Altea
Contrary to what you would expect from a small town, Altea does have car rental — in the typically Spanish format: not standalone desks but local garages acting as franchisees of international brands.
What it costs
There is no public per-class price list for this town: the big companies price dynamically by date. As a benchmark from price aggregators (Kayak, DiscoverCars, November 2026), a small car on the Costa Blanca costs around €25–40 per day off-peak, and two to three times that in summer.
Where to rent
- Enterprise (Av. Ametlla de Mar / Av. de Europa)office in townchain
- Free2Move Rent (Talleres Tresmovil)office in townchain
Good to know
- There is no direct AP-7 exit at Altea — the nearest are at l’Alfàs del Pi and Benidorm; locally you use the N-332.
- The old town is narrow streets and staircases and parking there is hard: it is easier to leave the car below and walk up.
- The TRAM light rail runs to Benidorm and Calpe, so a car is not essential for moving along the coast.
Rental terms in Spain
- The deposit (fianza) is blocked on a credit card: usually €800–2,000 depending on the class. Major chains often refuse debit cards. Buying out the excess at the desk costs €15–30 a day; a third-party policy bought in advance is cheaper.
- Minimum age is typically 21 with at least a year of driving experience. Drivers under 25 pay a young-driver fee of €10–25 a day, and some classes are off limits to them entirely.
- Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are parties to the Vienna Convention, as is Spain, so national licences are legally valid. But they are in Cyrillic, and in practice both rental desks and traffic police expect an International Driving Permit alongside the national one — bring it.
- Choose full-to-full: pick the car up with a full tank, return it full. Full-to-empty schemes almost always mean overpaying. Refuel within 10–15 km of the drop-off and photograph the dashboard and the receipt.
- Add a second driver when booking: at the desk it runs from €2 a day with some companies to €12 with others. The desk is also where you will be offered “super insurance” at a higher price than the same cover bought online.
- The AP-7 along the whole Costa Blanca and up to Valencia is currently toll-free, including the Alicante ring road. Paid sections remain only south of Crevillente.