Car Rental

Below is my complete guide on how to rent a car in Mallorca, covering:

• which type of car is best,
• best rental companies, reviews,
• tips on reducing costs,
• insurance recommendations,
• essentials to avoid any scam,
• rules and regulations,
• …

I have tried listing everything you may need to know to enjoy a worry-free car hire experience.

Renting a car in Mallorca – Overview

Should I rent a car in Mallorca?

It depends what kind of holiday you want.
You can stay at the beach and party. You don’t need a car for that.
But that would be a shame, because the island is magnificent with mountains, cliffs, caves, hidden beaches and coves…

Renting a car is the best option to:

• Enjoy some of the hidden gems such as arches, viewpoints, rock formations
• Visit a place early before the large crowds such as the Formentor peninsula, Sa Calobra, the Tramuntana villages, stunning coves…
• Be flexible to adapt to the weather

Car rental essential tips – from my personal experiences

If you don’t want to read the entire article with the step-by-step to renting a car in Mallorca, here is a short summary of my top tips:

• My main recommendation is to pick a small car. There are many narrow roads where you can have to cross path with other cars and with buses. Driving a narrow car is less stressful.
• Book early to get the best prices and the choice of cars
• Always check the car upon arrival and take pictures of anything you see (don’t forget the roof and under the bumper)
• On Mallorca, I do recommend taking the complete coverage for the outside. As I wrote there are narrow roads, and some with stone walls. The risk of scratching the car is higher than in other destinations

The booking platform I personally use

You will see a lot of mentions of  Discovercars.com throughout this article.
This is the platform I personally use and one of the best customer-rated comparison sites on the market.
As soon as I decide on a destination and dates, I go check their deals and car types.

I have found some really good deals many times.
Plus, they have a practical coverage option at great price that will cover you in case of damage to the outside of the car.

One of my rental cars in Mallorca

Is it difficult to drive in Mallorca? Is it safe?

To be honest, Mallorca is not my favorite destination for driving.
It is not dramatically difficult, but it is not the most comfortable experience.

Roads are overall in correct conditions, and the island is not huge, so you never drive for too long.
However, when you leave the main roads, there are many very narrow roads. And it is very crowded with lots of tourists (who don’t know the size of their rental cars)

#1 to 3 – How to rent a car in Mallorca – required elements

Tip 1 – License to rent a car in Mallorca

To drive in Mallorca / Spain you need a valid driving licence from your country.

• People with EU licenses can drive on their holidays with only their valid national licenses
• All other nationalities must have an International Driving Permit (on top of their national license)

Tip 2 – Extra age requirements / years of driving

Official driving age in Mallorca / Spain is 18.
However, most car rental companies in Mallorca:

• will require you to be 21
• will require you to have held a license in your home country for a year or more,
• may add charges, if you are under 25,
• may add charges, if you are over a certain age.

On the platform Discovercars.com you can enter your age, to see any limitation in rental cars available and any additional fee.

Tip 3 – A credit card that can handle the hold charge 

Remember that unless you have decided to purchase a full coverage insurance directly with the rental company, you will be asked for your credit card to hold a deposit. This amount s blocked on your account via your credit card (until you bring the car back without damages).
As it is on top of the payment, you may be hitting the limit of your credit card daily/weekly or monthly protection limit.
So be prepared! Your options are:

• Use a different credit card for the hold charge,
• Contact your bank prior to traveling to change your limits,
• Purchase a full coverage insurance with a 0 excess charge.

On the platform Discovercars.com:

• once you open one option, you can click on Rental Conditions, and you will see the Security Deposit amount.
• And if this is an issue for you, you can pre-select the amount you are willing to have blocked as security deposit in the filters

Deposit filters on Discovercars.com

#4 & 5 – When and where to hire a car in Mallorca

Tip 4 – Best period

The island of Mallorca is a very popular destination, especially in Summer.
So, if you want the choice of your vehicle types and good prices, it is better to rent your car as early as possible.
You won’t find any last-minute deals in Summer.
As soon as you have picked your dates, book the car!

Tip 5 – When and where

Cars can be rented for all major beach towns and from the airport.

If you want to see only a couple of things, you could rent only for a few days from the place where you are staying.
However, to be able to explore the entire island and see all its magnificent landscapes, the best option is to rent from the airport.

You can find all the main rental companies at the airport.
The island also has some locals renters in the touristic seaside towns. Be careful with prices that seem too low to be true!

#6 to 10 – What type of car to choose

Tip 6 – Recommendations for size of car / power – does size matters?

I know it depends on how many people are traveling and how much luggage you are traveling with.
But here are a few things to keep in mind when traveling in Mallorca:

• Size
  My main recommendation is to pick a narrow car.
  Around the island, there are many narrow roads: in the countryside, to reach beaches and in the mountains.
  Driving a narrow car is less stressful when you have to cross path with other vehicles.
• Power
  Any size of cars will be able to drive all around the island. No roads are extremely steep.
  However, It will be more comfortable in the mountains, if you don’t choose the smallest engine.

Tip 7 – Transmission type – Manual vs Automatic

Most cars to rent in Mallorca have a manual transmission.
Rental companies have automatic cars, but they are often more expensive. And there are less of them, so book early.
On Discovercars.com, you can use the filter “Automatic transmission” on the left, if this is a must have for you.

Tip 8 – Fuel choice – Diesel, Gas or electric

• Petrol station in Spanish is  “estación de servicio”
• Petrol is on green pump – called “gasolina” and if unleaded “gasolina sin plomo”
• Diesel is on Black pump called “gasoil”
• See the concentration of electric car charging station, where you are going in Mallorca on this website

Tip 9 – Is it useful to have a 4WD?

Not really. Road to almost all attractions are paved.

There are a couple of beaches / coves that are only accessible by tracks. But know that even if you have a 4WD, the insurance protection associated with the rental probably does not cover use of the car out of paved roads.
This is frequent in many countries. Read the fine print.

Sa Calobra road

Tip 10 – Consider vehicles with sleeping options

Another idea is to rent a vehicle in which you can sleep.
Overall, this could save you money compared to booking extra accommodations.
However, Mallorca is not the ideal destination for that because:

• Wild camping is not allowed
• Campsites are rare on the island

Plan your dream road trip around Mallorca!

• 8 easy-to-plan maps
• 140+ pre-selected scenic locations
• Planning tips to make the most of your time
• 270+ large photos to decide where to go
• GPS coordinates direct to the carparks