Frequently asked questions about car hire in Calahonda

You can book by phone, WhatsApp, online form or directly at our office at C. San Patricio de Calypso, 1 in Calahonda. The process is quick: just tell us your dates, delivery point and the type of vehicle you need. If you’re arriving at Málaga Airport, leave your flight number in the comments and we’ll coordinate everything. You’ll receive a confirmation email with a full summary of your booking and detailed conditions. You pay nothing upfront and every condition is set out in the email.

Yes, subject to availability. Call us or WhatsApp us and we’ll confirm straight away. If the model you’re looking for isn’t available, we’ll suggest alternatives in a similar category so you’re never left without a car. Our team in Calahonda handles last-minute bookings every day, especially for arrivals at Málaga Airport.

We send the confirmation email within 24 hours of receiving your request. We normally respond in under 15 minutes, especially if you contact us by phone or WhatsApp. If you can’t see it in your inbox, check your spam or junk folder. If it still doesn’t appear, give us a call and we’ll verify it on the spot.

No. We don’t charge anything at the time of booking. Payment is made when the vehicle is handed over. We accept credit card, debit card or cash. Nothing is charged in advance. If you’d like to confirm your payment method in advance, just ask and we’ll guide you.

Yes. You can cancel or modify your booking free of charge up to 48 hours before collection. If you need to change the dates, time or model, let us know as soon as possible and we’ll adjust everything subject to availability. If the dates or the car change, only the fare difference is adjusted. For last-minute changes on the day, WhatsApp us and we’ll find a solution with you. Plans change and we’ll adapt accordingly.

We’ll adapt. If you give us your flight number when booking, we’ll track it in real time and wait for you at no extra charge for up to 5 hours if it runs late. When you land, find us on WhatsApp and we’ll meet you at the arrivals terminal at Málaga Airport within minutes. If your schedule is flexible or you’re staying at a hotel or apartment in Calahonda, Riviera del Sol or the surrounding area, let us know when booking so we can arrange delivery directly to your accommodation and avoid any unnecessary waiting.

Yes. As well as Málaga Airport, we can coordinate deliveries at María Zambrano train station in Málaga and, subject to availability, at other points along the Costa del Sol. Let us know your arrival point when booking and we’ll organise collection at a convenient location for you. If you’re arriving by road or bus in Fuengirola or Marbella, we can also bring the vehicle to you.

You’ll need to present in person on the day of handover your original valid ID or passport and a valid driving licence. If you’re a citizen of a country outside the EU, you’ll also need your international driving permit alongside your original licence. We don’t accept photocopies or digital documents. Original physical documents are required. If you’d like to speed up the process, you can send us legible photos in advance and we’ll verify the details before you arrive.

You can hire from the age of 18. If you’re a young or new driver, the Novice Driver Plus is added when you choose your cover.

Yes. You can add additional drivers as long as they meet the same requirements as the main driver. We just need their ID or passport and original driving licence. We can register them by email before collection or directly on the day of handover. If you choose our Premium Cover, the additional driver is included in the price at no extra cost.

It depends on the cover you choose. With Basic Cover, mileage is limited to 150 km/day. With Premium Cover, you have unlimited mileage throughout Andalusia and cover extends to all of Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal. If you’re planning a specific route outside the region, let us know when you book so we can confirm everything is covered and avoid any restrictions.

With Basic Cover we include Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) with an excess and a limit of 150 km/day. With Premium Cover, added per day, the package is fully comprehensive: fully comprehensive insurance with zero excess (excluding tyres, glass and undercarriage), 24/7 roadside assistance, unlimited mileage throughout Andalusia, full-to-full fuel policy, a free additional driver and cover valid in Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal. In both cases, VAT is included and the price we give you is the final price.

With Basic Cover, yes. The limit is 150 km/day, which is enough for getting around Calahonda, Marbella, Fuengirola and the surrounding area. With Premium Cover, mileage is unlimited throughout Andalusia on hires of less than 20 days, allowing you to explore the whole Costa del Sol, head up to Ronda, take a trip to Granada or drive all the way to Cádiz without watching the odometer. If you’re planning to cover a lot of ground, Premium is the option we’d recommend.

Yes, no problem. We just ask that you return the car clean and in good condition. If there is excessive mess on return such as hair, stains or odours, a cleaning charge may apply. A pet carrier or a protective blanket on the seats will help you avoid that charge and make the journey more comfortable for everyone.

By law we are required to identify the driver to the relevant authority, which we do at no charge to you. The cost of the fine is your responsibility and will be notified directly to the address you provided in the agreement. If you plan to drive through any Low Emission Zones (LEZ) such as Málaga city centre, check the local regulations to avoid unnecessary fines. If in doubt, ask us and we’ll point you in the right direction.

We apply a full-to-full policy: we hand over the car with a full tank and you bring it back full.

We’ll be waiting for you in the arrivals terminal at Málaga Airport with an identification sign. If you can’t find us when you come out, stay at the meeting point and call us or WhatsApp us. We’re nearby and will coordinate the handover within minutes. If you give us your flight number when booking, we track it in real time for any delays and will wait for you up to 5 hours after the scheduled arrival time at no extra charge.

Yes. At María Zambrano station in Málaga we’ll be waiting by the exit lifts with an identification sign so you can find us straight away. We also coordinate deliveries at key points in Fuengirola, Marbella, Benalmádena and other towns along the Costa del Sol, subject to availability. Let us know your arrival point when booking and we’ll organise the meeting at a convenient location for you.

Call us on the number in your booking confirmation. We answer 24 hours a day, every day, on +34 633 125 640. Let us know your exact location within the agreed meeting point and we’ll adjust immediately. At Málaga Airport, for example, there can be confusion between the different terminal exits, so just confirm which door you’re at and we’ll be there in under 3 minutes.

Yes, at no extra charge within our coverage area. We deliver directly to Sitio de Calahonda, Riviera del Sol, Calypso, El Rosario, Artola, Cabopino, Costa Miraflores, El Faro, El Chaparral and the entire coastal strip from La Cala de Mijas to the Marbella boundary. For other points along the Costa del Sol such as Benalmádena, Torremolinos or Estepona, ask us about conditions and rates for that area. To speed up the handover, share the full address of your accommodation or send us a location pin via WhatsApp.

Yes. We accept returns at Málaga Airport, María Zambrano station, our office at C. San Patricio de Calypso in Calahonda or via collection from your accommodation within our coverage area. Everything is agreed and confirmed at the time of booking so that on the day of return there’s no confusion about the exact point or the time.

When we hand over the car we’ll confirm the exact return point, which is usually the same location as the handover. We recommend arriving 10 to 15 minutes before the agreed time. We’ll check the vehicle with you present, confirm the tank is full and sign off the return on the spot. If everything is in order, you’re done in under 5 minutes. No extra paperwork and no unnecessary waiting.

Yes. If during your stay you decide you need the vehicle for more days, visit our office or call us before your agreement ends and we’ll extend it, subject to availability, without you having to return the car. We’ll update the booking, renew the insurance cover and apply the same daily rate agreed at the start. If the extension means moving to a weekly or monthly rate, we’ll recalculate so you pay the rate that works out cheaper.

Payment is made at the time of handover, whether at our office at C. San Patricio de Calypso in Calahonda, at Málaga Airport or at whichever collection point you’ve agreed. Any extras you add such as a child seat or upgraded cover will appear itemised in the agreement before you pay, so you can review every detail and sign with everything clear.

We accept credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), debit card and cash within the current legal limit. No added fees and no surcharges for payment method. You choose how to pay and we’ll adapt. If for example you arrive at Málaga Airport and prefer to pay in cash when you collect the keys, that’s absolutely fine.

No. Most customers pay with a credit card in the driver’s name, but you can also pay by debit card or cash. In that case a temporary security hold may apply, and it’s cleared as soon as you return the car in good condition and incident-free. We’ll explain how it works when you book.

You don’t need to leave a deposit if you pay by credit card. If you choose another payment method, we may place a temporary security hold, which we release once we get the car back undamaged and with no incidents.

All our vehicles include cover from the first kilometre. The difference lies in the level of protection depending on the option you choose.

With Basic Cover you have Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) with an excess. Mileage is limited to 150 km/day.

With Premium Cover, added per day, you drive with fully comprehensive insurance and zero excess (excluding tyres, glass and undercarriage), 24/7 roadside assistance, unlimited mileage throughout Andalusia, full-to-full fuel policy, cover valid in Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal and a free additional driver included in the price.

Yes. If you choose Basic Cover and during the hire decide you’d prefer more protection, we can upgrade to Premium subject to availability. Premium is the option we particularly recommend if you’re planning long routes along the Costa del Sol, parking on the street in tourist areas like Marbella or Fuengirola, or if you simply prefer the peace of mind of fully comprehensive cover with zero excess (excluding tyres, glass and undercarriage).

Yes, as long as they are registered in the hire agreement. The main driver is covered automatically. If you add a second driver, simply present their documents at the start of the agreement and both drivers will be covered under the same policy. With Premium Cover, remember that the additional driver is included at no extra cost.

We send the invoice by email once the hire is complete and payment has been made. If you need an invoice in a company name, send us the following details before collection: company name, tax ID number, registered address and billing email address. We’ll issue it correctly from the outset. If you need a duplicate, a correction or an itemised invoice to justify travel expenses, just write to us and we’ll reissue it at no extra charge.

Yes, subject to availability. If the new model belongs to a different category, the price may vary. We’ll let you know the exact difference before confirming the change so you can decide with all the information in front of you. If for example you booked a Fiat Panda and on arrival in Calahonda you need an MPV because there are more people travelling than planned, we’ll sort it on the spot as long as we have units available in our fleet.

Call us or WhatsApp us. If you take out Guarantee Plus, you can cancel up to 1 hour before collection with no penalty. Without Guarantee Plus, cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the handover date. We’ll send you a confirmation email so you have written proof of the cancellation.

Within the stated periods, no. With Guarantee Plus, you can cancel free of charge up to 1 hour before. Without it, cancellation is free up to 48 hours before. If you cancel outside those periods, the standard cancellation conditions that were set out in your confirmation email at the time of booking will apply. You know every condition before you book.

If you know in advance, let us know and we’ll find an alternative: we can reschedule the date, change the delivery point or adjust the time without any problem. If we don’t hear from you and more than 2 hours pass after the agreed time, the booking will be automatically cancelled. That’s why we always ask that you contact us as soon as anything comes up, even just a quick WhatsApp, so we can keep your vehicle reserved and find a solution with you.

Yes. If you cancel within the free cancellation period, we’ll refund the full hire amount. If you took out Guarantee Plus, its cost is not refunded. We process the refund via the same payment method you used: if you paid by card, the refund goes to that card.

Call the direct assistance number in your agreement. Our service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether you’re in Calahonda or anywhere in Andalusia. While you call, pull over somewhere safe, switch on your hazard lights and put out the warning triangles if you’re on the road. Tell us what’s happening: a warning light on the dashboard, a mechanical noise, a puncture or any other symptom. With Premium Cover or Guarantee Plus, we’ll coordinate technical assistance or recovery to your location. With Guarantee Plus, if the car can’t continue, we’ll arrange a replacement vehicle subject to availability so your journey doesn’t have to stop.

If it’s safe to do so, stay calm and follow these steps. First, pull off the road and put out the warning triangles. Second, fill in the accident report form you’ll find in the glove box with both drivers’ details, registration numbers, insurance companies and a sketch of what happened, and take photos on your phone of the damage to both vehicles, the number plates, the position of the cars and the surroundings. Third, call us to log the incident and we’ll walk you through the next steps. If there are injuries of any severity, call 112 first and then contact us. Don’t move the vehicles until the emergency services arrive.

Call us straight away. Depending on the model and the situation, we can send a spare key, coordinate assisted entry at your location or send a recovery vehicle if needed. If you’re in Calahonda or nearby areas such as Riviera del Sol, Cabopino or Marbella, we can resolve it faster as we have a team in the area. If you took out Guarantee Plus, lost keys are covered. Without it, the replacement cost is the customer’s responsibility and we’ll confirm the exact amount before proceeding.

Yes. With Premium Cover, our roadside assistance runs uninterrupted 24 hours a day, just like our Calahonda office. At 3 in the morning, on a Sunday in August or on Christmas Day, the support service and our partner recovery vehicles are all operational to deal with any incident. The emergency numbers in your agreement work at all times, without exception.

With Premium Cover, assistance includes vehicle recovery, a replacement subject to availability and transport in the event of an accident or mechanical breakdown. Excluded is damage caused by misuse of the vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol or prohibited substances, and serious negligence such as driving on unpaved tracks in a vehicle not suited to them. All of this is set out in your agreement so you know exactly what is and isn’t covered before you set off.

With Premium Cover, yes: roadside assistance covers Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal. Whether you’re in Ronda, the hills above Granada, on the beach in Cádiz or on your way back from Nerja, assistance is activated in exactly the same way: one call to the number in your agreement and we’ll coordinate the nearest help to your location. Distance and time of day make no difference: the process is the same and response time depends only on how far you are from the nearest recovery service.

Yes. Our team and partners provide support in several languages, including English, so you feel supported and can explain what has happened without any barriers. In an area like Sitio de Calahonda, where over 140 nationalities live side by side, multilingual service isn’t an add-on. It’s part of what we do. If it’s easier, you can communicate with us via WhatsApp by sending text messages, voice notes or your real-time location so we can find you faster.

To help you as quickly as possible, have the following to hand when you call: your exact location (address, landmark or send us your location via WhatsApp), the registration number or model of the car, a brief two-sentence description of what has happened (warning light, puncture, collision with another vehicle), confirmation that everyone is safe with the vehicle signalled and off the road, and a phone number we can call back on if the line drops. If you can, send us a photo of the vehicle and your booking or agreement number. With that information we’ll coordinate assistance immediately and keep waiting times to a minimum.

The journey takes around 25 minutes via the A-7 towards Algeciras. The road is comfortable and well signposted, but there’s one thing worth knowing: after Fuengirola the speed limit drops from 120 km/h to 100 km/h and then to 80 km/h on the stretches that pass through Mijas Costa. Speed changes are frequent and there are speed cameras, so stay alert. You’ll pass through Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola before reaching the Calahonda exit. If you prefer the AP-7 toll motorway you’ll arrive a few minutes earlier, but the cost is around €4.70 in high season and €2.90 the rest of the year just for the Málaga–Calahonda stretch. We’d suggest sticking to the A-7: it’s free and the time difference is minimal.

Yes. The AP-7 is a toll motorway running along the entire coast between Málaga and Estepona. The most common stretches from Calahonda and their approximate high-season prices are: Calahonda–Marbella around €4.70, Calahonda–Málaga around €4.70 and Marbella–Estepona around €5.10. In low season prices drop by between 35% and 40%. The free alternative is the A-7, which follows the same coast but with heavier traffic during rush hour and in summer. For getting to Marbella, Fuengirola or Mijas Village from Calahonda, the A-7 works perfectly well and you won’t need to use the toll road.

In Calahonda and the surrounding residential areas, on-street parking is generally free outside the immediate beachfront. In summer the spaces near Calahonda Beach fill up quickly, but the beach has a free supervised car park accessible from the A-7. At Cabopino Marina there is a public car park next to the marina. If you head into Fuengirola, be aware that the town centre has a paid blue-zone parking scheme. In Marbella the old town has underground pay car parks such as those at La Alameda and La Cañada, and at Puerto Banús you can park in the shopping centre car parks. If you go up to Mijas Village, there is a free car park at the top near the Juan Antonio Gómez Alarcón viewpoint from where you can walk down to the centre.

Low Emission Zones (LEZ) are urban areas where access is restricted for more polluting vehicles. Málaga city centre currently has an active LEZ. All our hire vehicles are recent models that meet current environmental standards and carry a C or ECO label from the Spanish traffic authority (DGT), meaning you can drive and park in any LEZ without restrictions or fines. If a special pollution protocol is activated in another city in Andalusia during your stay, we’ll keep you informed.

The Costa del Sol is well signposted and the main roads such as the A-7 and AP-7 are straightforward to follow. That said, within the residential areas of Sitio de Calahonda, Riviera del Sol or Calypso the streets can be confusing if you don’t know the area, especially at night. We recommend using Google Maps or Waze on your phone. If you need a phone holder for the car, just let us know when booking. For mountain routes such as driving up to Mijas Village via the sierra road or heading to Ronda on the A-397, a GPS will save you time and unnecessary detours.

If you’re not used to driving a manual gearbox, yes. The stretches of the A-7 between Fuengirola and Marbella involve constant speed changes, bends, merges and heavy traffic in high season. An automatic makes driving considerably more comfortable and safer, especially if you arrive tired from a flight at Málaga Airport with a 25-minute journey ahead to Calahonda. Our fleet includes both automatic and manual vehicles across every category. Just let us know your preference when booking and we’ll assign the one that suits you.

In July and August traffic increases considerably, particularly on the A-7 between Fuengirola and Marbella during peak hours (10:00–13:00 and 17:00–20:00). Access to popular beaches such as Calahonda Beach, Cabopino and the beaches of Marbella gets very busy around midday. Our advice is to set off early if you want to reach the beach comfortably, and to avoid the A-7 on the way back from Puerto Banús or Marbella town centre in the afternoon. The AP-7 toll motorway is a good option for avoiding queues at busy times. For getting around within Calahonda and nearby areas such as Riviera del Sol or La Cala de Mijas, traffic is calm throughout the year.

Yes. On the A-7 near Calahonda there are several filling stations within 5 minutes. There are petrol stations at the Riviera del Sol exit, at the entrance to La Cala de Mijas and in the retail area on the way to Fuengirola. If you’re returning the car at Málaga Airport, the last convenient petrol station is on the slip road leading to the airport access motorway. We’ll point you to the nearest stations on the day we hand over the vehicle so you don’t waste time searching at the last minute.