Best car for 4 adults

I've been very happy with Autoeurope. The mountains highways esp. around Grazelema and Zahara can be narrow, with no shoulder. That's not to say you shouldn't go to those cities, they were my favorites. You can park on the fringe of the white villages and walk deeper into the towns which is what I recommend. Maybe someone could recommend a specific car park in Gibraltar with some type of security. I haven't been to Gibraltar, if memory serves me, it isn't a big favorite of those on the forum. I recall at least 3 car rentals by the Granada train station. I should think you could find something. Hertz and Europcar are the two I remember, maybe the third was Avis??

Kemwel lets you compare a number of rental companies at once. I always found the station wagon a good option at a reasonable cost. It also has a cover to go over the luggage should you need it.

Mid size station wagon would work. Even then, their cargo area is just good for four 21" carry on rolling suitcases.
We shop AutoEurope.com and Hertz.com because we most often get a Hertz car from either. We go for which ever is cheaper. I'm a Hertz frequent renter (which is free to join) and I get a discount.
Not all the car rental companies in Europe are managed the same, despite the names. Some are franchises of U.S. named car rentals, but they're not necessarily well run. Hertz is usually a company store, which I like.

We always rent from Avis. Car trunks seem to be generally smaller in Europe than in the states, so to get a car for the luggage you’ll have you probably need a mid-sized SUV. Remember that what you reserve may not be what you get at pickup. You’ll get what is available when you pick it up. It won’t be smaller than you reserved, but will most likely not be the make or model you reserved. On many occasions we’ve received an upgrade to a larger car. If you want an automatic, ensure it is specified when you make the reservation. Automatics are not common with the rental companies. For the places you’re going, a mid-sized will be just fine and you will have no problem. A recommendation, if you drive to Arcos de la Frontera, park at the bottom of the hill and either walk or take the tram/bus type vehicle up to the church and overlook. That road is very, very, narrow up to the church and there are a couple 90 degree turns on the way down. It would be very easy to scrape the side or front of the car. On the good side, liability insurance is mandatory and included in the rental price. Also, the distance between Zahara de la Sierra and Grazalema is only 6 or so miles, but because of the curves, will take about 30 minutes, especially if you are behind another vehicle.

Some liability coverage is mandatory. Full coverage is not. I recommend full (no deductable) insurance if you will be driving in the mountains/white villages. We never purchase additional insurance and this time we did and were grateful because we did scrape some walls in Grazelema

We always book with AutoEurope. They have info on how many people and PCs of luggage fit in each car.

As Jules M stated, Liability insurance is compulsory in Europe and is included in the price of the rental. You could be liable for a deductible, so many people choose additional full coverage for piece of mind. Sometimes I purchase it sometime not. A few years ago, I got a grapefruit sized dent in a fender in a parking garage in Sevilla, from someone backing into the car, and never heard anything from Avis when I turned it in. Again, personal choice.

I would look at estate cars (station wagons). We rented from AutoEurope in Germany and got a brand new Opel Insignia with GPS. We fit two 30” suitcases and four 22” suitcases (the trunk was packed). I find that the rental car listings are not accurate as to how much luggage fits, so it’s hard to know! You’ll be fine with 4 carryons plus 4 day bags. The trunk is covered.

I agree that it's important to have a covered trunk. About specific car model--I have rented a car several times from National and sadly there was no choice every single time. They just told me that it was the last available automatic.

Hola from Wisconsin,

A trunk, excellent recommendation.
As small as you can get the four of you into. And don't take an upgrade to a larger car. Why? If you drive into any village or city with medieval roots, you will learn quickly how narrow some streets can become for a block or two or three. How sharply the streets turn. We had a VW Golf and went through Arcos de la Frontera. I made it no problem, but my years driving a gas truck in farmyards filled with everything from chickens to farm implements helped me not break into a full sweat.
Read Ricks suggestions for declining car rental insurance.
Most of the cars available are standard transmission, that means you have a shift pedal on the floor.
Drivers in Spain are very good. Read about proper driving technique.

wayne iNWi