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Car Hire &
Driving in Lanzarote
Click here
for a map of Lanzarote. This is
in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you do not have
Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can
download it here.
Car Hire
A UK based option for car hire in
Lanzarote is
Autos Abroad.com. This is a car rental
brokers based in Pinner, Middlesex. According to their
web site, Autos Abroad only deals with the direct public
which saves money because they don't offer Travel Agents
High Commission.
With Autos Abroad you can book online 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. Alternatively, their call centre is open:
Monday to Friday -
08:30am until 19:00pm
Saturday - 09:00am until 16:00pm
Sunday - 10:00am until 14:00pm
Other options for car hire include:
Driving
Speed limits for driving a hire car in
Spain are as follows:
-
Residential areas: 20 kph (12 mph)
-
Built-up areas: 50 kph (31 mph)
-
Roads outside towns: 90 kph; (56 mph)
-
Major roads outside towns: 100 kph
(62 mph)
-
Motorways: 120 kph (74 mph)
If you a unfortunate enough to incur a
speeding ticket whilst driving a hire car, you are
responsible for the fine! If you are
fined for a motoring offence
you will have to pay on the spot unless you can present
a bail bond or a Spanish guarantor. Failure to pay will
result in your car being impounded and the
driver detained. There's usually a 'discount' of 20
percent for immediate settlement! The police will issue
a 'Boletin de Denuncia' which specifies the offence
committed and the amount of the fine.
Check carefully that the fine amount noted on the
document matches the amount you paid. Follow the English
instructions on the back of the document if you want to
dispute the charge within 15 days.
All drivers and passengers must wear a seat belt. To sit in the front of a
car, children under 12 years of age must be seated
in an approved child seat.
EC format pink/green licences are
accepted. Old style green or non-European licences must
be accompanied with an International Driving Permit.
The Spanish Government regulates fuel
prices, so there is no need to shop around when you want
to fill up. Credit cards are accepted in most, but not
all garages. Regular leaded petrol (gasolina sin plomo)
has an octane rating of 92. The octane rating of super
is 97. Diesel is called gas-oil. LPG is called gases
licuados del petróleo.
Parking zones - Zona ORA's are quite
common in city centres and require a ticket, purchased
from a tobacconist, valid for between 30 and 90 minutes.
Zona Azul (blue zone) are also common and require a
ticket from hotels, travel agents or town halls. In some
cities a blue line on the street indicates resident-only
parking but in other cities you need to check for
instructions on signs. Don't leave anything valuable in
your parked hire car! Parking garages are a safer
alternative to the street, but check the prices before
you enter. On one-way streets, parking is allowed on
even dates along the side with even addresses and on odd
dates along the side with odd addresses!!! In both
cases, park in the direction of traffic flow. Parking is
prohibited within 5 metres of junctions or entrances to
public buildings.
Generally, traffic on the right has
priority. Normally where a minor road intersects a major
road there's a sign reading Stop or Ceda el Paso (give
way). If such a sign is not in place, the traffic on the
major road still has priority.
When overtaking or passing a vehicle you
must use your indicators to let other motorists know
your intentions. If a vehicle comes up behind you
signalling that it wants to pass and if you see that the
road ahead is clear, you should signal an
acknowledgement with your vehicle's right indicator.
Under no circumstances drink and drive in
your hire car in Spain.
There are sensors on the outskirts of many towns which detect the speed of your
rental car as
you approach the town. If you're going over the speed
limit, a traffic light at the edge of the town is
automatically turned to red so that you must come to a
stop before entering the town. Two red lights mean No
entry.
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