Even though Alicante has plenty of public transportation in and around the city, most of the region does not have a decent public transportation system and you may get confused trying it out.
As a tourist, you are visiting the city only for a few days and there is so much to see and do in these areas that Alicante car hire is absolutely indispensable.
If you are planning to stay within the city and your hotel or apartment is somewhere in the city center, then you can explore the tourist attractions on foot. However, if you want to discover the tourist destinations outside the city, then you will have trouble, and in this case, the Alicante car rental companies available in the city center will be vital.
City Alicante Car rental
There are several cars hire companies in Alicante Spain. The car hire companies in Alicante are both domestic as well as international. If you are planning to book a car in Alicante, then it is advisable to book it well in advance. Alicante car hires companies to get fully booked in the peak season. There are over 50 car companies that are competing to get business from you so you are in a strong position when you want to make a deal.
Following is a list of some of Alicante car rental companies that are available in the city center as well as Alicante airport:
Atesa
Auriga
Avis
Centauro
Europa
Europcar
Record
Sol-mar
Most often, multinational car hire companies have local partners in many countries across the globe. If your country of origin has a partner, then you can make your bookings from there.
While there is not much difference between the rates of multinational and local car operators, the multinational Alicante car hire companies operate in many places and have many vehicles in their fleet. On the other hand, the smaller firms have a smaller number of vehicles in their fleet and some of them may have constraints on operating in nearby areas. The main advantage of international companies is that they guarantee the availability of a vehicle even during the peak season. Additionally, the bigger Alicante car rental companies may offer cheaper and more competitive rates at your favorite destination.
Some of the local Alicante car hire companies, however, charge less. The charges for extra services like an extra driver, baby seats, etc are lower, and a few local Alicante car rental companies offer these services to you for free. But there is a disadvantage with the local car hire fleets. As low-cost is their philosophy these companies require a large number of car rentals. Thus chances are that you have to wait longer to collect your Alicante car hire. There are offices of Alicante car rental companies located on the Avenue of Salamanca, with the cars parked between Alicante train station RENFE and the Post Office. Thus if you are arriving in Alicante via train, you should choose to rent a car from the city center.
You can check the following companies:
Goldcar Rental
Giraffe Car Rentals
National Atesa
Elephant Car Hire
Spanish Coast Rent A Car
Gold Coast Hire Car
Spain Travel Car
Coys Rent A Car
Rhinocarhire
Consider the following when checking the offers of local Alicante car hire companies:
Most of the streets in Alicante are narrow. It is advisable to choose a small-sized car.
Look for exclusive discounts or promotions. You can also opt for all-inclusive vacation packages.
If you don’t like to travel in heat and need air-conditioned cars, see that the air conditioning of the car you have chosen is working well.
See that you have registered and paid for an extra driver.
If you are hiring a car in Alicante city center through the website of an international company like Hertz, and you have a discount (CDP, PC, Coupon or other code), do enter its details to avail maximum benefit. The cars offered for rent range from a simple Chevrolet Spark to a full-size passenger van like Kia Carnival, and they will cost you between 102 Euro and 416 Euro. The contract includes unlimited free kilometers, location service charges, theft protection, collision damage waiver, and taxes. If you want to include Personal Accident Insurance / Personal Effects Coverage, then you have to pay extra money.
As well as the basic collision damage which multinational companies include, you will sometimes find an optional item called “Super CDW” (Super Collision damage Waiver) when you go through the booking process on their website. This can be included in your contract if you just tick the box. This optional item reduces or eliminates the insurance excess and your financial liability in case of accidents. Local Alicante car rental companies with a fleet of more than 15 cars already include the Super CDW and there is no insurance excess on the car you hire.
There is occasionally a difference between the fuel policy of the local and international car hire companies. Many Alicante car rental companies consider that an average customer uses one full tank of fuel during the rental period. Thus customers are requested to pay for a full tank and return the car with an empty tank.
There are many Alicante car hire companies in Spain, but you should know the exact advantages of each of them to get the best deal.
