Hiring a car in Spain

Removals Comparison Website

2010-04-27T11:26:00.001-07:00

Our simple and easy to use car hire comparison website offers you competitive rates from the most reputable car hire companies local to the location you are visiting.

We're always on the look out for other recommended price quote comparison websites and we've recently come across a really easy to use removals quote comparison website called Quote Me Removals.

The www.quotemeremovals.co.uk website follows a similar premise and you can input your location details with some basic details about your house removals or your business removals and the search facility will provide you with 5 free instant quotes for your particular removals requirements.

The website also offers a comprehensive removals guide with easy to use conversion tools, route planner and even a removals check list to aid all visitors to the site. We recommend it so why not check it out!

Car Hire Spain

2009-11-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

No matter which part of Spain you are visiting, when most people come to Spain for a holiday they are thinking of hitting the beaches or the pool to catch up on much needed rays. It is also worth bearing in mind though that there are vast amounts of stunning scenery to enjoy all over Spain and for those looking to explore a little further and make the most out of their car hire in Spain, we have compiled a mini list of recommended day trips out in the car.

First location up: the Costa del Sol

1) Gibraltar
Gibraltar is located at the western end of the Costa del Sol and is very easy to reach from all locations along the Costa del Sol via the A7 motorway. For a slice of Britain on the Iberian peninsula Gibraltar makes for a fun day out, if only to go and stock up on your favourite products from M&S or Morrisons!

2) El Chorro and Malaga's very own "Lake District"
Around an hour from Malaga you will reach 3 massive lakes nestled into the Andalucian countryside. Known as Spain's very own Lake District, you really will expect to see Lake District Cottages sitting on the hillsides with these 3 man made lakes that were created by putting a dam across the Guadalhorce river gorge. The lakes are a popular spot for sunbathing, picnicing and enjoying water sports including canoeing and boating.

3) Granada
No holiday in Andalucia would be complete without a day trip up to Granada, home to the Alhambra palace. Granada is located around an hour and a half from Malaga and is a city rich in history and culture. The Alhambra, a Nasrid palace in the 13th and 15th centuries is a truly majestic Moorish wonder, overlooks the city of Granada and is a great day out for all the family.

4) Marbella and Puerto Banus
Visit the playground of the rich and take a stroll around the port of Puerto Banus where you can see a fabulous selection of boats moored up, lunch in one of the water side restaurants and shop til you drop in the boutiques dotted around the port. Marbella is a beautiful location on the Costa del Sol and it is easy enough to drive around the city and park up to enjoy a wander along the beach or walk around the old town.

If you're already thinking about your summer holiday 2010, why not consider swapping your Cumbrian Cottages for a holiday in Andalucia. If you're also thinking of hiring a car when you are next in Spain make sure you remember to pack your driving license with you and if you still haven't passed your test make sure you book your driving lessons with a reputable Surrey driving school such as www.simplydrivinglessons.co.uk.

Electric Cars - The Future of Motoring?

2009-04-17T01:11:00.001-07:00

The UK news last night was reporting that drivers stand to receive around £5,000 to subsidise the purchase of an electric car as part of a new Government scheme to promote more environmentally friendly driving. The electric cars, with the "G-Wiz" being the electric car of choice in the UK are designed for "urban driving" and run solely on electricity.

Now, I have a few questions:
How much do these matchboxes cars cost?! I am all for going greener, but if I am only using the car for short journeys I don't want it to be at great expense!

Don't get me wrong, I think the idea is fantastic and I can immediately think of a few people I know who don't currently drive, as well as those who do not drive so well.....(prob more of the latter....) who would benefit greatly from having the chance to pootle around to do their few miles to the shops each week. But, if I had £5k+ to spend on a car, the electric car may not be the first car I would think of buying, but this could be due to the inner speed freak I have inside - but that is an altogether different story.

So, looking at these cars, a "G-Wiz" is the model of electric car that has appeared in the UK news this week. They come in 2 versions: The G-Wiz I has a top speed of 51mph and a 48 mile range and costs £7995. The higher spec G-Wiz L-ION has the same top speed of 51mph but a 75 mile range and comes in at £15,795 and has "improved acceleration and handling" according to one website. To recharge the cars there are currently special "pods" around London where you can simply plug your car in to re-charge. One website read states that it takes 8 hrs for a full charge which costs around 50p but you can reach 80% charge in about 2.5 hours.

Considering the mileage-charge ratio, these cars are evidently designed solely for short-hops type inner city travel than long road trips or country driving, as you won't want to be doing overnight battery charging every day. To consider a G-Wiz in London, there are also added government incentives: exemption from the congestion charge zone and greatly reduced car parking in some London boroughs. Bearing in mind how much this can add up to, you begin to think that if the price does not completely put you off, there are definite plus points to owning an electric car.

If I lived in the middle of London and was a car driver, I would consider a G-Wiz if only for the fact it would mean giving less money to the parking department of the local town hall as well as less money in the pocket of the London mayor! Forgive my slightly less than green credentials, but for me, this would be the attraction of an electric car.

If the government was going to give me £5k towards a purchase as well, the G-Wiz immediately becomes even more attractive. I would think it might even tempt people away from public transport and on to the roads too. Rather than coverting current car drivers from petrol to electricity we may find that we would then have more people on the roads in their G-Wiz as depending on your oyster car usage, it may also be on balance cheaper to jump in the car than it is to use public transport! This of course is probably not part of the eco-friendly objective but if you had access to more parking spaces than you had before that were cheaper to use with reduced parking and congestion charge exemption, who would not consider a G-Wiz over the Northern line?

Having looked a little more into the electric car and the G-Wiz I would say that after the initial shock at the price of a car that on appearance looks to be little more than a souped up mobility scooter, I would be a definite potential buyer if I lived in the middle of London. I would also think that a marketing drive aimed at those people who like me, resented the West London extension of the congestion charge zone, seeing it as a clear money making scheme to target the wealthy Kensington contingent, would be a definite winner over the "green" benefits.

I had considered a Smart car at one point when I did live in London but was put off by the bubble-like interiors as well as the cost, so there is no reason the G-Wiz can't also be a contender, and with £5k subsidy I am led to believe that I could have an electric car for £2995.

Overall, not bad at all I say, if the government make it as easy as it sounds. I am sure spec'ing it pink may cost a little more but hey ho...

Thinking of organising car hire Spain for your holiday this year? Visit www.SimplyCarHireSpain.com for the best deals on car hire in the UK, Spain and many other countries.

Car Shipping to Spain

2009-04-02T05:17:00.001-07:00

Are you a frequent flyer? Perhaps you are currently popping back and forth but are thinking of making the move and relocating to the sunnier climes of Spain?

If you are considering a relocation, there is considerable planning and organisation to be done and it may be that there is an endless list of things you need to cover that wouldn't normally be included if you were making a move within the UK such as car transport to Spain.

Car Shipping to Spain or motorcycle transport to Spain need not be the complicated, expensive and daunting prospect that may initially spring to mind. When doing your research, look for a company with experience in shipping high value goods and who offer high standards of customer service to be able to answer any questions you may have. Look for one that has a clearly laid out website with information on the types of vehicles they have experience in shipping and one that is easily contactable.

Make sure your chosen company also lets you know of all the correct documentation needed, the time frames involved, and any regulations applicable at the other end. Above all, you need to be comfortable and happy that you know the process involved, what is expected of you and when you can expect to take delivery of your vehicle at the other end to ensure a smooth relocation.

For more information contact Car Shipping Spain.

Surrey Driving Lessons

2009-03-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

This summer, if you are having to rely on a friend or family member to get around on holiday when it comes to hiring a car, then you will definitely benefit from reading on!

We have recently been dealing with an extremely reasonably priced and reputable driving school offering driving lessons in Surrey and have been thoroughly impressed with the professionalism of their service and conduct.

We wanted to show our appreciation of their work done by recommending that anyone looking for Surrey driving lessons and is local to areas such as Redhill, Reigate, Merstham, South Nutfield, Horley or Salfords etc. for their driving lessons, pass plus learning and general information needed on anything driving school related.

As a learner on the busy roads of the UK today, you need to build confidence in a safe environment and you need to do your research on Surrey driving schools to ensure you are going to be learning with top instructors and the m & m driving school does just this.

Flying to Malaga?

2009-03-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

Malaga is one of the busiest airports in Spain that serves some of the most well known tourist destinations all along the Costa del Sol, serving the likes of Fuengirola, Torremolinos, Estepona, Benalmadena and Marbella.

For the last few years Malaga airport has been undergoing a huge overhaul with a revamp of exisiting facilities as well as with construction of a massive new terminal and a 2nd runway after estimates suggest that Malaga airport would be handing around 20 million passengers by the year 2015 and finally, the fruits of this labour can be seen.

The new terminal is actually hard to miss as it sits just beside one of the existing terminal buildings and is due for final completion any time. It will house no fewer than 21 food and drink establishments including 2 burger bars, 2 sandwich bars, 3 ice cream stores and 3 beer and tapas places as well as 24 shops selling the usual airport fare including souvenirs and local Andalucian products.

For an airport that currently already handles around 4,500 passengers per hour, there is not a great deal of shopping to be done in the airport so the new terminal will be eagerly awaited.

The vast majority of the work has already been completed but once construction ends there will be a testing phase to ensure everything meets strict regulations and can handle the anticipated numbers.

If you plan on driving away from the airport or have car hire booked then it is advisable to leave extra time for your journey as access roads have been changed around and traffic can build up peak times with the works going on. It is also worth making sure you know where to return your car as there are a number of car hire companies who operate on site as well as those who are just a minute's drive from the main airport buildings.

Our Latest Find....

2009-03-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here at Simply Car Hire Spain we are always on the look out to hear from other business providers who may offer services that would also be of some interest to our client base and recently we have come across the services of an IT company who provide an important business service that all too often gets overlooked, online backup.

If you are a business owner and frequent flyer to Spain, it would be well worth your while investigating the services of such an online back up storage provider to safeguard all of your important data via remote storage. With remote back up you can be sure that you can operate your business in any country and have the peace of mind that your all important business data is held securely remotely. Doing this removes any worry about servers going down whilst you are not in the country as you will always have the data backup with your online data storage.

Having looked into the services on offer we would recommend the services of the company Connect to turn to for any online backup storage requirements you have.

Good News for Drivers

2008-10-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

With general costs associated with daily life rising it is good to finally have some good news in the falling petrol costs. No sooner had Asda and Morrisons cut petrol costs to under £1 per litre, a couple of days later Tesco, the biggest retailer of petrol in the UK jumped on the bandwagon and also cut fuel costs. In response, Morrisons then cut fuel costs even further to 97.9p a litre this week.

It may be worth some of us remembering though, that prices are not necessarily the same in all forecourts of the same retailer across the country and can be raised if there is no other competition in the area. According to some press, this is what Tesco does, so if the only petrol station in your area is a Tesco one, you may find yourself paying a little more. On the other hand however, if you spend over £50 in store you get money off vouchers for your petrol so depending on how much you spend food shopping, the relative difference may be balanced out.

Either way, with prices of crude oil coming down and the benefits being passed on to drivers, it is worth keeping a note of the local fuel prices. Just as we would shop around to find the best price comparison sites for our car hire, we can apply the same ideas to shop around for the lowest petrol costs.

The Future of Your Holiday and Car Hire in Spain

2008-09-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

Now that Gatwick airport is up for sale is there anyone out there with a spare couple billion?? Nope? In that case, we´ll leave it to the experts and await the increased services and facilities and improved general use of the airport with baited breath.

BAA has had control of the major London airports for over 40 years and some would say this has led to a certain level of complacency and slipping standards. From personal experience, travelling every couple of months using mainly Gatwick of all the UK airports I would say it is quite easy to think the London airports are ahead of many other smaller airports as there is generally more on offer to do, eat, shop etc. but when thinking about it I would say that the South terminal could learn a few things from the North terminal, the toilet facilities could be less than 10 minutes walk from wherever you are, the WHSmith could be expanded as the queues are always horrendous, they could add a wifi area to avoid the fact when you use the pay-as-you-go computers for the net, they are located just under the departure screens so at any one time you could have anyone reading over your shoulder as you update your facebook blog with the latest delayed time (maybe they have this already and I just haven´t found it yet...) - bearing all of this in mind, I am very interested as a regular user of Gatwick airport as to how things can be improved.

Bringing in a new owner is expected to increase the level of competition between the major London airports with each competing for trade. Fares could be cut (or at least not increased with the increase in fuel charges), better facilities could be put in the airports including a larger departure lounge in the South terminal (very valid suggestion I say!) and generally, using the airport could be made a more pleasant experience.

With a swifter operation within the airport we would enjoy travelling more and be more inclined to book that extra trip, whilst all the time thinking, now we have Simply Car Hire Spain, a fantastic company offering great deals for our car hire in Spain, it´s about time we had a great company also offering an enhanced airport experience!

Making the most of your Spanish car insurance

2008-09-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

Do you know the difference between the various car hire insurance options when you book your Spanish car hire? If not, then read on...

When booking car hire in Spain, or indeed in most places, you will usually find that basic insurance is covered in any of the car hire deals on offer. With this you will normally find there is an excess to pay in case of any damage or accident and this is normally around £1,000 but can be as much as £2,000. It is only when you reach the car hire desk you may sometimes find that this excess does not cover any damage to the tyres or windows for example and there is often a separate premium to pay for to cover those. As many people would take more care when driving on foreign roads, the extra cover would normally be taken up to give that extra peace of mind.

Luckily, thesedays our partners in bringing you affordable and safe car hire, CarTrawler, have introduced a Zero Excess Insurance that will protect you the driver from any excess charges when you hire a car. For a basic daily premium you can have any potential excess charges taken care of so that you are covered in any event and the amount you pay for the initial car hire is the total and final amount you would have to pay when booking your Spanish car hire.

The new Zero Excess Insurance is considered a very useful cover to have and since its introduction has proved very popular.

For additional safety, make sure you book your car hire in Spain through a reputable firm offering high levels of customer service and able to answer any questions you may have regarding your car hire policy.

Car hire in Spain - Surviving Spanish roads!

2008-09-18T06:07:00.001-07:00

Driving abroad need not be the biggest worry of your holiday if you are armed with the right information and know the most important aspects of tackling foreign roads. If you are using car hire in Spain during the summer months it is wise to be even more careful as there is a much higher road police presence across Spain and especially in the majority of the busiest holiday locations. To help you we have put together some of the basics to help you make the most of your Spanish car hire.

1) One of the biggest differences to note when driving in Spain is that you drive on the right hand side of the road. Rather than being something quite scary, once you have started out on the Spanish roads it is quite natural to follow everyone else and the novelty of going around roundabouts "the wrong way" wears off after a couple of circuits.

2) Documents: As a UK citizen you will need to have your full valid passport with you at all times in addition to your driving license, preferably the newer style photocard version as well as insurance documents and registration documents. If stopped you will be asked to produce all/any of these.

3) Officially hands-free kits with ear pieces are illegal, as are sat-navs so beware when thinking you are on the right side of the Spanish law when you may not be....

4) Seat belts are obligatory both in the front and the back.

5) Spain has stricter drink-driving laws than the UK - 0.5 miligrams to the 0.8 allowed in the UK so the lax holiday driving regulations expected are far from true. New drivers are subject to practical alcholoc exclusion limits. On-the-spot fines are quite usual.

6) As in the UK, speed trap cameras are popular. As are unmarked police cars.

7) Visibility vests are compulsory for all drivers. You need to ensure you have a reflective jacket for use at any time of the day you are involved in an accident as well as 2 red warning triangles and also spare bulbs and the means to change them should you need to as well as spare glasses if you wear them.

8) Speed limits vary across the roads and can also change within the same stretch of road but the limits are well sign-posted so do pay attention. Generally, motorways (autopistas) have a 120km/hr limit, a dual carriageway (autovia) may vary from 80km/hr to 110km/hr, national roads may have limits up to 100km/hr and roads in more built up areas are also clearly marked.

9) Slip roads are also used very differently in Spain...They are generally shorter and do not always serve as the easiest of routes on to a big road. You can expect to have to stop at the end of a slip road as you won't always be allowed out straight away.

And finally, book your Spanish car hire via a reputable firm who will ensure that you will only ever be given a car that is equipped with all the necessary items, allowing you to enjoy all Spain has to offer you.

September deals on your car hire in Spain

2008-08-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Schools go back this week, the low cost airlines are offering cheap autumn getaway deals and our Spanish car hire deals just got better!

Simply Car Hire Spain is all about using the most effective searches to get you the most competitive deals anywhere in Spain. We know that in many places, car hire is more than a luxury, it is a necessity if you want to get around to be able to do everything you want to as it is normally only the bigger towns and cities that will have a transport system and more often than not, the local Spanish bus service is something you may not want to entirely depend on!

We wanted to offer you a service that we would be happy to use ourselves, to be able to feel confident you are getting no less than what you expect from your car hire in Spain - no-nonsense agreements written in clear and simple English detailing everything your cover includes, the knowledge that hundreds of car hire companies have been searched to find you the best deal and that your car hire is not the biggest expense of your holiday. We are confident you can shop around and find the best deals using our secure online booking system so try it today for the latest September car hire deals so you have a good idea of what you will be spending when you go away.

Simply Car Hire Spain - The New and Improved Way to Book your Car Hire

2008-08-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

With so many websites and search engines for finding car hire on the web thesedays, how exactly do you go about finding which are the reputable firms, the ones who will have the information on everything your car hire includes in simple no nonsense language as well as getting you the best deals???

We wondered this too...

Having property in Spain we are more than used to having to hire a car at the airport to get around and have tried and tested many firms at many different airports and have had our fair share of disaster stories. So, using this experience as well as years of experience in customer service and sales, we decided to go one better and offer the service we think everybody should get when oranising one of the fundamental aspects of a trip abroad: safe, reliable and cost-effective car hire deals.

And http://www.simplycarhirespain.com/ was born.

Using a search engine that allows us to search hundreds of car hire companies and thousands of vehicles we are able to bring you the very best Spanish car hire deals around. Simply Car Hire Spain is a secure car hire comparison website that also allows you to book the best deals you find. With all of the big names in car rental in Spain you can use the very simple search engine to see that you can get cheaper deals for the same car hire with the same companies on our site and we know this because we have done the research!

We hope you find the site useful and we would welcome any comments or feedback.

The Simply Car Hire Spain team

Welcome to Simply Car Hire Spain

2008-08-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our information centre with up-to-date tips and tricks to hiring a car in Spain.
We will soon be displaying very useful information regarding car hire in Spain.