If you like travelling from place to place and exploring the more inland villages as well as the resorts and beaches, a rental car is the best option for you. Car rental companies often have branches in the major resorts, but the best deals with the lowest prices are always right at Málaga airport, where most of the multinationals and many local rental companies are based.
How much does it cost to rent a car?
Prices at Málaga airport are reasonable and you can pay for a week's rental of a small car from 165 eur. Of the lesser-known local car rental companies, we would only be able to recommend Wiber. On the other hand, Goldcar or Clickrent have mostly negative reviews. Prices at the larger multinational car rental companies currently start at 293 eur per week.
Where to book a car?
Booking.com offers the clearest price comparison of all car rental companies, where you can book a car directly or pay for additional insurance.
Highways and tolls on the Costa del Sol
The entire Costa del Sol is covered by an excellent network of motorways and roads. The A7 motorway runs practically along the entire Spanish Mediterranean coastline, which takes you to all the resorts on the Costa del Sol. The signage is excellent and the roads are in great condition.
The motorways in Spain are toll roads. Some car rental companies have a built-in Vía-T system where you don't have to stop at toll gates, the toll is electronically calculated and then charged back to your card by the rental company.
Other rental companies don't have this system, so you have to pay the toll every time you go through a toll gate. You can pay by cash or card. However, toll gates are not everywhere, which means that large parts of the motorways are toll-free.
From 1 September 2021, the entire A7 (or AP-7) motorway is free.
Speed limits
Traffic regulations in Spain are very similar to those in other European countries.
- Motorways: 120 km/h
- Roads outside the city: 90 km/h
- Roads in town with 2 or more lanes in one direction: 50 km/h
- Roads in town with 1 lane in one direction: 30 km/h
