Car Rental Ibiza: Airport Pick-Up and Island Driving Guide

If you plan to stay put in San Antonio or Santa Eulalia and walk to the nearest beach, you can manage without one. Transfers are short: the airport is roughly 12 minutes from Sant Antoni de Portmany and 16 from Santa Eulària des Riu, so arriving on a package holiday is painless either way.

The case for car hire in Ibiza is the coastline. The island's most-loved beaches are spread out rather than clustered: Cala Salada and Cala Bassa on the Sant Antoni side, Cala Llonga, Cala Pada and Platja des Niu Blau around Santa Eulària, Es Canar and Platja Pou d'es Lleó up towards Sant Carles de Peralta, and Cala Vadella, Sa Caleta and Cala d'Hort in the south-west around Es Cubells. Visiting several of them over a week, or reaching quieter spots like Cala de Sant Vicent, is far simpler with your own wheels.

A car also opens up Ibiza Town for an evening and less obvious stops such as the S'Argamassa Roman Fish Farm near Santa Eulària.

Ibiza Airport (IBZ) is the natural place to start, and it has direct flights from the UK. Car rental at Ibiza airport means you drive straight to your hotel rather than queueing for a transfer, and the short distances mean you are on the sun lounger quickly: around 8 minutes to Sant Josep de sa Talaia or Es Cubells, 12 to Sant Antoni de Portmany and 16 to Santa Eulària des Riu.

If you only want a car for a couple of days mid-holiday, picking up in a main resort such as San Antonio, Santa Eulalia or Ibiza Town can work better than paying for a full fortnight. The comparison on this page lets you check both airport and resort options side by side.

Arriving by sea is another route: Ibiza's ferry port lies about 7 miles from the island's centre, with crossings linking it to Dénia on the mainland and Palma on Mallorca.

Distances are modest. Most of the well-known beaches lie between about 5 and 12 miles from the middle of the island, so even the far south-west coves such as Cala d'Hort and Cala Vadella are an easy outing rather than a day-long expedition. That means plenty of short drives rather than motorway miles, and fuel goes a long way.

Summer heat is the bigger consideration. Average highs reach 28°C in June, 32°C in July and 31°C in August, so a car with reliable air conditioning matters, and an early start gets you to popular coves like Cala Comte or Cala Bassa before the crowds. Rain is rare in high summer but picks up in September, which averages nine rain days, so allow a little extra care on wet roads then.

April, June and October are among the best months to visit, and quieter roads in spring and autumn make them pleasant times for exploring by car.

Anyone hunting for cheap car hire in Ibiza should look past the headline daily rate. A full-to-full fuel policy, where you collect and return the car with a full tank, is usually the fairest arrangement, since short island trips rarely use a whole tank. Check the excess too, and decide before you travel whether you want cover to reduce it rather than deciding at the desk.

Families should book child seats at the same time as the car, especially for August and the school holidays, when demand across the Balearic Islands is high and prices tend to rise. If you are weighing luxury car hire in Ibiza against a small hatchback, remember that most journeys are short and many cove access roads are narrow, so a compact car is often the more relaxing choice.

Planning to take the car on a ferry to Dénia or Palma? Check the rental terms first, as not every agreement allows it. You can compare car hire prices from the airport and resorts directly on this page.