Car Rental in the Canary Islands

Why rent a car in the Canary Islands?

The Canary Islands are a great place for renting a car. Unique in landscape and populated by fun-loving, child-friendly people, whether you choose to go to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, or one of the other islands, you won’t end up disappointed.

The extensive, varied landscapes of the Canary Islands are easily accessible by car. Almost all roads are well-developed, paved, and have two lanes. Only on Fuerteventura are there still some sand paths. In addition, the costs and petrol prices are low in the Canary Islands compared to European standastandards

Top ways to enter Spain - Canary Islands

• Gran Canaria Airport: Also known as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Airport (LPA), the busiest airport in the Canary Islands handled more than 10 million travelers in 2022. Served by around 50 different airlines, the airport is a large hub for the low-cost carriers Ryanair and Binter Canarias. In addition to European connections, the airport has flights to and from Senegal, Gambia, and Cape Verde in nearby West Africa.
• Tenerife South Airport: The busiest of the two Tenerife international airports, it handled over 10.8 million travelers in 2022. The airport is served by more than 60 different airlines, many of which fly to and from Tenerife for the whole year. 
• Tenerife North Airport: Located near Santa Cruz, the largest city on Tenerife, this airport handles about 5.5 million travelers every year. Tenerife North has flights by 13 different airlines, with most of the traffic provided by Binter Canarias, Vueling, Ryanair and CanaryFly.
• Lanzarote Airport: Also known as César Manrique Airport Lanzarote, the main airport of the northernmost of the Canary Islands handled over seven million travelers in 2022. The airport is served by more than 20 airlines, providing flights to and from such varied destinations as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Finland.
• Fuerteventura Airport: Fuerteventura-El Matorral handles about 5.6 million travelers annually. The airport has flights by nearly 30 different airlines, including low-cost carriers like easyJet, Wizz Air, and Volotea.
• La Palma Airport: Located on the southeastern coast of the island, La Palma Airport handled around 1.3 million travelers in 2022. The airport has flights by 14 different airlines, providing connections with destinations like Madrid, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin.
• La Gomera Airport: Serving the picturesque island of the same name, La Gomera Airport has flights, provided by Binter Canarias, to and from only two destinations, the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. This makes La Gomera accessible from mainland Europe with a layover in one of the aforementioned islands.
• El Hierro Airport: The westernmost of the Canary Islands has flights by only two airlines, Binter Canarias and CanaryFly. Like La Gomera Airport, it only has direct connections to the other Canary Islands, but a layover in Tenerife or Gran Canaria is a possibility.
• By sea: Each one of the seven Canary Islands has at least one passenger ferry port. It is a good idea to look up the schedules and book tickets in advance; services are much more frequent during the warm months of the year, but tickets are also sold out more quickly. Most car renting companies do not allow bringing a rental car to another island. Therefore it is common the leave the rental car on the island and rent a new one upon arrival at the port.

Top cities and places to visit

• Tenerife. The largest and most populous of the Canaries is also the most popular tourism destination in the archipelago. Famous for its developed, built-up coastline, entertainment opportunities, and Mount Teide, the third-largest active volcano in the world, Tenerife is visited by around 12.6 million travelers every year, more than five times the number of its permanent population.
• Gran Canaria. The second-largest of the Canary Islands also has the highest population density, but getting a rental car gives you an opportunity to escape the crowds and see some of Gran Canaria’s picturesque highlights. These include the island capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the large sand dunes in Maspalomas and small surfing and diving spots on the northern coast of the island.
• Fuerteventura. The second-largest island in the archipelago, Fuerteventura remains an uncharted territory if compared to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Sparsely populated, it is home to beautiful beaches, ancient mountain villages, and some of the best surfing and kitesurfing opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.
• Lanzarote. The easternmost of the Canaries, Lanzarote is heavily influenced by the Saharan winds coming from nearby Northern Africa, which contribute to its desert-like, volcanic landscapes. Other highlights of Lanzarote include the Timanfaya National Park, and the unique public objects and buildings imagined by the island’s own Cesar Manrique, arguably one of the most creative Spanish artists to ever live.
• La Palma. Located in the northwestern part of the archipelago, La Palma offers a great blend of quiet, relaxed atmosphere and great tourism infrastructure. There’s plenty to see, too, from beautiful lighthouses to Ruta de los Volcanes, a scenic hiking route. 
• La Gomera. Known for its unique whistling language, La Gomera is the perfect nature tourism destination. The island is full of impressive ravines, thick forests, and rugged, dramatic beaches. San Sebastian, La Gomera’s cute capital, is worth a look, too.
• El Hierro. The smallest, least populated, and southernmost of the seven main Canary islands, El Hierro is a true off-the-beaten-path destination. El Hierro’s nature is as impressive as anywhere you’ll find in the archipelago, and the island also has impressive volcanic lava tubes that you can visit by joining a tour.
• La Graciosa. Although usually not counted among the eight main Canary Islands, Graciosa is still a very worthy travel destination. Located just a short ferry hop north of Lanzarote (you cannot bring a car, but the island is small enough to get around on foot or by bike), it is known for its otherworldly nature and interesting local museum.

Most popular rental car

The most popular rental car in the Canary Islands is the Kia Picanto. Travelers also like the VW Polo and the Renault Clio.

Driver's license requirements

• Spain recognizes driver’s licenses from all the member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) if they are valid.
• Important: Sources differ on whether you need to have an International Driver Permit (IDP) if you’re coming from outside the EU/EEA and are on a short visit. While your rental car company might permit you to rent a car with your valid foreign license, some sources claim that the Spanish police might not recognize your home license and will require you to have an IDP. Because of this, it’s probably safer to get an IDP and carry both your original license and the IDP with you.
• Similarly, if your driver’s license doesn’t show your photograph, you might be required to have an IDP.
• You must carry your driver’s license, not a copy, with you at all times. 
• You need to have had your driver’s license for at least two years.
• Some rental car suppliers charge a young driver fee for drivers between the ages of 22 and 25 and a senior driver fee for drivers over the age of 65.
• There may be additional requirements depending on the car supplier and category, so make sure to check the rental conditions before booking.

Crossing borders

A Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands do not have any land borders.

Island hopping: It is possible to visit several islands with the same rental car during your trip to the Canaries by taking a ferry. Generally speaking, the ferry service is more active between the larger islands and between the islands that are closer to one another. So, for example, it’s quite easy to find a ferry between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, but if you wish to go from either of these islands to La Palma or Hierro, you will most likely need to switch ferries on Tenerife or Gran Canaria.

Only a few car rental companies permit picking up a rental car on one island and dropping it off on another. You can find the ones that do by entering your desired pickup and dropoff dates and times on our search. Similarly, most, but not all ferry companies permit bringing a rental car on deck, so it’s important to look this up in advance. The conditions and prices differ quite widely from company to company.

The ferry service is more active during the warmer months of the year, but the tickets also tend to sell out faster during the summer, so it’s a good idea to book them in advance.

Alternatively, you can explore each island with a different rental car, dropping one off on one island, traveling without a car, and then picking up a different car on the next island (different factors come into play, but this is often the cheaper option).

Most popular types of rental car

The most popular rental car type in the Canary Islands is an economy, followed by mini and compact.

Car rental prices in the Canary Islands

• Small cars - from $2 per day
• Medium cars - from $3 per day
• SUVs - from $3 per day
• Station wagons - from $9 per day
• Convertibles - from $7 per day
• Vans - from $9 per day
• Premium cars - from $98 per day
• Large cars - from $15 per day

Money-saving and other tips

You can do a number of things to get a good car rental deal in the Canary Islands:

• Compare rates of different rental car providers
• Book your rental car well in advance
• Plan your route before you go
• Know your fuel and mileage requirements
• Visit on the month when the rental prices are the cheapest. According to our data, visiting the Canary Islands is the cheapest in June when renting a car is about 27% cheaper than the yearly average.