Since I need an automatic, I’m looking at Toyota Yaris hybrid as a choice. Otherwise I have it get a premium (Mercedes) to get automatic - booking through Costco Travel.
Anyone had experience with this car. Looks small - I’m 6’2”. Also unsure if the engine can handle the climbs.
In America I’m used to more powerful cars. Although I managed to drive through blue ridge parkway and Smokey’s in a small rental.
If you want an automatic, as you’ve found out, Costco offers only a few if any. In October we also rented through Costco travel and reserved a compact SUV. At pickup in Barajas airport we were offered an automatic for 15€ more per day. We stayed with the manual. One option for a better automatic selection is to rent directly from the rental company website. I have no experience with a Yaris. You may get a Yaris or a similar vehicle, and you won’t know what it is until you’re picking up the vehicle. Go to a Toyota dealer and test drive one. On our trip we reserved a Seat Arona and got a Kia Stonic.
As an FYI, unlike in the U.S. where your rental will have a full tank of fuel at pick up, that’s not necessarily the case in Spain. In 2023 my rental had 3/8 tank of fuel. In 2024 the rental was essentially empty and the contract stated so. I had gone about 12km when the low fuel light came on. When you return it, ensure it has the same amount of fuel. On my 2024 rental I returned it with a little more fuel than when I got it and Enterprise gave me a credit of 25€ when I mentioned it. I did have photos of the fuel gauge from when I picked it up.
Also, after reserving a vehicle check back every couple weeks to see if the price goes down. Like airline tickets, prices always fluctuate. If it goes down, make a new reservation then cancel the original (no cancellation fees with Costco). I’ve ended up with prices 60% of what the original price was.
Does the rental company really have a Yaris in the fleet?
Looks like Toyota stopped building it in 2020---https://www.toyota.com/yaris-family/
With that class of car you won't be the fastest car on the road, but it will go anywhere there is a paved road.
https://www.toyota.es/coches/yaris, TOYOTA in the USA does not offer (as most brands) the same cars as they do in Europe (for example, I own a Ford S-Max which is made in Spain and it does not exist in the US market). It´ll be a brand new car, no worries on that side. It´s small compared to the average cars driven in the USA, but check if the version offered has at least 75HP, otherwise you may feel lack of power on some of the mountain driving.
As an FYI, unlike in the U.S. where your rental will have a full tank of fuel at pick up, that’s not the case in Spain
It depends on the rental agency. Every car I've ever rented in Spain came with a full tank of fuel. I mainly use Avis, Hertz, Budget, Enterprise and Sixt.
As for the Yaris, I'm 6'3" and would be very uncomfortable in one. I wouldn't want to drive the mountains in it either. I'd go for the Mercedes.
The car (Yaris) can handle the drive, but at your size, it does become an issue of your comfort (vs price or fuel economy).
I've driven countless "small" cars in Europe and never struggled in the mountains and always appreciated the petite size in the small towns and cities. That being said, I also almost always have a manual, so sticking in a lower gear on mountain switchbacks was easy (and FUN!).
Being small car definitely helps in finding a parking spot easier. I would not worry about power and size, if no one travels on the back seat you can pull your driver´s seat backwards for a better adjustment. I assume there´s nothing between a small Yaris and an expensive Mercedes? No SEAT, PEUGEOT, CITROEN, KIA..., available?
You'll probably find a better selection of automatic cars from Sixt. In recent years they seem to be going towards all or mostly automatics
Anywhere a road, even a country road, reaches... any modern car will handle, no matter the size. Besides, as per "regulations" in Spain, any paved road has a maximum slope that any of these modern cars can handle. I insist on "paved" and "modern", if you were to drive an old car, that might not be the case for all these roads I am referring to.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and for your suggestions. As suggested, I also checked directly with Alamao and Enterprise. I might be able to get a Hyundai Ioniq which I drove in the UK (hybrid). I was pleasantly surprised by it being used to larger cars in the U.S.. In the grand scheme of things, the price diff is not that much in absolute terms. The Mercedes will give me better ride/comfort/safety. The Yaris will be better on petrol/gas, easier to fit smaller parking spots and less noticed.
I’m unsure how worried I should be with theft/break in/vandalism. On 3 of the six days we will have our stuff in the car as we make way between Sevila and the various towns in Andalucia, returning back to Seville.
In England, Scotland, Germany and Norway, these were not considerations - those are the only European countries I’ve driven in.
I’m unsure how worried I should be with theft/break in/vandalism. On 3 of the six days we will have our stuff in the car as we make way between Sevila and the various towns in Andalucia, returning back to Seville.
In England, Scotland, Germany and Norway, these were not considerations - those are the only European countries I’ve driven in
I would disagree... as a rule of thumb, it's best NOT to leave stuff in the car -not even in the boot/trunk- as breaking-ins DO occur. And this works for many places in Europe, including those other countries you mention.
Having said that, it's indeed less likely in remote or small towns, yet it's not guaranteed -especially if these are in very touristy areas... again, be Benidorm, Blackpool, Oban or Füssen, just to name places in those other countries.
There's no need to panic, breaking-ins are not "a plague", but simply don't have a false sense of security just because you are not in a big city.
I agree that between locations and when visiting small towns and villages, leave nothing out in the open, don’t open the trunk after parking in case somebody is watching, and park in an area where people and cars go by rather than an obscure/remote place. If possible, back into a parking place by a wall and close enough to it so nobody could get between the wall and trunk/hatchback to open it.
I always get a rental car, have stopped at hundreds of small towns and out of the way locations, and have never had a problem. Not that it can’t happen, but don’t worry too much about it.
Thanks, Eric snd Jaime. Points taken. We will take steps to minimize visually obvious things. It is not possible not to have our luggage in the car between two places. So, if we stop anywhere, and park, our bags will be in the car. We won’t leave valuables like money/passport/cameras etc in the car.
My reference to other countries was not to say, their crime rate is 0, rather, this was not something of consideration. Somewhere between Scottish lochs or Norwegian Fjords and Johannesburg, there is probably a wide swath of risk considerations. I was trying get a sense of the risk in the white towns.
What I’m getting is take precautions, avoid flaunting, don’t leave valuables visible, but not to panic and go enjoy. Based on the feedback, I’m sticking with the Yaris hybrid.
Thanks again to all for your insights and perspectives.
