Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Spain and Portugal are such important tourist destinations that it is no surprise that you have plenty of choice when it comes to car rental. My own recommendation to users of Spain and Portugal for Visitors, though, is to use Auto Europe.

Auto Europe is a consolidator, which in this context means it has arrangements with local companies allowing it to offer excellent rates without sacrificing quality (don't take my word for this, shop around, you'd be crazy not to). Its original market - and when I say "original," I am talking about over fify years ago, way back in 1954 - was North Americans visiting Europe. The world has changed since then, of course, for good and bad: Americans are less adventurous than they used to be, for reasons we all understand, and Brits and Europeans are less abjectly poor, and one upshot is that Auto Europe now has UK and European offices as well as American.

I don't expect you to stop your car rental search right here, of course, and you will find other alternatives on the Spain and Portugal for Visitors Car Rental Links page, as well as under specific destination headings. All the major international car hire operators are to be found - Avis, Hertz, Europcar, and so on, though you may find a smaller, local company more economical, more helpful, or both. And a fly-drive package may be your best option though, in these days of low-cost flights, that is increasingly less likely. Whatever, if you are looking for a car rental deal - and if you aren't, what on earth are you doing reading these lines? - do, please at least take a minute to check out what Auto Europe has to offer you.

One Frequently Asked Car Rental Question, One Frequent Car Hire Complaint
The FAQ - "Can I hire a car in Portugal and drop it off in Spain?"
These days you can, at least with Auto Europe, though this was not true relatively recently. I haven't checked other car hire firms for this recently, and in all cases, I still recommend checking your insurance cover.
The Gripe - "They told me in the UK my rental car would be delivered to my doorstep, but here they insist that I have to pick it up."
It's a b*****, isn't it? Doesn't matter if you are in Torremolinos and your pick-up is in Málaga, of course, but if you are in the north of Cádiz and have to travel to La Línea de la Concepción (as happened to me, once, does it show?), you can easily lose well over half a day. Don't automatically blame the Spanish or Portuguese, though, it's more likely to be the Brits who were lying through their teeth when they sold you the deal, I'm afraid - take it up with your local consumer protection people when you get back.

Did I mention I recommend Auto Europe? Oh, did I? Sorry to go on about it.