Be aware of the Car Hire Fuel Policy used by the rental car companies, in particular in Spain.
Each car rental agent may apply a different fuel policy and specific terms and conditions regarding the charge associated with the fuel of the rental vehicle. Please read the specific terms and conditions that apply to your rental as these can vary depending on suppliers, cars and locations.
It is becoming a common practice in many locations in Spain such as Malaga, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia airports, that car hire companies implement the "full tank/empty tank" car hire policy. This is when the car is provided with a full tank of premium priced petrol up front. According to this car hire fuel policy the tank must be returned empty as the value of any unused fuel will not be refunded.
The preferred option is the "full/full" car hire fuel policy whereby the rental car is provided with a full tank of fuel and it must be dropped off also full, so you need to refill the tank in a petrol station just before you return the rental vehicle.
Most people are reluctant to choose the "full/ empty" car hire fuel policy at first, but there are same advantages too :-
Sometimes you get a “zero excess insurance” in the price and you also save the time of looking for the closest petrol station at the end of your rental, and the daily rental price is normally low.
If your rental period is for 3 days or more, then the impact of the full/empty car hire fuel policy may not be that dramatic, as you are likely to use the initial fuel provided by the vehicle supplier.
The three reasons why people do not like the full out, empty return car hire fuel policy:-
- The customer is given no choice.
- The fuel that is provided is expensive and charged at a premium rate, i.e. more than it would cost to fill the same vehicle at any local gas station.
- It is virtually impossible to return a car completely empty.
It is only fair to point out that in most cases the full out, empty return is provided on car groups that are very cheap indeed to rent. The full/full option is normally provided on larger group cars and the daily rent rate for these cars are much higher.
Tipoa Car Hire explain it well here in Spanish and English.
