Planning to rent from Autoeeurope in Spain

Do you have a specific question? We rented from EuropCar - picked up car in Granada, drove to Sevilla, with 2 nights in Ronda in between. Roads are well signed and in good condition. Pick up and drop off were seamless. We had the IDP, and took out the max CDW for peace of mind. Have fun driving in Spain!

I don't think it's necessarily true that required equipment was not included in a rental, as long as you pick up the car in the same country where the law is in place. Travelers might not have been aware of the rules nor looked under the floor of the trunk/boot or other places where emergency gear could be stored. Per the summary in Rick's Spain book (p. 958), you need a reflective vest if you ever get out of your car on the side of a highway or unlit road, and you need a spare pair of prescription eyeglasses, if you use them.

I've been reading that folks are being required to prove that they are covered by their credit card insurance and then the proof turns out to be unacceptable. Thanks for info on extra glasses, we can easily bring a spare pair. Is it silly to assume if vests are required, they'd be in the car?

I've rented twice in Spain, both were Europcar cars, once through Autoeurope and once directly. Just check both websites and see who has the better price. Be sure to read the fine print with Autoeurope - sometimes fees that are included in the Europcar price are extra with Autoeurope. Both times I used the car to drive through the hill towns. Europcar has locations in Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Jerez (I've used them all). You do need an IDP (permit, not license) for each driver. I'd expect all the necessary equipment, esp. vests, to be provided - best to check before you drive off though. I can't think of any special equipment you'd need. GPS will be really helpful - especially getting in/out of Sevilla/Cordoba. I print out the insurance coverage pages from my credit card's website. Be sure to check - some of the companies have cut back on car insurance.

Where you pick up and return depends on what your itinerary is and how many nights you have for it.

Just passing on an experience -- when we returned our car, with a full tank of gas, the company rep asked us for a receipt from the gas station -- we didn't think we would need it so we threw it away. Make sure you understand what your obligations are, even if you don't read Spanish.

Jules, this June I rented a car in Spain for a week, through AutoEurope. In Spain, I actually dealt with Hertz to pick up the car in Cuenca, returning it at the San Sebastián Airport, and both ends went well. Before traveling, I also read and was concerned about this “required equipment”, but on the ground it was never mentioned, and I never noticed any of these items in the car. Of course, I was never stopped by police. I took zero deductible insurance when I reserved the car with AutoEurope, and glad I did. During my week with the car, I suffered a small but noticeable scrape on the side of the car in a small encounter with a hotel garage’s sliding door. There was a slight and friendly dispute with the hotel over whether a moving garage door hit me, or I hit a static door. I called Hertz customer service as required by the contract, and was told “you have zero deductible insurance, don’t worry about it”, same thing when I turned the car in. I doubt that using credit card insurance would have been so easy, as I was not about to take travel time to get police, or a police report, involved in a slight one-car incident on private property.