Cheap car hire in Tenerife South
What cheap car hire in Tenerife South actually costs, when the low prices disappear, and an honest note on where the Canarian incumbents undercut this site.
The deposit and the cancellation terms are shown on each car before you book.
On a like-for-like comparison, the large Canarian rental companies usually undercut the prices on this site, and they include full insurance and no deposit. For a week in December at Tenerife South Airport, local Canarian companies priced a small car below the cheapest car of any class listed here. Prices on this site are in euros.
This site shows the deposit, the cover levels and whether free cancellation applies on each listing before you pay, with prices in euros. The handover is in the arrival area at the south airport or at the address you give in a town. Delivery to an address is free on some cars and priced on others, and the listing shows which.
When is car hire in Tenerife South actually cheap?
Prices at Tenerife South Airport are lowest outside the busy weeks. The late August and late October listings included lower-priced cars. The Christmas-week listings had fewer cars overall and none at the lowest prices, and the lowest price listed was higher.
Lower-priced cars were absent from the mid-February listings as well. The late October listings had fewer lower-priced cars than late August and still had some. Automatics and seven-seaters are a minority of what is listed at the airport for any dates.
The minimum chargeable rental period is twenty-four hours; under the rental terms, a car from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon is charged as two full days. Two separate short rentals are charged as two minimum periods. The price for a longer rental is shown per car in the search. The cost of a car at Tenerife South for your dates is shown in the search on the home page, with the deposit and cover levels on each car.
The four things that actually move the price
First, the dates: the lowest prices were missing from the Christmas-week and mid-February listings. Second, the class: among the cars for hire in Tenerife South, economy models such as the Fiat 500, Fiat Panda, Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto are the cheap end of the list. Economy models at Tenerife South Airport have manual gearboxes, and the Fiat 500 and Kia Picanto have four seats.
Third, free cancellation: it is set per car and shown on its listing, and the number of cars offering it changes. The cancellation terms for each car are on that listing, and they decide whether a booking can be cancelled at no cost. The listing also shows whether the deposit is low and whether it can be paid in cash.
Fourth, the pick-up point. Tenerife South Airport has the widest choice of cars on the island, and the cheapest cars in the southern towns are priced close to the cheapest at the airport. Playa de las Americas has the widest choice among the towns, and delivery into Playa de las Americas is free on some listings and priced on others. The delivery price is shown on each car before you book.
What does the cheap price not include?
The cover level changes the price of a car. Most cars at Tenerife South Airport carry no mileage limit, and where a car has one, its listing states it. Each car can offer more than one cover level, and each level is priced on the listing. Standard insurance does not cover damage to the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior. The insurance is invalid for damage caused by intentional vandalism or neglect. If there is an insured event, the rental agent must be notified immediately and a police report obtained, unless otherwise agreed with the agent; otherwise the insurance is cancelled and the renter is fully responsible.
The listing shows the deposit amount and whether it can be paid in cash, and the booking and voucher show how the deposit is held and when it is refunded. A physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name may be required, and it must be with you at pick-up. Where a debit card is accepted, it must also be physical, personalised, embossed and in the main driver's name. The wrong card is the most common reason a pick-up fails.
The car goes back with the fuel level it had at pick-up. If the level is lower, you pay the difference at the rental company's rates. If it is higher, you are not compensated for the difference. If the car comes back so dirty that its inspection is hindered, it is washed at your expense. Parking and fines are the renter's to pay. In Spanish towns, blue lines mark metered bays with a time limit, unmarked white bays are free, and yellow lines mean no parking. Near the airport, the Repsol station on the access road, about 400 metres from the terminal, and the BP at Carretera Atogo on the TF-1, about 1.5 kilometres north, are both open 24 hours.
Where this site is and is not competitive
On price alone, the Canarian rental companies usually beat this site like for like, and they include full insurance and no deposit. This site shows the deposit and the price of each cover level on the car before you pay, and shows whether each car has free cancellation. In the towns, the car is delivered to the address you give.
Tenerife South Airport has the widest choice of cars on the island, and Playa de las Americas the widest among the towns. Automatics and seven-seaters are a minority of what is listed at the airport; the automatics sit in the compact, crossover and SUV classes, and economy models are manual. The Christmas listings had fewer cars overall and none at the lowest prices.
Tenerife has no toll roads. Fuel in the Canary Islands is cheaper than on the Spanish mainland and in the United Kingdom. The Canaries apply neither IVA nor the state hydrocarbons excise to fuel; they levy their own fuel tax and IGIC instead. There is no fuel station inside Teide National Park, and the Teide cable car base station is at km 43 of the TF-21.
Your dates. Your starting point.
Compare the cars available for your trip, then check the payment card and deposit requirements for the one you choose.
Find a carFree-flow driving times from Tenerife South Airport.
Useful answers
The deposit and the cover levels are shown on each listing before you pay. The minimum chargeable rental period is twenty-four hours.
When should I book for the cheapest price?
Lower-priced cars were absent from the Christmas-week and mid-February listings at Tenerife South Airport. The late October listings still had lower-priced cars.
Is a longer rental cheaper per day?
The price per day is set per car and shown in the search for the rental length entered. The minimum chargeable period is twenty-four hours, so a short rental is charged as a full day.
Do the cheapest cars carry a bigger deposit?
The deposit is set per car and shown on the listing before you book. The listing also shows whether a credit card in the main driver's name is required.
Is free cancellation worth taking?
Free cancellation is set per car and shown on the listing, and the number of cars offering it changes. The cancellation terms on the listing decide whether a booking can be cancelled at no cost.
Are the local Canarian companies cheaper?
On a like-for-like comparison, usually yes. They include full insurance and no deposit.
Does it cost more to have the car delivered?
On some cars. Delivery is priced per car, not per town, and some listings include it free. The price is on the listing before you book.