Is Malaga the Car Hire Capital of the World?
Well, not exactly, however it is one of Europe’s busiest car hire locations during the peak summer months typically associated with summer holidays. Located in the ever popular Costa Del Sol, it’s the arrival point to some of Spain’s most popular summer holiday locations and as such see’s very high passenger numbers during the peak months making car hire in Malaga one of Europe’s most popular locations. That’s not to say that it’s a ghost town in the winter months. Malaga is within 3 hours flight of many of Europe’s largest cities and as such provides an excellent location to enjoy the coastline of Spain and all the Costa Del Sol has to offer. Car hire at Malaga train station is also popular given the SNCF connections.
Why do prices vary so much for car hire in Malaga?
It’s as simple as supply and demand, given the massive demand on car hire Malaga during the peak season where thousands of rentals per day are arranged via the airport (AGP), not to mention the off airport and smaller locations around the city, with high demand comes higher prices. Expect to pay up to 3 times the daily rate for you rental car in Malaga during July and August where supply is most stretched compared to January and February where the car rental lots are full of cars and the airline schedules a fraction of their summer peaks.
Average Price per day for Car Hire Malaga
Car Type
Economy
Compact
Large
*figures show average rates paid, prices vary to reflect advance booking time / supply and demand at time of year.
What type of Car can I hire in Malaga?
The good news is, due to high demand, supply is plentiful and with that comes a wide range of suppliers, makes and models to suit every need. From mini and economy cars such as the Fiat 500 and Ford Fiesta right through to Premium and SUV’s such as the popular BMW 3 Series and Nissan Qashqai, there really is a vehicle to suit everyone and every budget.
What Fuel Policies are Available?
Car hire companies have come in for their fair share of criticism over the years for unfair fuel policies aimed to bring the ‘base cost’ of the rental to a minimum by adding a hefty surcharge for pre-paid fuel that is often not required and the profits retained by the rental agent. Thankfully, the industry has cleaned up its act and most rental agents offer the most popular ‘Full to Full’ policy, meaning the car is supplier with a full tank of fuel and so long as is returned full, no further charges will apply. We strongly recommend the full to full fuel policy for car hire Malaga and all other rentals for that matter.
What’s the difference between ‘in-terminal’ and ‘off airport’ Malaga Car Rental?
As the name suggests, in terminal suppliers will be based in the rental terminal itself making them the most convenient, particularly for families with young children where find and catching a shuttle bus to an off airport location can be unwelcome following a flight. There is also a ‘Car Rental Centre’ at Malaga Airport where some agents are located, a short walk from the terminal building. Other agents offer a ‘Shuttle Bus’ service whereby you are taken by bus to the rental agent. It is often cheaper, but many of our customers prefer the ‘In Terminal’ suppliers for convenience, after all, you are on holiday!
Supplier
In Terminal
Car Rental Centre
Shuttle Bus
How to Avoid Car Hire Queues at Malaga Airport
It’s not uncommon during peak season for Malaga Airport to be very busy indeed, in fact over 16 million passengers passed through its doors in 2016, a record year by some margin. With such passenger numbers inevitably comes queues for services such as car rental. It’ll come as no surprise that some rental agents fare better and often the cheaper car rental agents at Malaga Airport are likely to have the longer queues given the higher volume of rentals to process and possibly lower staff numbers to keep costs low. By contrast, the premium suppliers are likely to have shorter queues to get you on your way quicker. We take a quick look at average queue times during the year for premium and budget suppliers.
Average Queue Times for Car Hire at Malaga Airport (minutes)
Supplier Type
Budget
Premium
* average queue times indicative only
