Since I get a lot of questions about renting a car in Mallorca, but I myself am not so familiar with the complex subject, I have turned to an expert and conducted an interview with her.
Verena and me after the interview
Verena gemmel has been running the portal mietwagen-mallorca for several years.Org operated and is very knowledgeable about all issues related to car rental. We met in may 2017 in palma and she answered many questions for me. I am glad that she was able to tell me so much about the subject, because booking a rental car has always been a tricky matter for me and made me feel uneasy.
I hope that this interview will provide you with a little guide to help you book a car rental in mallorca without feeling uneasy. I myself book a rental car from time to time, because I do not own a car. Especially in the winter season the prices are so low that it is worth to rent a car for a whole month.
I always book with check24 and take into account all the issues raised below:
Article content:
WHEN TO BOOK A CAR?
how far in advance should i book a rental car? Can it happen that I don’t get a rental car anymore because everything is booked up??
If you book a rental car online, you can often cancel free of charge up to 48 hours before pickup. With some providers even up to 24 hours before takeover. If the cancellation policy is so moderate (please check carefully), I recommend booking as early as possible. Then you have your desired car class for sure. Let’s assume that the prices drop significantly before your trip, you can still cancel and re-book.
At vacation times – especially in the high season – the choice is indeed very limited. especially, of course, if you want to book very special offers or quite rare groups like cabriolets or jeeps. I have never experienced that you can’t get a rental car anywhere at the airport – and I have been renting cars on mallorca since 2001.
WHERE TO BOOK A RENTAL CAR?
I was advised that it is better to book the rental car from germany, because then the jurisdiction is also in germany and not in spain. True?
No, that is not true. you should check the general terms and conditions before you book. It states whether the contract is concluded according to german law. Some rental car companies, including brokers that operate internationally, voluntarily choose to contract with German customers under German law. This is not least a sales advantage, because it creates trust. If you book in germany, there is usually a broker in between. You do not book directly with the local spanish car rental company. If there are problems with the local rental company, this has the advantage that the broker can take care of your needs.
FUELING POLICY FOR CAR RENTALS
What should you pay attention to regarding the fuel regulation?
Fair is the full-to-full tank regulation (full-to-full). You take over the car with a full tank and return it with a full tank. You only pay at the gas station for the gasoline that you actually use. If you return the car outside the opening hours (park it and put the key in a box), you can take a picture of the speedometer reading with your smartphone to be sure.
additional costs for you are caused by the full-to-empty tank regulation (full-to-empty), the so-called tank flat rate. You take over the car full, pay a flat rate for the tank filling and return it as empty as possible. This is convenient, but the rental car company earns double here. the amount of the flat-rate fuel charge does not usually correspond to the actual price of a tank of fuel, but includes a service charge that is not too small. Genuine transparency is rarely achieved. Most of the time, the customer is not informed about the price of the fuel (which varies depending on the size of the vehicle) until he takes over the vehicle. In addition, residual fuel is usually not refunded.I myself have made the experience that a full-to-empty arrangement costs me on average about 50 euro extra.
Last but not least there are a third, rather rare tank regulationThe car is handed over with a certain level of fuel (for example one third) and is returned in the same way. This regulation is comparable with the full-to-full regulation.
INSURANCE FOR RENTAL CARS
Personally, I need the highest possible security and have therefore always booked an insurance without deductible. However, I was once blocked by a car rental money on the credit card, otherwise I would not have gotten the rental car. I found that less good, because I only had a certain amount available on the card, which I actually would have needed during my vacation. Can you briefly explain the subject of insurance to me??
As far as the insurance is concerned, there are basically three possibilities.
Option 1: fully comprehensive insurance with excess (SB):
if you have a damage, you have to pay max. Pay up to the amount of the excess.
Option 2: fully comprehensive insurance without deductible:
you take out an additional insurance with the local rental company on mallorca – then you have no more worries, but unfortunately the additional insurances are quite expensive.
possibility 3: you book a car with a german broker with refund of the fuel costs.
this variant you can z.B. Also book on my rental car price comparison in addition. Advantage: for a small extra charge, the broker will cushion the excess. the only drawback: in case of damage you have to pay the local car rental company in advance. The broker will reimburse you for the costs after you submit your documents.
Deposit on the credit card
A deposit is blocked on your credit card by the local rental company if you have chosen variant 1 (living with the risk) or variant 3 (refund of the deposit in case of damage by the broker). I personally find variant 3 the most favorable, because I neither like to live with the full risk nor do I like to pay for overpriced additional insurances. But this is of course a matter of taste. By the way, glass and tire damages are usually excluded from the simple fully comprehensive insurance with reimbursement of the SB, but the protection can be booked with most brokers for a small surcharge. If you would like to discover the other mallorca beyond the tourist centers, you should choose this option.
what exactly is the mallorca policy?
With a so-called mallorca policy, the liability insurance sum for a rental car abroad is raised to German level. With many car insurance companies this protection is already included in the basic tariff. If you don’t have your own car, you can also take out the police separately. Although the insurance is called mallorca-police, it is not necessary for mallorca. The legal minimum coverage for personal injury and property damage is significantly higher in spain than in germany. The police, on the other hand, makes sense for eastern europe or north africa, for example.
CAR RENTAL LANGUAGES
Many of my readers speak neither spanish nor english. German is spoken at the car rental agencies?
the car rental companies at mallorca airport usually have staff who speak german. even the smaller rentals in the resorts usually have staff with german knowledge.
PICK UP AND DROP OFF OF THE RENTAL CAR
What do I have to pay attention to when handing over and returning the rental car??
When you take over the car, you should make sure that the protocol is correct. Look carefully at the vehicle and make sure that all previous damage is recorded. Before you leave, you should also check that the vehicle is fully equipped for safety. In spain, this consists of two warning triangles and a yellow vest. A first aid kit is not included. when you return the car, it is best to have one of your employees note on the log that everything is in order. If you return the rental car outside the opening hours, take pictures of the car from all sides with your smartphone to be on the safe side.
return of the rented car outside the opening hours
What happens if I have to return my rental car outside the stated business hours of the car rental company??
If your return flight is early in the morning or late at night, it is best to choose a local rental company that is represented in the airport terminal. In this case, all you have to do is drive your car back to the parking garage (in the designated area of the car rental) and insert the key (the rental companies have a designated slot in the parking garage for this purpose). If your car rental company has to come extra for a return outside the opening hours, there is a fee (about 30 euro – z.B. At click& RENT).
OTHER COSTS FOR CAR RENTAL?
Can I incur additional costs?
there is a wide repertoire of possible additional costs – from rental fees for child seats and navis to surcharges for young drivers and seniors to fees for additional drivers. Before you book your rental car, make sure you read the terms and conditions of the local car rental company. They also have to be held for online bookings – no matter if you book with a broker or a car rental price comparison site.
As a service for my customers I am developing a price comparison for additional costs. With this you can then compare your bottom line costs. when it is online, i will let you know immediately and you can test it once.
WHERE TO REFUEL BEFORE RETURNING THE RENTAL CAR?
If you have to return your rental car with a full tank, it is best to fill it up directly at the airport.
Attention: the repsol gas station has only from open from 5:30 am to 2:00 am, on saturdays and sundays even only until 10:00 pm.
On the other hand, the car rental agency is open around the clock repsol service station in the commercial area son oms (camI de son fangos, 151, 07610 palma). It is located a few kilometers from the airport (airport freeway, exit 10). There are also some car rental companies in the area that offer a shuttle service to the airport.
RECOMMENDATION FOR CAR RENTAL IN MALLORCA
Which car rental companies have you personally had the best experience with, and which ones can you recommend?. from which would you advise against?
I like to book my rental car through a german broker, because as described above a) I get a cheap insurance with reimbursement of the SB and b) I have a contact point in case of problems. For example, as a local partner (the local car rental company that the broker cooperates with), I have had good experiences with click& rent or autoclick made – very friendly, very good price-performance ratio, but with shuttle service, so not directly on the airport area).
Which providers would you advise against?
Really at the moment i would only advise against goldcar. although all local rental companies offer their additional insurances, goldcar massively urges many customers to take them out. in some cases even the rental car was not given out without taking out the additional insurance.
If you have booked through a broker and the local car rental company will only give you the car after you have taken out additional insurance, have this noted on your contract. I have recently tried this myself. after asking the employee to confirm that the additional insurance is compulsory, suddenly it was all a misunderstanding. Here is a guide video and a free PDF template. You can print these out before you travel to be on the safe side and present them at the car rental counter in the unlikely event that you need them. almost like the trick with the umbrella: if i take one with me, it almost never rains ?.
Dear verena, thanks for answering my questions. Finally someone was able to explain the whole topic to me in a competent and understandable way. I will definitely use the interview as a guide for my next rental car booking here in mallorca.