To explore Lanzarote well from north to south and at your own pace, it is essential to rent a car. In this guide we tell you everything you need to know to rent a car in Lanzarote: which car rental companies exist, what to check at the time of rental (insurance, deposit and excess), how to get the best price and how was our experience.
Contents
- Why is it essential to rent a car in Lanzarote?
- Is it safe / easy to drive in Lanzarote?
- How to rent a car in Lanzarote
- Tips for renting a car in Lanzarote
- Where to stay in Lanzarote: hotels and apartments with parking
- Maps and useful Apps for driving around Lanzarote
- Our experience renting a car in Lanzarote
Why is it essential to rent a car in Lanzarote?
Although Lanzarote is not the largest island of the Canary archipelago (ahead are Tenerife, Gran Canaria and neighboring Fuerteventura), there is nothing like the freedom to decide at any time, and depending on the weather that day, which beach or natural pool to go for a dip, which winery to go to taste a volcanic malvasia wine or what jewel of Cesar Manrique to visit (to see everything you can do in Lanzarote, take a look at our free guide). To enjoy the island at your own pace it is essential that you rent a car for your visit to the island.
If you are considering moving around by motorcycle instead of by car, we at Randomtrip tried exploring the island by motorcycle for a few days and we do not recommend it due to the lack of comfort for long distances and the common wind. However, if you visit the island in high season, you do not have much budget, you have experience in driving a motorcycle and, in addition, you plan to move only around the area where you stay, for example, in the north, maybe it’s an option to consider.
If, on the other hand, you consider using public transportation around the island, unfortunately we have to tell you that in this case it is not a good idea due to the limited frequencies and the fact that you will not be able to reach every corner, but you can check the different bus lines and their schedules on their official website in case it is a viable option in your situation.
Is it safe / easy to drive in Lanzarote?
In general, the roads in Lanzarote are in very good condition and it is easy to drive around the island even if you don’t have much experience. However, we recommend you to always drive very carefully because in Lanzarote, and in the Canary Islands in general, we have experienced cases of reckless driving with overtaking without visibility and in continuous lines, for example, so be patient, don’t rush and let other cars pass if they comes in a hurry behind you. In any case, to reach some of the incredible corners of Lanzarote that we recommend in our guide you will have to drive on unpaved roads, where you have to go slower, although most of them are in good condition. If you have a bit more budget, it is a good idea to rent a bigger car and/or a 4×4.
Some tips if you do not have much driving experience and/or are particularly concerned about driving on more complicated or unpaved roads:
- To reach some beaches of fine sand and clear waters such as the beaches of the natural monument of the Ajaches where you find, for example, Playa Papagayo, you have to drive a few kilometers on unpaved road (at 20-30km/h), carefully.
- The same happens to reach the “natural jacuzzis” of Charcones, you have to go very slowly (with the car at less than 20 km/h) by a very bad dirt road with several high stones and very careful but with patience can be done perfectly well with a small car.
- Please note that most car rental companies’ insurance does not cover damage caused by driving on unpaved roads.
- Drive slowly and with caution!
How to rent a car in Lanzarote
Car rental companies in Lanzarote
There are several car rental companies in Lanzarote. To find the best price, we recommend you to use comparators like DiscoverCars and to carefully check the conditions of each company and not only the price.
We recommend using the local companies (Pluscar, Autoreisen, Cicar…), which offer fully comprehensive insurance without excess, two (or sometimes more) drivers included and unlimited mileage, and also usually have better prices. Of these, the two that usually have the lowest prices are Autoreisen and Pluscar but it is better to buy among them all in DiscoverCars; since the pandemic (where prices went up) the lowest prices you can find are usually 15€/day (for rentals of several days, in advance and avoiding high season).
The best car rental companies (cheaper and without excess) that we have tested and have a counter at the airport so you can pick up your car as soon as you arrive are:
- Pluscar (no counter but you are met at the airport parking lot)
- Cicar and Cabrera Medina (they are the same company)*.
- Payless (the low cost of the above)
- Autoreisen
*In case you want to extend your trip and visit the neighboring Fuerteventura please note that you have to confirm with the company if you can take the vehicle and if you are covered by insurance. Of those we have tested, at least Cicar, Cabrera Medina and Autoreisen do allow it, with prior authorization of the company. If your plan is to visit the neighboring La Graciosa, don’t worry because they don’t allow cars on the island (you can only go on foot, by bike or by 4×4 taxi).
In addition to all these companies, in Lanzarote you will also find international companies such as Sixt, EuropCar, GoldCar, Hertz, Alamo, Thrifty, Enterprise, etc., which also have a counter at the airport but are usually much more expensive than local companies and with worse conditions (insurance with excess, extra fee for additional drivers, etc.). Even so, depending on how in advance you do the booking and for which month, it is possible that only these companies have availability or even in some cases have better prices, hence the ideal is to use comparators such as DiscoverCars with your dates to find availability and better prices.
If you arrive in Lanzarote by boat from Fuerteventura but without your own car, you can also rent a car in the port of Playa Blanca: in the port itself as soon as you disembark you have Cicar / Cabrera Medina (same company), Payless sometimes also allows you to pick up and deliver the car there (their office is a little further away but belongs to the same company), and in the town of Playa Blanca you have Pluscar.
We try to keep this post as up to date as possible but always check the information when booking as some of these conditions may have changed and Discovercars presents all the information in a clear and transparent way.
Car rental prices in Lanzarote
The prices for renting a car in Lanzarote depend greatly on the number of days you rent, the season, the type of car and how far in advance you book. The lowest prices are usually between 15€/day and 25€/day but to give you an idea when we went to Lanzarote on New Year’s Eve, from December 30th to January 17th, for the first week the prices started at 70€/80€/day, in some cases reaching 100€/day… So always book your car as far in advance as possible, especially if you visit the island in a season of high tourism because there are few vehicles available, they practice prohibitive prices.
Ideally, you should check and compare all the companies with availability for your dates in DiscoverCars. Remember to check the rental conditions of each company (excess, insurance coverage, fuel policy, second driver or not included, reviews…) and not only the price.
Remember that in Lanzarote there are no tolls so you will only have to take into account the price of car rental and fuel to make an approximate budget of how much you will spend.
You can buy your ferry ticket from Lanzarote to La Graciosa (25 minutes) round trip here
Tips for renting a car in Lanzarote
Book in advance
Especially after the pandemic, since 2021, some of the rental companies had to sell part of their fleet to hold on, and now have difficulty acquiring more vehicles, so with less supply and much more demand, prices have risen and it is possible that in high tourist seasons they may be sold out or have prohibitive prices. Therefore, it is very important to try to book as far in advance as possible.
Deposit and Excess
Generally, the vast majority of rental car companies require a deposit when picking up the rental car, which translates into the blocking of a certain amount on your credit card, which is frozen until the end of the rental period. If there is any problem (scratches on the car, accidents, etc.), the blocked money will be used to pay these expenses (up to the value of the excess); if there is no problem, the money is unblocked from the credit card and becomes available again.
However, in most of the local rental companies that we recommend in Lanzarote (Pluscar, Autoreisen, Cicar, etc) this does not happen since not only they do not block an amount in the credit card but the all-risk insurance is already included in the price (with some exceptions, for example, it does not cover problems or damages with the car on an unpaved road)
At DiscoverCars you will be able to see clearly what is and what is not included so that there are no mistakes, and you can even filter by the companies that do not ask for a deposit.
In turn, the excess is the maximum amount that you will have to pay in case the vehicle suffers damages or important breakdowns, that is to say, you will only have to pay it in case the car has suffered damages or flaws but, in most cases, you can eliminate it by paying X euros more per day or by contracting a specific insurance. In most of the local companies, there is no excess either, although in most of the international companies there is.
To understand it with an example, if the excess is 700€, you will pay a maximum of 700€ in case something happens to the vehicle:
- If any part of the car is scratched and the stipulated price for it is 200€, you will pay those 200€.
- If something more serious happens and the stipulated price for it is 2400€, you will pay 700€.
- That is, up to 700€ you will have to pay it yourself, and what exceeds that will be paid by the insurance company.
The ideal, as we say, is to opt for one of the local companies, since in addition to being cheaper, you avoid having to pay anything in case of accident or damage.
Fuel Policy
Ideally, you should choose a full-full fuel policy, i.e. you receive the car with a full tank of fuel, and you deliver it with a full tank. There is also nothing wrong if the car is delivered with half a tank and you have to deliver it with half a tank, but, in addition to the fact that it is always more complicated to fill the tank to exactly where you want it at the gas station before delivering it (and you lose money), there may be misunderstandings with the company.
In either case, take a photograph of the mileage and fuel level when the car is delivered to you and you will have photographic proof of how it was delivered to you. Most of the local companies we recommend have a policy of returning the vehicle with the same fuel level as indicated in the contract. In our case we always create an alert when we rent the car so that the day before the return we remember how much fuel we have to return the vehicle with.
Mileage
Most local rental companies include unlimited mileage, so you don’t have to worry and can drive around Lanzarote freely. In any case, be sure to confirm it in the conditions (and/or use DiscoverCars filters) before booking.
Type of car
Except for the unpaved roads to reach some beaches (like Papagayo beach and the surrounding ones), the roads in Lanzarote are in good condition so in our opinion, the most basic and small car (the cheapest one) is usually more than enough. In any case, depending on your preferences (if you are 5 people or even more, or if you prefer a higher or more powerful car) most companies have cars for all tastes. Use DiscoverCars filters if you have preferences to be able to compare the prices of various companies for the type of vehicle you prefer.
Extras (GPS, additional driver, baby seats, etc.)
Most of the extras have to be paid separately, increasing the prices (usually X euros per day for each extra), so if you are going to need them, use the DiscoverCars filters to see the prices of the different companies with those extras included and do not get surprises later at the time of booking.
One of those extras is GPS: in our opinion, it is not worth paying for it nowadays as it is much easier and faster to use apps like Google Maps on your smartphone. So, you can take our map of the island in your Google Maps app, select the place to visit and follow the GPS indications of the app itself. We recommend you to bring a good cell phone holder (and remember to remove it when you deliver the car hahaha, in our case we have already forgotten a few) and a good powerbank (some cars bring USB charger, but not always and sometimes they charge very slowly).
Payment methods
Most car rental companies ask for a credit card in the driver’s name to block the deposit amount. However, the local Canary Islands companies that we recommend in this guide are usually more flexible in this respect. In any case, the ideal thing is to check the particular conditions of each company in the Discovercars search results (there you will find all the information).
If you don’t have a credit card, you will have to limit yourself to companies that only ask for debit cards. If you search on DiscoverCars, in the filters you have a specific one (Payment Method) to see only the companies that accept one type of card or another.
Extra insurance: yes or no?
If you prefer to pay a little more to avoid headaches or hassles at the time of delivery of the rental car, you can consider hiring the Discovercars Full Coverage Insurance . The current cost is 6,36 € per day (if you rent the car for more than 3 days), valid for car rental in the Canary Islands. More info about the insurance.
Most car rental companies do not cover damage caused by driving on unpaved roads and, most probably in Lanzarote, you will venture a bit sometimes, but check well if the extra insurance coverage you see or the company offers you would cover such cases before hiring it.
As a recommendation, when the vehicle is delivered to you, make a video/photo of the car’s condition, to avoid situations in which the company tells you that some of the damage was not there and they want to charge you for it.
Taking the rental car from Lanzarote on the ferry to another island (such as neighboring Fuerteventura)
If for example, you plan to take advantage of the proximity to Fuerteventura to visit both islands in the same trip, you have to confirm with the company in advance if you can do it and if the insurance covers you on the other island. In our case, we know that at least Cicar/Cabrera Medina and Autoreisen do allow it for Fuerteventura with prior notice and returning the vehicle in Lanzarote, but this could change in the future so contact the company or companies that interest you before booking if your trip includes travel with the vehicle to another island.
If your idea is to visit the neighboring La Graciosa, do not worry because in the smallest of the Canary Islands there are no paved roads and cars are not allowed. The trip between the port of Órzola (Lanzarote) and the port of Caleta de Sebo (La Graciosa) takes only 25 minutes by ferry and we highly recommend it. In fact, if you can, spend at least one night in La Graciosa.
You can buy your ferry ticket from Lanzarote to La Graciosa and back here, leave your car parked in Órzola for free in the parking lot provided for this purpose by the boat companies (there are no paved roads in La Graciosa and cars are not allowed) and enjoy a day (or more) on the small island of paradisiacal beaches.
Where to stay in Lanzarote: hotels and apartments with parking
For accommodation in Lanzarote we recommend our favorite area, in the north of the island, in Punta Mujeres or Arrieta or, where there is much more choice (and therefore more options for all budgets) the resorts of Costa Teguise (where we stayed on our last trip to the island), Playa Blanca or Puerto del Carmen.
Click on this link and all the hotels and lodgings you find will have parking facilities.
Where to stay in the North of Lanzarote: Famara, Punta Mujeres, Arrieta and Órzola
Famara is an excellent option to stay away from the tourist hustle and bustle of the south, with the tranquility offered by the north of the island and with that surfing atmosphere. Some recommendations where to stay here:
- Yokomosurf Camp, hostel with bar, terrace, lounge and barbecue area. It has double and shared rooms.
- Red Star Surf & Yoga Camp Lanzarote, a surf hostel with shared and private rooms and a rooftop terrace overlooking the sea where you can enjoy a beer after a good waves.
- Juanita Beach, 1 bedroom apartment in front line beach
- Casa Medusa, a house with terrace, kitchen and a very cute decoration where up to 6 people can stay.
- Caleta de Famara beach, a house also for up to 6 persons in Caleta de Famara with views to Caleta de Famara
More accommodations in Famara here
Punta Mujeres, the beautiful and quiet area where we chose to stay our first time on the island. Arrieta, next door, is also an excellent option:
- The amazing apartment Sunrise Casita del Mar, ideal to have breakfast on the terrace with the breaking of the waves.
- Romantic apartment with private pool, kitchen and sea views.
- Villa Sama, a villa with swimming pool and sea views for groups up to 6 persons
- Modern Home with Ocean View: apartment in Arrieta for up to 4 people with kitchen and terrace with ocean view
More accommodations in Punta Mujeres here and in Arrieta here.
You can also stay in the quiet coastal village of Órzola, the northernmost village of Lanzarote, where we find this little pearl:
- Ocean Sunshine: first line beach apartment in Órzola
If you are less people, check out the accommodation offer in Órzola here
Where to stay in the Center: where to sleep in Arrecife, Costa Teguise and San Bartolomé
Arrecife, the capital of the island of Lanzarote, offers many accommodations. Here is our selection:
- Arrecife Beach Apartment, ideal beachfront apartment with 2 bedrooms, 100 meters from Playa del Reducto beach.
- Almirante apartment with balcony, 1 large double bed and 1 sofa bed, equipped kitchen and next to Reducto Beach.
- La Concha Boutique Apartments, for a whim: this 1-bedroom apartment with whirlpool bath on the beachfront is ideal for a romantic getaway.
More accommodations in Arrecife here
Costa Teguise, close to good beaches, several restaurants and some bars:
- Los Ancones Apartment, apartment with terrace and sea views
- Residencial Teguisol 403 with terrace, outdoor swimming pool and the beach just a few minutes walk away.
- Casa Volcanes, a house for up to 6 people with pool and garden, less than 400 meters from El Ancla beach and less than 1 km from Bastiá beach.
More accommodations in Costa Teguise here
If you are more into rural tourism, we recommend staying in San Bartolomé. You won’t have sea views but you will wake up in the middle of nature between vineyards and volcanic landscapes. Chris stayed in this area on his last visit to the island, at Finca Tamaragua, and loved it.
- Ecofinca La Buganvilla, this villa with apartments only for adults enters directly to our wish list. Swimming pool, cactus, views of the volcanoes and the beautiful landscape of the vineyards that give origin to the delicious white wine of volcanic malvasia.
- At Caserío de Mozaga you will sleep in a room in an 18th century farmhouse decorated with antique furniture.
- If you prefer, the Quintero Suites apartment has a patio and fully equipped kitchen, garden and terrace.
- Hotel Rural Finca de La Florida offers rooms in the heart of the vineyards with a swimming pool surrounded by palm trees.
- Rural Villa Canaria under Volcan: if you are a lot of people do not hesitate. This house for up to 9 people couldn’t be nicer. It is located in Montaña Blanca and has a private pool, patio and garden views.
- Finca Tamaragua: cottage with several rooms (some with private bathrooms and others with shared bathrooms) and communal pool.
South: where to stay in Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen
Playa Blanca is one of the favorite places for most tourists to stay in Lanzarote both for the hotel offer that is quite recent (and usually everything is quite new) and for the beaches and coves that are nearby:
- Sol y Luna Room and Suite: private rooms with private bathroom and separate entrance with heated outdoor pool and garden, a 10-minute walk from Flamingo Beach.
- Las Brisas apartment, apartment with pool and shared kitchen
- Apartment El Galeón, one-bedroom apartment with equipped kitchen and sea views. It is located 500 meters from Playa Blanca, 650 meters from Flamingo beach and less than 1 km from Playa Dorada.
More accommodations in Playa Blanca here
Puerto del Carmen: if you want to be close to beaches, services and nightlife this is for you:
- Pool & Relax, one-bedroom apartment with equipped kitchen and swimming pool
- Pension Magec, rooms with private bathroom overlooking the bay and neighboring Fuerteventura.
- Gin Gin, apartment with balcony and outdoor pool
More accommodations in Puerto del Carmen here
Maps and useful Apps for driving around Lanzarote
In this Google Maps map that you can carry on your smartphone to check at any time we leave you all the places of interest in Lanzarote that we talked about in our complete guide to the island.
Here is tourist map of Lanzarote made by Cicar (you can download it in larger size and resolution here or by clicking on the image):
We recommend you to bring a cell phone holder, to use Google Maps as GPS in the car (and remember to remove it when you deliver the car hahaha, in our case we have already forgotten a few) and a powerbank (some cars bring USB charger, but not always and sometimes they charge very slowly).
In addition, we recommend you these apps that will be very useful when driving to explore Lanzarote:
- Google Maps (Android / iOS): this app is our best friend on the road. Besides working as a GPS, it is the app we use to save / classify all the places we want to go / have gone. You can see other people’s opinions of the places, photos, restaurant menus, phone number of the places to contact them, etc.
- Maps.me (Android / iOS): this app is similar to Google Maps but works better offline than the previous one and that’s great in some parts of the island where you lose connection.
- Windy (Android / iOS / Web): essential app for our trips. It allows you to see forecasts not only for wind but also for rain, clouds, etc. to help you plan your days based on the weather (as there are places that lose a lot depending on the weather). Obviously the forecasts are not 100% reliable. It also shows the available webcams
- Surf-forecast.com: to check how the tide will be. For example, for the Charcones it is essential to go at low tide because once the tide starts to rise it can become dangerous.
Also, always travel with travel insurance: medical expenses, theft or problems with your plane on a trip can mean a lot of money, so the ideal is to take out travel insurance. At Randomtrip we always use IATI and we recommend it. If you purchase your insurance through this link you have a 5% discount.
Our experience renting a car in Lanzarote
We have been to Lanzarote more than 5 times during the last years. And every time we go, we rent a car and we even rented a motorcycle! When we decided to spend New Year’s Eve in Lanzarote, arriving on the island on December 30 (we would stay until January 17), we could not rent a car for the first few days because they were scarce and had prohibitive prices for our budget (they were at 70/80 € per day) so we rented a motorcycle. Although this option was more economical and allowed us to move around a bit, with the wind and long distances it is not recommended for exploring the island and after January 7, when prices dropped, we rented a car until the end of the stay.
On all trips we rented cars in Lanzarote with different local companies (Pluscar, Autoreisen, Cicar, Payless) and we can recommend them all. There may be some differences in the quality of the cars and/or kilometers, but since any vehicle is suitable for driving on the island, and since we stayed for quite a few weeks, we always choose the cheapest option and have had no problems.
The attention on arrival is fast and effective, they usually give us a car equivalent or even superior to the category we paid (sometimes a car with more kms and some damage to the paint but nothing special). Of course, we always book well in advance, buying prices, to avoid running out of vehicles or that the few that there are when we go have prohibitive prices.
Driving on Lanzarote’s roads is an adventure in itself so slow down, put some music you like on the radio and enjoy.
What are you waiting for to explore Lanzarote? Buckle up and… Bon Voyage!
