Let’s be clear about this – cheap car hire is available in Lanzarote, so we’re talking in relative terms here.
But I know many people visit the island and use a transfer service or a taxi to get to and from their accommodation, with the plan that they will hire a car for a few days in order to enjoy exploring the island.
That can be expensive for two reasons:
1/ We have a limited number of cars on the island, and the budget priced cars tend to be booked well in advance. So whilst you can pick up a car from one of the hire places in resort, the chances are quite high that all they will have available are the more expensive premium cars – the ones you see parked up with leaflets on them.
2/ The costs for the car hire company are loaded at the front end – preparing the car, getting it to where you want it, and completing the contract and checking your licence, so if you hire for a day, you’ll pay much more than you would per day on a seven day hire, when those costs are spread over all seven days.
Let me give you an example. A couple travelling to Puerto del Carmen by taxi in June.
Taxi fare €50 return
There day hire of a Fiat Panda €63.00
Total Cost €113.00
But let’s look instead at the same couple hiring a Fiat Panda for a week for collection and drop off at the airport, the price is €97.72, a saving of €15.28, added to which:
- They don’t have to queue for a taxi
- They beat the coach taking clients to their hotel, so they can check in before the rush
- They have the use of the car for the whole week
- Its there if we have a cloudy day and the beach and pool aren’t appealing to them
- They don’t have to stress about finding a taxi to get them back to the airport
- They can leave for the airport at a time that suits them at the end of their holiday and avoid the huge check in queue
I’ve had some people say “But, I won’t use the car every day.” That’s fine, don’t worry about it.
I’ve used the least expensive resort to get to from the airport, but the savings to Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca are even higher. If you’re using a transfer service rather than a taxi, you might save a few Euros, but even in that case, the saving is minimal.
Cheap car hire has to make sense.
Would you like a price for car hire for your stay? Just fill in the form here: Lanzarote Car Hire