Licence
A valid national licence with its details in Latin script, in date until the hire ends. Copies and electronic licences are not accepted.
The full hire termsCar hire insurance in Spain, for cars from Gran Canaria Airport
GRAN CANARIA AIRPORT · LPA
Gran Canaria is part of Spain, so a car collected at Gran Canaria Airport is hired under Spanish rental conditions and Spanish traffic law. Every one of the cars in the airport listings comes with two levels of cover already in its price: third-party liability, and basic cover for collision damage to the car itself. Some cars add higher levels on top, and on a few of them the higher level is a paid extra. What the cover leaves out, the excess you carry and the deposit held on your card are set by the supplier, car by car, and each car in the search at Gran Canaria Airport shows its own figures before you pay.
What does the included insurance cover?
Third-party liability, which pays for damage and injury you cause to other people, and basic collision damage cover for the hire car. Both are in the price of every car at the airport, at no extra charge. The booking lists four levels in all: minimum protection (third party), basic protection, full cover and full cover plus. Every car has the first two; some cars also offer full cover, and a small number offer full cover plus.
Where a car offers a higher level, read what it adds on that car before you pay for it. The higher levels differ between suppliers.
What is not covered?
Standard insurance does not cover damage to the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior of the car. Those four are named in the rental conditions.
The cover is void if the damage is deliberate, including vandalism, or comes from neglect. Hire cars may only be driven on paved public roads, so the unpaved tracks in the interior are outside the conditions whatever cover you take. Fuel, parking, fines and any tolls are the driver's to pay, and the insurance does not cover them.
What is the excess, and can I lower it?
The excess is the part of a damage bill you pay before the cover takes over, and each supplier sets its own. On some airport cars the excess is zero. On others it is a sum shown on the car's page, and on some of those cars the deposit is the same amount as the excess, held on your card until the car is back.
On some cars, adding the optional full cover at booking removes the excess and lowers the deposit. The price of that cover is shown before you pay.
How much is the deposit, and when do I get it back?
The amount is on each car's page, and it can be zero. The rental conditions leave the rest to the booking itself: how the deposit is taken, how it is held and how long the release takes are all shown during booking and printed on the voucher. Read that line on the voucher before you fly.
Some airport cars take the deposit on a debit or a credit card. Some need a physical, embossed credit card in the main driver's name, which has to be with you when you collect the car at Gran Canaria Airport. The search can also be filtered to show only cars with no deposit at all.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSESearch the airport cars
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for your dates.
Pick-up at Gran Canaria Airport, your dates, and every car's deposit, card rule and mileage shown before you pay.
Search cars for your datesWhat do I do after an accident or a breakdown?
Tell the rental agent straight away and get a police report, unless the agent agrees something different with you. If you do not report the incident and obtain the report, the insurance on the car is cancelled and you become fully responsible for the damage.
Since 1 January 2026 the only legal warning device on Spanish roads is the connected V-16 light, which has replaced the warning triangle. It is switched on and placed on the highest point of the car from inside the car. The light does not call for help: ring 112 yourself. If the car cannot move, get everyone out on the side away from the traffic when there is a safe place to stand, and otherwise stay inside with seat belts on.
Who pays speeding and parking fines?
The driver. Fines, parking charges, fuel and tolls are the renter's responsibility under the rental conditions.
The DGT allows a fine to be paid at half the amount within 20 calendar days of notification, for drivers who live abroad as well as residents. After 45 days unpaid, it goes to the tax agency for collection with a 20 per cent surcharge. The DGT never sends fines by email; an emailed fine is a fraud. A driver stopped on the road who cannot show residence in Spain is set the fine on the spot, and if it is not paid then the car is taken where the officer directs and held.
Can I take the car to another island?
Only on a car that is approved for the inter-island ferries, and that is decided car by car. Ask before you book, not after. The Canary Islands are part of Spain, so the separate rule for travel outside the country does not apply to a ferry crossing; it applies if you plan to take the car to another country, in which case the agent has to be told in advance to prepare the documents.
YOUR ISLAND, YOUR DRIVE
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BEFORE THE JOURNEY
Car hire questions
Quick answers on cover, the excess and the deposit. Each car's page has the figures for that car.
Is third-party cover included in the price?
Yes. Third-party liability and basic collision damage cover are included on every car collected at Gran Canaria Airport.
Does the standard insurance cover the windscreen?
No. Standard cover excludes the windscreen, the wheels, the undercarriage and the interior. Where a car offers a higher level, read what that level adds on the car before paying for it.
Is the deposit the same as the excess?
On some cars they are the same figure; on others they differ, and on some both are zero. Each car's page lists both before you pay.
What happens if I do not report an accident?
The insurance on the car is cancelled and you become fully responsible for the damage. Report it to the agent and get a police report straight away.