driving in spain

[jaynana]

guys, a much awaited hol in sunny spain is in the horizon! (did anybody watch top gear last sun?  :'( )

any tips, to/not to do's when driving in spain pls? - not driving through of course, renting.

found this and this, there's some gray area about sat nav usage?

[sramsay]

Might be worth watching last weeks "your money their tricks" on iPlayer. Covered the 'extras' that turn the cheap rental into an total p1ss take.

I've always found it quite straight forward driving over there. The only thing that springs to mind is they don't mind a sharp turn on a motorway exit

[squeaky2]

Driven in Spain a lot.......only been stopped for speeding once     

They have dropped the speed limits down to 120kmh on a lot of the motorways, the police often hide in the bushes on the central reservation with speed cameras and you get stopped further down the road.

I was also doing a police aviation conference where the spanish were showing that they have fixed wing aircraft that they can track your speed and record your number plate.......fortunately i think they only have 2 of these 

Most of the toll roads now take credit cards but there are still a few that only take cash.

Otherwise to be honest driving in spain is the same as anywhere else in europe. The motorways tend to be long, fairly straight and fairly quiet too. 

In city driving is very similar to driving in paris......youll notice that the cars are small and often dented 

[jaynana]

[quote="sramsay"]
Might be worth watching last weeks "your money their tricks" on iPlayer. Covered the 'extras' that turn the cheap rental into an total p1ss take.

I've always found it quite straight forward driving over there. The only thing that springs to mind is they don't mind a sharp turn on a motorway exit
[/quote]

thanks for that!! damn!! i think i've fallen for some of that as well! i'm goin with some friends and fams so two 9-seaters were rented!

the 2 traps mentioned in that programme are in the small print!
1. cars will be given with full tanks of fuel (nice of them huh), they will be charging for that extra, of course, fuel price is at their discretion!
2. cars were supposed to be 'insured incl. collision damage waiver, theft. BUT it is only 3rd party liability, i have to buy fully comp on top of that!!

thanks others as well for the advise

[sramsay]

Oh no! Still, pay the money and have a good holiday. At least you've been stung before you leave so you'll be over it before you get there!

Best one I had a couple of years ago, was when I ordered a Megane Estate from a firm I'd used before in Portugal and when I arrived the only cars they had were Fiat Punto's! I couldn't even get the double buggy in on its own let alone the 3 suitcases.

I then had to walk back to the terminal and up to the Avis desk with my pants well and truly down. I think 2 weeks cost me €1,300

[Imy]

Dont buy an extra insurance from the rental company. its a rip off and will never cover glass, tires and undercarriage.

Get third party car insurance especially for rentals

https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/#0

This is the most comprehensive insurance cover and actually one of the cheapest. Covers everything for a good price.

This would be my advice anyways.

[jaynana]

thanks for that too!  :thumbup: