Hiring a car at Malaga airport – Avoid hidden costs!

Posted on September 15, 2025
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Posted in News
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No one wants to overpay for a certain service. Hiring a car at Malaga airport in particular has acquired a bit of a bad reputation, as customers are often surprised by expenses that are not clearly specified in advance or broken down into the supposed final price.

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Hiring a car at Malaga airport

We at Malagacar.com like things to be clear. Below, we explain everything you need to know about our car hire Malaga airport services.

In addition, we clarify our available services, so that your experience of hiring a car with us is satisfactory from start to finish.

Extra charges, yes, but hidden? No!

Well, to be honest, which one of us reads in full the Terms and Conditions when we hire a car? But even those who do, may encounter certain opacities regarding extra charges that result in unpleasant surprises when picking up their car. Frankly, it’s not the best way to start a well-deserved vacation!

The extra charges added to the basic car rental are a reality.

Below, we explain our extra charges, which are also broken down in your booking, so that you know at all times what you have to pay when hiring a car at Malaga airport with Malagacar.com.

Typical extra charges

Unavoidable extra charges

Typical charges added to the basic car price are baby seats, child booster seats, or GPS. These are additional services.

Another unavoidable charge will depend on the age of the drivers:

Young drivers are subject to special Terms and Conditions, depending on their age and the car they rent from us.

The same applies to drivers over 75 years of age, who must purchase additional insurance.

Car rental pick-up between 11:00 pm and 8:00 am. If your flight lands during this time, you won’t be able to avoid paying this surcharge.

Damage to the vehicle’s interior, clutch, lost keys, or incorrectly refueled. This point is very important. Negligence of this type is not covered, even by our Full Package, and will be entirely at the renter’s expense.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in all rental vehicles. This rule was introduced relatively recently, based on feedback from many non-smoking clients, as the smell of smoke is very difficult to remove from fabrics and causes considerable discomfort. Failure to comply will result in a charge for additional cleaning.

If the vehicle receives a fine during the rental period, the lessee or primary driver will be responsible. Fine processing incurs a fee of €40.

In the event of an accident or damage to the vehicle: The customer is required to complete an accident/damage report and submit it to our office. Malagacar.com will charge €50 for processing the accident. If the insurance determines that the incident was not the customer’s fault, this amount will be refunded. If, on the other hand, the customer does not report the incident, the processing fee will be €150.

Excessive mileage. With our Full Package, you have unlimited mileage. But keep in mind that you’ll have to return to our office and exchange the car before you’ve reached 2,500 km. If you don’t return the car before the specified limit, a penalty will be applied.

Avoidable extra charges

Aeropuerto Malaga — A surcharge applies for pickup between 11 pm and 8 am.

One avoidable charge is for late car pickup between 11 pm and 8 am. Knowing that picking up your car during this time incurs a €35 surcharge, you might want to consider whether it’s worth taking a cheap flight that arrives so late (plus the inconvenience of having to drive to your final destination).

Another avoidable charge is the additional driver. Here at Malagacar.com, we offer two different packages to choose from: the Basic Rate and the Full Pack Rate. You only have to pay for the additional driver if you choose the Basic Rate.

Along the same lines, there’s also free roadside assistance. Our Full Package Rate already includes this service, which isn’t covered in the Basic Rate.

The excess. Does the package you’ve chosen include insurance with an excess? If you don’t want unpleasant surprises from scratches when parking your car on the street, with our Full Package you’re fully covered for any incidents.

And finally, excess mileage. If you drive a lot of miles while driving one of our Basic Rate cars, there will also be a surcharge for each additional kilometre. While with the Full Package, you can enjoy unlimited mileage. If you plan to drive a lot of miles, you’ll have to return to our office and exchange your car before you’ve reached 2,500 km.