Balearic Islands Car Hire: Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca

For a beach week in one resort, probably not. The transfers are short: Palma airport to Santa Ponsa is about 20 minutes and even Can Picafort, on Mallorca's north-east coast, is roughly 38 minutes away. On Ibiza, Santa Eulària des Riu is about 16 minutes from the airport, and on Menorca, Maó is practically next door to the runway. A package transfer covers that easily.

The case for a car is the sightseeing. Mallorca's best-known sights are spread around the island: the Roman site of Pollentia and the old town of l'Alcúdia in the north, the Son Real necropolis near Can Picafort, the caves at Porto Cristo in the east and the protected headland of Punta de n'Amer by Cala Millor. Linking several of those in a single day is far easier with your own wheels. On Ibiza, a car opens up beaches such as Platja des Niu Blau and Cala Pada, and on Menorca it gets you to archaeological sites like Sa Cudia Cremada and Cornia Nou outside Maó.

The simplest option is to pick up at the airport you fly into: Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Ibiza (IBZ) or Menorca (MAH), all served by direct flights from the UK. Collecting on arrival means you drive straight to your hotel, whether that is in Calvià, Magaluf or Sant Antoni de Portmany.

If you only want a car for two or three days of a fortnight, another approach is to take the package transfer to your resort and arrange a shorter rental later in the stay. Larger resorts such as Alcúdia, Port de Pollença, Santa Ponsa and Santa Eulària des Riu are natural bases for that. The comparison on this page lets you check pick-up locations and dates side by side.

Think of each island separately. A car hired in Mallorca stays in Mallorca unless your rental terms say otherwise, and there are ferry ports at Palma and Ibiza if you are tempted to island-hop; check the conditions before you plan a crossing with a hire car. Formentera is a separate island again, so don't assume your Ibiza car can go there.

Summer heat matters behind the wheel. July and August average highs of around 32°C in Palma, so air conditioning is worth having and a shaded parking spot is worth hunting for at beaches and sights. May and June, with highs of 24°C to 29°C and few rainy days, are the most comfortable months for touring. September and October bring more rain, with around nine or ten wet days a month, so allow a little extra time on the road then.

Choose a full-to-full fuel policy where you can: you collect the car with a full tank and return it full, paying only for the fuel you use. Read the excess carefully, as the standard figure can be high, and decide in advance whether you want excess cover rather than being talked into it at the desk after a flight.

If you are travelling with children, book child seats at the same time as the car, especially in the school holidays when demand on the islands peaks. Bring your UK driving licence and the card in the main driver's name. Compare the live car-hire options on this page, alongside package holidays and tours and tickets, to see which mix suits your trip.