Renting a car in Mallorca will give you the greatest freedom and opportunities to discover the backwaters, pristine beaches and mountain towns.
Where and when to book a car in Mallorca
As always, we recommend the general car hire comparison engines to find deals from the vast majority of available rental companies. Take a look at this site, which we use most often:
Compare car rental prices on booking.com
The site allows you to filter quotes by specific car rental companies.
We recommend ticking the more reputable larger companies such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Dollar, Hertz, Sixt, Thrifty or Wiber. On the other hand, avoid tempting offers from Goldcar, Centauro or Record, which are known to increase the price.
As a rule of thumb, the earlier you book and the longer the rental period, the lower the price you will end up paying.
Car rental prices in Mallorca
Car rental companies in Mallorca are really cheap thanks to competition. The final price always depends on the length of the rental and whether and what insurance you pay extra for. Some basic insurance is usually included in the price, but we always recommend paying extra for insurance, whether it's directly through Booking.com, the rental company, or having your own third party.
Examples of high season prices:
- A week in the summer season - smaller car from 340 eur
- 3 days in summer season - smaller car from 480 eur
- Week in winter season - smaller car from 140 eur
- 3 days in winter - smaller car from 40 eur
- See the current prices of car rental companies in Mallorca
Count on the fact that the price is also reduced if you book the car well in advance.
International driving licence and other documents
Mallorca is part of the European Union, so there's no need for an international driving licence. The car rental company will also accept a national driving licence from any EU country.
If you hold a driving licence from a non-EU country, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland, get an international driving licence with your licence.
Car rental companies usually require a credit card to rent a car, and will often lend on a debit card, but either on less favourable terms or with a very high deposit often exceeding even 1 000 eur.
Highway tolls and traffic
In Mallorca you will find 3 classic motorways and one expressway. There are no tolls on any of the motorways and no need for a vignette. Motorways in Mallorca are therefore free of charge.
The only toll road on Mallorca's roads was the Tunnel de Sóller on the road from Palma to Sóller, but even that is no longer tolled as of 2017.
Traffic is very heavy in Mallorca in summer, especially around Palma and in tourist areas. The roads are very good, new and well signposted, but especially in the north and east of the island, along the coast and in the mountains, they tend to be narrow and very winding.
The rules of the road are very similar to those in all European countries.
The maximum speed limit may differ, with only 120 km/h on the motorway. On the other hand, on some stretches of road the speed limit is 100 km/h as indicated by signs.
Roundabouts can be a little tricky. In Spain, roundabouts with multiple lanes inside are quite common, but remember that you can only ever leave the roundabout from the outside lane. A direction signal is given when leaving the roundabout.
Traffic and traffic regulations
Driving in Mallorca is relaxed and comfortable. The roads are in perfect condition, as are the signs. From Palma, motorways lead to all the main resorts and main roads head to all corners of the island.
Good quality tarmac roads lead to all the tourist attractions, even in the remote mountain areas, but the roads are very narrow and there are many stretches where two oncoming cars can't avoid each other. In the mountains, we definitely recommend driving very defensively and slowly, as the curves here can be confusing and surprising.
Compare car rental prices on booking.com
Traffic regulations are similar to other European countries.
Driving on the right is classic here, wearing seatbelts is compulsory and talking on the phone while driving is forbidden under heavy fines! Speed limits are as follows:
- 50 km/h in the village.
- Outside the village: 100 km/h
- Motorways and all roads with 2 lanes in one direction: 120 km/h