which are NIE and certificado de empadronamiento (see ‘Paperwork’). If you have used a door-to-door removals or transport service you will simply be required to provide these documents and customs clearance will be carried out on your behalf. Otherwise you will need to appoint a customs agent to represent you and you will have to sign some further documents and provide an inventory of contents.

Driving in Gran Canaria isn't so bad but there are a few things you need to know to avoid scares and fines. 

Let’s start with avoiding fines as you can be fined for almost anything here, and knowing what fines exist will make your stay a lot cheaper.

Parking – don’t park on a yellow line. They will catch you and they will fine you. 
Single white lines – If there is a single white line in the middle of the road you can’t cross it. 
Carry all your documents ALL the time. The police can stop you anywhere and ask to see your paperwork.

You need...
Your permiso de conducir (driving license). This can be downloaded onto your phone on the Tráfico app.
Your permiso de circulación (Car certificate)
Your insurance AND the last bank statement showing you have paid it. If you don’t have the statement you can be fined. However, the police can now access this information from their cars so some insurance companies don’t issue papers any more.
Your ID (DNI or passport) – They can fine you for not having it.
Your last road tax payment.
You need to carry at least 2 flourescent bibs. One for the driver and one for each passenger. (buy them in the Euro shop or in a garage)
You have to have a triangle in case you have an accident.

Now the driving – Spanish drivers are fine. They are not the aggressive, erratic Seat Marbella driving lunatics you see on TV. However there are a few subtle differences in their driving that are worth knowing before you venture out on a Canarian road.

They use horn a lot, and will shout and gesticulate at you for no particular reason. Unless you have cut them up smashed into their new Seat or driven them off the road, ignore them – some people just like to overreact.

Gran Canaria drivers have no idea how to use a roundabout because in the Canarian driving test they are taught that any car in the outside lane has priority. Therefore, if you are going round the inside of a roundabout and someone overtakes you on the outside and you crash into them when you are leaving the roundabout, you will have a hard time convincing them it is their fault. You can try and use the inside lane if you want to be pedantic but its safer to always use the outside lane

Reverse parking – get good at it. Unless you want to pay extortionate Canarian parking fees you are going to need to know how to fit your wheels into a space designed for a bicycle. 

But don’t be afraid driving in the Canary Islands. In general, it is no different from anywhere else and far easier than London. If you want to go up to the mountains though make sure you have a good head for heights, some of the roads in the south and on the north coast have over 1000 metre sheer drop on one side! The views are pretty spectacular though and it’s well worth soiling your pants for a bit to see them.

It is polite to pull over if you are driving the car that is holding up a load of locals on mountain roads.

Renting a car in Gran Canaria

If you choose to explore Gran Canaria by car, take all the hassle out of renting by using Mr Car Hire Gran Canaria...

Mr Car Hire, an independent rental broker, offers a complete Gran Canaria hire car service with car-to-door delivery anywhere on the island, fully comprehensive insurance and 24/7/365 support. 

Best of all, he does it at great prices and offers top service, no queues, dirty cars or long waiting times.

Rent your car via Mr Car Hire and you'll get:

• A wide choice of cars at reasonable prices with absolutely no hidden extras
• Delivery to anywhere in Gran Canaria and car collection anywhere on the island
• Comprehensive insurance and 24/7/365 support and breakdown cover
• Personal service and a completely stress-free car rental experience

Contact him right here and Mr Car Hire be right back in touch.

Buying a second hand car in Gran Canaria is a fairly simple process provided you know some Spanish and a bit about cars. If not, get some help.