If…
You do hire a car in Spain (or anywhere else for that matter), take lots of good quality close up photographs when you collect the car. Take at least 10 to 15 minutes worth of pics. Pay particular attention to the alloy rims if it has them. Take pics of the interior, the luggage area, the spare wheel, the engine bay, the windscreen. The more pics you take the more yer backside is covered when the inevitable ‘you have damaged our car’ line is used upon your return.
Seriously, I can’t stress enough that dated, timed and Google located photos should get you out the mucky stuff when you drop the car off.
Take out hire car insurance excess cover in the UK. A years policy is around £40 a year for UK and European cover. I took out worldwide cover (around £90) becuase I rented in the USA this year as well Spain.
Always pay with a credit card. When the inevitable dispute occurs you can use the credit card company to fight your battle and return the money they will steal from you.
I have just recently recieved a rebate, via my credit card company, for alleged damage to a car I rented from Sixt at Barcelona airport. As soon as I got out of the car in the drop off area, the agent honed in on two defects to the car he claimed were new. Front alloy damage over 10mm and a rear bumper scratch over 10mm. I showed him the pictures I’d taken on collection of the car and he said there’d be no follow up. Two days later when I’m back in England I recieve an email from Sixt claiming damage to the vehicle. Despite me sending the photos of the alleged damage they took anothe 60e from my credit card. I contacted my credit card provider and they in turn after a month returned my money. They stated that Sixt hadn’t followed the correct channels in taking the extra 60e and therefore weren’t entitled to it but, they have stressed that Sixt may lodge a complaint and attempt to recover the alleged damages from me. I’ll doubt they’ll bother but I do have the extra insurance cover that would pay in the event of any successful claim against me.
If I’d looked at the Trustpilot review site before I rented the car (over the internet in the UK) I’d have given Sixt Espana a wide berth. It appears that almost every car returned has new damage. The couple who returned their VW Passat directly after me in Barcelona were arguing over damage to the vehicle.
I can see little upside to renting a UK car, the cost of driving through France to Spain far outweigh any benefit gained.
In my opinion the way the car rental firms operate out there is nothing more than a scam. It’s the kind of thing that your Euro MP should be getting involved in and stamping out. Obviously that’s why it’s still flourishing.