Car rental at Alicante Airport (ALC) - rental desks in the ground-floor arrivals hall. Compare deals from 12+ operators serving the Costa Blanca.
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Sample prices for a 7-day rental. Final price, deposit and terms are confirmed on Localrent.
One terminal, simple layout
Desks on the ground floor of arrivals at Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC).
No-deposit options
About a third of cars in Spain come with no deposit hold at pickup - look for the "No deposit" badge.
Full insurance
Zero-excess cover available on most cars - nothing taken from the deposit if something happens.
Free cancellation
Cancel free on most bookings, often up to 48 hours before pickup.
Most of the Costa Blanca is motorway and coast road, with a few hill climbs inland. Pick by group size and luggage, not by looks.
Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC) is the main gateway to the Costa Blanca, and the terminal is one building since 2011, so the rental setup is quick to navigate.
The car rental offices are on the ground floor of arrivals. After you clear the baggage hall and walk through into the arrivals lobby, the in-terminal desks are signposted to your right. On-site brands with counters here include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Goldcar and Record Go. The cars are in the multi-level garage next door. A car park is connected to the terminal by a walkway, and it is also the drop-off and pick-up point for rental cars.
Shuttle suppliers at ALC
Some of the cheaper rates are with companies that keep their offices just outside the airport and run a free shuttle:
If you booked a shuttle supplier, take the lift down to Level -2 and follow the signs for the rental shuttle pick-up. Your voucher confirms which desk or shuttle point is yours - check it before you land.
Payment and deposit
When you book you pay only a small upfront amount - usually 15-20% of the hire cost. The rest is settled at the desk on pickup. The deposit in most cases is fully refundable, and about a third of cars in Spain are handed over with no deposit at all - those are marked in the results. If you only have a debit card, pick a no-deposit rate or a cash-deposit option: nothing gets frozen on your card.
Bring your voucher, a driving licence held for at least a year, a passport or photo ID, and the card used to book. The minimum legal age to hire in Spain is 18, but most companies set their own limit at 21 or older. Drivers under 25 generally pay a young-driver surcharge.
During peak season from June to September the counters get busy, so factor in some wait time. Many of the big desks run late into the evening, but hours vary, so if your flight lands after midnight, check your supplier's closing time before booking. After-hours returns are usually possible too, often by leaving the keys in a drop box - some shuttle suppliers charge a small fee for it, so confirm on your voucher. Before you drive off, walk round the car and photograph any existing scratches.
The airport access road is the N-338, which feeds straight onto the A-70 and the N-332 - the two roads you use for the whole Costa Blanca. The airport is about 12 km from the city centre, a 15 to 20 minute drive, with most drivers taking the A-70 or the N-332.
For the resorts, the directions split by direction. Benidorm is about 40 to 45 minutes via the AP-7 or A-70, and Torrevieja roughly 40 to 45 minutes south on the N-332 past the salt lagoons. The northern Costa Blanca around Calpe is between one hour and one hour fifteen via the AP-7.
One road note: leaving the airport you reach a roundabout where a left turn takes you to the AP-7 motorway and a right slip onto the N-332; parts of the AP-7 are toll, and most booths take cards. Alicante has no city low-emission zone to worry about, so a hire car drives into the centre freely.
When you return, fill up before the airport as on-site fuel is dearer. There is a Galp station two kilometres south and one in front of the airport. Then follow the "car hire return" signs to your supplier's bay in the garage, or to the shuttle point if you booked off-site.
On the ground floor of the arrivals hall in the single terminal, signposted to your right after the baggage hall. The cars are in the connected multi-level car park reached by a walkway.
Shuttle suppliers like Centauro and Drivalia run a free bus to an office a few minutes away - your voucher states which applies to you.
Many desks open into the evening, but hours vary by supplier and season. If you land after midnight, check your chosen company's closing time before booking so your pickup is not missed.
After-hours returns are usually possible by key drop, sometimes for a small fee.
About 15 to 20 minutes into Alicante city via the A-70 or N-332. Benidorm and Torrevieja are both around 40 to 45 minutes, and Calpe and the northern Costa Blanca about an hour to an hour fifteen via the AP-7.
Some AP-7 sections still carry a toll.
A credit card is not always required - it is needed to hold the security deposit. At pickup the supplier freezes the deposit amount on the card: the money is not charged and is released when you return the car undamaged.
To avoid a hold, choose a full cover or no-deposit rate - then a debit card is usually fine and there is no pressure to buy extra cover at the desk.
The deposit is an amount the rental company holds as a guarantee for the car. Road fines or damage can be deducted from it.
If the car comes back without problems, the deposit is released in full. It is a temporary hold on your card, not a charge.
It depends on the car class and the supplier - you can see the exact amount on each car's card.
You can set a maximum deposit in the filter and the catalogue shows only matching offers. The lower you set it, the fewer cars remain.
Yes. To see cars with no deposit, use the «No deposit» filter option. There are also cars with a small deposit or cash payment.
Note that "no deposit" means no hold at pickup, not no booking payment - a small upfront amount is still taken when you book. If nothing suits, contact our support team.
The deposit is the amount frozen on your card at pickup and released when you return the car undamaged.
The excess is the part of any damage you pay yourself even with insurance - anything above it is covered by the insurer.
In practice, damage is taken from the deposit up to the excess, so the deposit is often set to match it. A full, zero-excess policy removes both: you do not pay for damage and the hold is usually waived.
Cover comes in levels:
You see the available rates on each car's card when booking.
If you would rather not depend on the deposit and excess, choose the full rate.
Yes, some cars can be paid in cash - use the «Cash» filter option.
You pay a small upfront amount by debit or credit card when booking (usually 15-20% of the total), and the rest in cash at pickup in the terminal.
Yes, paying for the car with cryptocurrency is possible - contact our support team to arrange it.
Yes. In the search, set a pick-up and a drop-off point - for example collect at ALC and return in Benidorm, Torrevieja or Valencia.
By default the car is returned to the same place you collected it.
Most are manual, as across Spain. Automatics are in shorter supply and cost more, so book one well ahead if you need it. The same applies to 7-seaters in summer.
You need a passport, a driving licence and the rental voucher - the voucher can be shown on your phone or tablet.
It states the final price with your chosen options and insurance, so the amount due at the desk will not change.
To hire through our rental companies you need at least 2 years of driving experience.
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