# Car Rentals - Malaga Airport



## Maple Leaf (Sep 13, 2022)

Hi all - I'm hoping I can get some thoughts on car rentals at the Malaga airport. Has anyone used Wiber car rentals there? Their prices seem much better than Sixt or YellowCar. I know they are outside the airport but at 2/3 the cost, it's worth the extra 20 mins waiting. We've used Sixt in the past with no issues and the hotel is recommending YellowCar. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## bobpark56 (Sep 13, 2022)

Don't know anything about Wilber, but we have had good results with malagacar.com.


----------



## Maple Leaf (Sep 14, 2022)

Thanks bobpark56. Malagacar seems to have good rates as well and based on feedback they seem to be reputable.


----------



## mogens.h1951 (Sep 15, 2022)

Previously I used Avis but next time I have booked with Cargest.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Pompey Family (Sep 16, 2022)

If it looks too good to be true......

Be wary about cheap car rentals especially in holiday hotspots such as Malaga airport, there are lots of horror stories about some of the operators. I rent from Malaga pretty much every year and I stick to the old faithfuls, Sixt, Budget/Avis, Enterprise etc.


----------



## Maple Leaf (Sep 17, 2022)

Pompey Family said:


> If it looks too good to be true......
> 
> Be wary about cheap car rentals especially in holiday hotspots such as Malaga airport, there are lots of horror stories about some of the operators. I rent from Malaga pretty much every year and I stick to the old faithfuls, Sixt, Budget/Avis, Enterprise etc.


Great advice. I checked Sixt today and the prices have come down considerably than before and is much closer to some of the others. For the difference I may go with them since they are in the airport and we have used them before with no issues.


----------



## Pompey Family (Sep 17, 2022)

Several years ago Sixt used to be very reasonable with their prices and great service to match but then they started charging in the region of Avis and Hertz but with no discernible difference in service. They do remain a good option however with excellent, well maintained cars and a no quibble service. Malaga is a very busy airport so queues can be long to pick up a rental car, I've waited an hour before during peak holiday periods so worth bearing that in mind.


----------



## sponger76 (Sep 17, 2022)

I've never rented a car in Europe before, and yes, I realize rules can be different from one country to another, but as a U.S. citizen, what extra steps would I need to do before renting there? Would I need to get an international driver's license, or is my regular license ok?


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 17, 2022)

sponger76 said:


> I've never rented a car in Europe before, and yes, I realize rules can be different from one country to another, but as a U.S. citizen, what extra steps would I need to do before renting there? Would I need to get an international driver's license, or is my regular license ok?



Regular license is fine. Read up on insurance requirements for whichever country you are visiting, and plan ahead so you don’t get convinced to buy the overpriced extra insurance from the vendor if you don’t need it. Check your credit card coverage as well, and note many cards don’t cover Italy or Ireland. Also, in some countries, basic insurance is automatically included.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## OLRi2010 (Sep 17, 2022)

sponger76 said:


> I've never rented a car in Europe before, and yes, I realize rules can be different from one country to another, but as a U.S. citizen, what extra steps would I need to do before renting there? Would I need to get an international driver's license, or is my regular license ok?



That's a very good question.  I've driven in UK, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium & France with a United States Drivers License but looks like I may need an International Drivers Permit for an upcoming Austria trip.  I'm going to check into that further.

Insurance can be a challenge.  My US car insurance carrier covers when I rent in the US but not international.  I have a credit card that provides coverage if I charge the rental an that card.  However, during my trip to Ireland and UK this spring (2 separate rentals), there was a great deal of pressure to buy their coverage, even separate tire coverage.  I had a good deal on the rentals but if I had purchased their insurance, the cost would have been nearly as much as the rental rate.   Even with insurance, they took a sizable "reserve" on my card that was actually fully processed as a charge and then returned.   I think you will want to understand all this fully before you arrive.  I was tired when I arrived in Ireland and the agents at the rental counter were very high pressure.


----------



## Ken555 (Sep 17, 2022)

OLRi2010 said:


> That's a very good question. I've driven in UK, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium & France with a United States Drivers License but looks like I may need an International Drivers Permit for an upcoming Austria trip. I'm going to check into that further.








						Austria
					

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has many convenient car rental locations throughout Austria including airport and city locations. Reserve your car today!




					www.enterprise.com
				





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Maple Leaf (Sep 19, 2022)

sponger76 said:


> I've never rented a car in Europe before, and yes, I realize rules can be different from one country to another, but as a U.S. citizen, what extra steps would I need to do before renting there? Would I need to get an international driver's license, or is my regular license ok?


My understanding is that if you are from North America, some European countries require an IDL and some don't. If you are going to Spain for example, you do require a IDL. Some car rental agencies there may ask for it and if you are stopped by the police, they will ask to see it or you will be fined. The last time I was in Spain, I had an IDL but the Car rental place didn't require it. I'm still going to get my IDL though next time I am there.


----------



## Pompey Family (Sep 22, 2022)

For the very low price of an International Driver's License I would rather pay for one and not be required to produce it instead of not having one and being asked to provide it.


----------



## Maple Leaf (Sep 22, 2022)

Pompey Family said:


> If it looks too good to be true......
> 
> Be wary about cheap car rentals especially in holiday hotspots such as Malaga airport, there are lots of horror stories about some of the operators. I rent from Malaga pretty much every year and I stick to the old faithfuls, Sixt, Budget/Avis, Enterprise etc.


Hi Pompey Family - do you ever sit through the sales presentations when you are at Playa Andaluza? If so, do you know what they are offering as "gifts"? We are going there end of Oct this year and was wondering if it's worth sitting through 60-90 mins of sales pitch however I do want to learn more about Abound. Thanks


----------



## Pompey Family (Sep 23, 2022)

Hi Maple Leaf, the most recent one we sat through was at Son Antem earlier in the year but all the Spanish resorts offer the same deal. I don't recall the exact figure but it was a pitiful amount of Bonvoy points. Without doubt the American sales gifts are better but the pitches are often more 'aggressive' so it's swings and roundabouts really. Personally I wouldn't bother with the sales pitch, you'll learn more about Abound from here than you would from a presentation and at least it would be honest and reflect reality.


----------



## Maple Leaf (Sep 29, 2022)

The last time we were in Playa Andaluza, 2018 I think, the gift we took was a 150 euro resort credit. We wanted a pair of beach towels as well but she gave us a bottle of wine instead, which probably cost only 10 euro. The lady was really nice though and it wasn't a hard sales pitch at all. At Maui Ocean Club they are currently offering 500 MVC points which is definitely higher.


----------



## Maple Leaf (Nov 15, 2022)

Just came back from Marriott Playa Andaluza and I decided to use CarGest. They had good ratings on TrustPilot. So did Malagacar. I was tempted to use Sixt since we did a few years ago and they were recommended by Marriott then but they currently have terrible ratings (again on TrustPilot). We got a really good deal with CarGest which was in line with Malagacar versus the big companies (Avis, Sixt etc). The rental went well and we got a new BMW upgraded with automatic and GPS, however that could have been because they didn't have any other cars similar to the one we ordered. The only issue was the waiting for the pick up shuttle at the airport. We came in on a Sunday morning and it was crazy. I saw every other company's van there but CarGest. After about 7 mins they eventually did come however we couldn't get on. We just stayed with the group that tried to get on so we wouldn't lose our place since other people were arriving at that area, there are no signs and you're not sure who is trying to get on which van. Anyway, we had no hassles getting the car nor returning it. We waited about 15 mins to get the car and no time in returning it. We found CarGest to be really helpful and friendly, even taking me to the roundabout to show me where to return the car. At the resort, there were many cars from these other rental companies: CarGest, Malagacar, Marbesol, Helle Hollis, etc. so they all couldn't be bad. Next time I will use either CarGest again or Malagacar, the savings were significant. Thanks Mogens!!


----------

