Gran Canaria's resort areas stretch for dozens of kilometers along the coast, while the island's main natural attractions are hidden in the mountainous interior. Public transport connects major cities, but exploring beaches like Playa de Guigui, viewpoints such as Roque Nublo, or traditional villages in the island's center requires a car.
For a comfortable transfer from the airport to your vacation destination, you can book a rental car right to Gran Canaria Airport.
Renting a car in Gran Canaria allows you to combine beach relaxation with exploring volcanic landscapes and ravines in a single day. You can independently plan your route from the Maspalomas dunes to the pine forests of Tamadaba, visit a farmers' market, or change beach locations depending on wind conditions.
Here's why you should search for your car directly on Localrent instead of looking elsewhere to book a car in Gran Canaria:
Exploring Gran Canaria's volcanic landscapes and hidden coves is most convenient with your own car. Localrent brings together offers from local rental companies in one place, making the selection and booking process simple and transparent.
To rent a car on Gran Canaria island, you'll need to provide a valid driver's license and passport. After confirming your booking and payment, you'll receive a voucher via email—you'll also need this when picking up the vehicle.
Minimum renter age is 22-25 years with 1-2 years of driving experience. The widest selection of vehicles is available to drivers over 26 years old with 2-3 years of driving experience.
We recommend using filters to find options matching your age and experience level.
Road traffic on the island combines European discipline with a relaxed resort rhythm. In resort areas like Maspalomas, Puerto Rico, and Playa del Inglés, traffic is heavy, but drivers maintain safe distances and rarely attempt risky overtaking maneuvers. The main characteristic is the mountainous terrain: many roads in the island's center are serpentine routes with steep climbs and limited visibility. Here it's important to choose a vehicle with sufficient engine power, from 1.4L upward, and always check priority signs before turns.
Outside tourist zones, traffic becomes calmer but technically more challenging. Roads to natural attractions often narrow to a single lane and have steep gradients. On these sections, an unwritten rule applies: vehicles traveling downhill have priority, as they have less maneuvering capability. Passing oncoming vehicles requires special attention and sometimes mutual agreement between drivers.
Speed Limits:
Roundabouts are a common intersection type. Priority always goes to traffic already on the roundabout. Always use your right turn signal before exiting. Seatbelt use is mandatory for all passengers, and children under 135 cm must be transported in appropriate car seats.
In resort areas such as Maspalomas or Puerto Rico, paid parking lots with barriers and automatic time-based payment predominate. Free street parking is rare here and often occupied during daytime hours.
Parking zones are regulated by colored markings:
Parking rules sometimes change—especially during the resort season or local holidays. Therefore, it's best to double-check current signs to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Payment is made using parking meters. In multi-level parking garages, rates are typically calculated per minute.
Most gas stations on the island operate on a self-service system. Major chains like Repsol, Cepsa, or BP are found along main highways and in cities, while small local stations are often located in remote areas. Even small gas stations typically have terminals for cashless payment.
After refueling, you need to go to the terminal yourself and select your pump number for payment. Many stations have a minimum card payment amount, usually from €5.
Large gas stations on highways and in cities operate 24/7. In mountainous areas, hours may be reduced—small stations typically operate from 6 am to 10 pm.
Start by selecting rental dates—specify the pickup and return day. By default, the location will be Gran Canaria island, but you can choose a different return city if needed.
For precise search results, use the "Specify location" option: select airport, hotel delivery, or a specific rental office. This helps display only relevant offers. Next:
After booking confirmation, you'll receive a voucher via email. You'll need to show it when picking up the vehicle along with your license and passport.
Gran Canaria is one of the most interesting of the Canary Islands. Here volcanic landscapes neighbor sand dunes, while highland pine forests surround fertile valleys. The island has preserved its cultural heritage, expressed in colonial architecture, traditional villages, and archaeological monuments of the ancient Guanches. Here's what to see during your Gran Canaria vacation:
Nature enthusiasts should also visit the Jardín Canario botanical garden in Tafira Alta, which houses a collection of Canary Islands flora. Those interested in history will find the Vegueta district in Las Palmas interesting, with its colonial architecture and Christopher Columbus's house.
Choose a convenient pickup location when booking. Main options:
Vehicles aren't available at all locations—each car has its own list of locations, indicated in the specific vehicle's listing. Use the "Specify location" filter when searching to see options in your desired location.
Gran Canaria combines modern highways with mountain serpentines and narrow streets in historic towns. Local drivers are accustomed to the challenging terrain, but tourists should consider certain characteristics.
On the island, it's customary to warn with a short horn signal when overtaking on mountain roads. On narrow sections, drivers may flash their headlights, offering you to go first. Don't be startled—this is part of the local driving culture.
Roads to places like Roque Nublo or Pico de las Nieves have steep climbs and serpentines. For these routes, choose a vehicle with at least a 1.4-liter engine. On descents, use lower gears—never brake exclusively with brakes on extended downhill sections.
In mountainous areas, gas stations are less common than on the coast. Chains like Repsol or Cepsa stay open late, but small stations in villages may close around 8 or 9 pm. It's especially important to refuel before traveling to central areas.
Following these recommendations will help you feel more confident on the island's roads.
Prices start from €15-19 per day in low season and from €25 in high season. Price is influenced by vehicle class and rental period—the longer the rental period, the lower the daily rate. If you want to rent a cheap car in summer, it's best to book as early as possible.
Most companies set a minimum age of 22-24 years. Use the "Driver age" filter when searching to see available options.
Most rental cars on the island have no mileage limit.
For most vehicles on Localrent, a credit card is not required.
Deposit amounts typically range from €200-500. Cars without deposits in Gran Canaria are virtually nonexistent.
Gran Canaria is the perfect destination for those who like to travel by car. You can take a quiet, meditative drive around the local dramatic mountain scenery, enjoy beautiful ocean views, and have a spectacular photo session with the fishing villages, port, and towns in the background that look like they are made of LEGO. It is not convenient to travel by bus because there are not so many bus services and routes on the island.
This way you will not have to spend money on taxis or take a long transfer bus ride to get all the tourists on your bus to their hotels. In 10-15 minutes of the paperwork, you will drive towards your great vacation.
You can rent a car at the airport upon arrival but experienced travellers avoid doing so. Because early booking on aggregators offers substantial savings.
Localrent.com is an aggregator of reliable local car rentals. The benefits of booking with us:
Choose and book your car on our website well in advance so you can enjoy your vacation on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria.
If you want to spend most of your vacation lying on the nearest beach, you should rent a car for a day or two to add a bit of sightseeing to your trip. This way you can easily visit the top sights, drive to the coast, meditate in the mountains, and walk around the local capital.
And if you are planning an active recreation, you had better rent a car for the whole period of your stay so you don't feel tied down to one place. In addition to the beauties of nature, the island offers many good restaurants and cafes.
The roads on the island are excellent. The motorway along the entire coastline is perfectly paved. The roads are just as good in the mountains, including the one running to Roque Nublo (Rock in the Clouds).
A compact car is good for driving on expressways. The engine capacity of less than 1.4 litres will not be enough for driving to the mountains because the car can stall when you drive uphill with four passengers and air conditioning on. Choose a more powerful car. A crossover would be a good option.
And, of course, nothing can beat a convertible when you take pictured with the blue volcanos in the background.
Make sure to arrive at the meeting point on time to pick up your booked car. If you happen to be late, call and inform the rental agent as soon as possible.
You’ll need the following documents:
Please inspect the car carefully, mark any damage on the acceptance diagram and take detailed photos of the car’s interior and exterior.
Make sure to read the rental agreement before signing it and ask the rental agent to explain any unclear parts of the document. Keep one copy for yourself.
It usually takes 10-15 minutes to pick up your car.
To drop off your car, drive it to the specified location. The rental agent will inspect it and sign your copy of the car handover certificate. Keep it for a while, just in case.
The drop off usually takes 5-10 minutes.
There are many speed cameras on Gran Canaria, so it's not a good idea to break the speed limits. The speed limits are 120 km/h on expressways, 90 km/h on highways, 50 km/h in towns.
The driver must not use a mobile phone, even when the car is stopped at a traffic light. You can only use the phone when your car is parked at the curb.
Seat belts must always be fastened and children must ride in child seats only.
Do not overtake on the right on the local roads.
At a roundabout, the car that enters the roundabout first has the right of way.
The legal limit of blood alcohol content is 0.5 ppm. From time to time, the police check drivers “as a preventative measure”, so please don't be surprised by this demand from law enforcement.
There are both paid and free parking spaces. There are only few free parking spaces in the centre of the capital, Las Palmas.
Paid parking spaces are marked with blue markings on the pavement. If the sign says that parking is paid from 11:00, it does not necessarily mean that it is free before 11:00. This can mean that no parking is allowed before 11:00. All information will be available in the panel below the sign in Spanish. You can install an app on your phone that translates text using the camera. The parking rate is around 1 €/hour.
Parking near supermarkets is expensive, 2-3 euros per hour for noncustomers. You pay at the exit.
There are free parking spaces near popular beaches. Such parking lots are usually packed full but you can wait for someone to leave. It does not take very long. Or you can use paid parking spaces that are also available near the beaches.
DO NOT park near yellow markings or in a handicapped space.
The roads are toll-free and the fuel is cheaper than on the “mainland”. Besides, the island offers a huge variety of routes.
Driving around the “Island of Dreams” is fun in itself. The local nature changes every ten minutes from palm trees to pine trees to eucalyptus trees.
One of the local natural wonders is Barranco Azuaje (Gorge of Azuaje) in the north of the island with a rare laurel and fir forest, a cable car, and mesmerising landscapes with a cascade of rocks and peacefully grazing sheep.
The second one is Dunas de Maspalomas Nature Reserve, a mini-desert in the south of the island. The nature reserve consists of two parts: the rolling sand dunes and the beautiful La Charca Wildlife Lagoon.
Those who love monumental landscapes will appreciate the viewpoint of Mirador de Unamuno that offers an epic view of the extinct volcano's caldera.
And, of course, you can check out the most beautiful beaches. For example, Playa Anfi del Mar is a swimming beach backed by palm trees, with imported coral sand. The way into the water is comfortable for kids. Playa de Mogan is a golden sand beach in the west of the island. Worth visiting if you are into diving. Playa de Melenara is a remote beach near the town of Telde, popular not for its calm waters and dark sand, but for its seafood restaurants.
Good afternoon! Do all rental cars have navigation?
Hello! No, navigation is optional equipment. The rental company will only provide it if this equipment is included in your booking.
What driving experience is required?
Hello! The minimum renter’s age is 22 years, the minimum driving experience is 2 years.