Cars for hire in Tenerife South

What each size is good for on this island

The economy class includes the Fiat 500, Fiat Panda, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Toyota Aygo X. The Fiat 500, Kia Picanto and Toyota Aygo X have four seats; the Fiat Panda and Hyundai i10 have five. Economy models at Tenerife South Airport have manual gearboxes. Economy is the cheap end of the list. Lower-priced cars were absent from the Christmas-week and mid-February listings.

The compact class includes the Hyundai i20, SEAT Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo, Citroen C3, Renault Clio, Toyota Yaris and Dacia Sandero, all with five seats. The Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo and Toyota Yaris are listed as automatics; the SEAT Ibiza, Citroen C3, Renault Clio and Dacia Sandero are listed as manuals. Automatics at Tenerife South Airport sit in the compact, crossover and SUV classes.

The crossover class includes the Volkswagen T-Cross, Hyundai Bayon, Toyota Yaris Cross, SEAT Arona, Volkswagen Taigo and Nissan Juke, all with five seats. The Hyundai Bayon, Toyota Yaris Cross and Nissan Juke are listed as automatics. No class of car is allowed off the tarmac: the rental terms permit hire cars on paved public roads only.

The SUV class includes the Volkswagen T-Roc and SEAT Ateca, and the Audi Q3 sits in the luxury SUV class; the Ateca and the Q3 are listed as automatics. Seven-seat and nine-seat models are scarce: the DFSK 580 and Volkswagen Caddy seat seven, and the Renault Trafic seats nine. Spanish law requires children of 135 centimetres and under to use an approved restraint suited to their weight and size and, as a general rule, to travel in the rear seats; in a seven-seater the third row counts as rear seating. The front seat is allowed only when the car has no rear seats, every rear seat is taken by other children in restraints, or the restraints cannot all be fitted in the back. The fine for each unsecured child is 200 euros and 3 licence points.

Can I get an automatic?

Yes, but automatics are a minority of what is listed. At Tenerife South Airport the automatics are in the compact, crossover and SUV classes: the Toyota Yaris, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai Bayon, Toyota Yaris Cross, Nissan Juke, SEAT Ateca and Audi Q3.

The DFSK 580 is a seven-seat automatic. What the cheapest of them costs in a quiet week is not what it costs in Christmas week or mid February, when lower-priced cars were absent from the airport listings. The Christmas listings had fewer cars overall.

Is there a mileage limit?

Most cars at Tenerife South Airport carry no mileage limit. Where a car has a daily or a total limit, its listing states it. Tenerife is a little over eighty kilometres long. By road from the airport, Los Gigantes is 45 kilometres, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 66 kilometres, Tenerife North Airport 73 kilometres and Puerto de la Cruz 97 kilometres.

Every car may travel only on paved public roads. The unpaved tracks in Teno and parts of Anaga are outside the rental terms. Standard insurance does not cover damage to the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior, and the insurance is invalid for damage caused by intentional vandalism or neglect. The cover level offered on each car is priced on its listing, and a car can offer more than one level.

Are the driver rules the same for every car?

No. The minimum driver age and the minimum driving experience are listed on each car's page, and they can differ even between similar models. The rental agent has the right to refuse the rental at any time if the driver's age or driving experience does not meet the requirements for that car.

The search has filters for driver age and experience. The main driver needs a valid national licence with its details in Latin script and an expiry date no earlier than the end of the rental; copies and electronic licences are not accepted. Where a credit card is required, it must be a physical embossed card in the main driver's name.

Where the car reaches you

At Tenerife South Airport the car is handed over in the arrival area, the named handover place in the booking system. In the towns the car is delivered to the address you give: having one of them brought to Costa Adeje means delivery to your hotel or apartment in the resort, thirty minutes and 22 kilometres from the airport by road. Whether delivery is free or priced is shown on each car.

The car goes back with the fuel level it had at pick-up; if the level is lower, the difference is charged at the rental company's rates. Every hire car on Tenerife is Spanish-registered and must carry an approved, connected V-16 beacon, compulsory since 1 January 2026. The beacon is a small orange roof light that reports its position to the DGT. The fine for not carrying an approved beacon is 80 euros. Only small pets may travel in the car, in their carriers at all times.