Car Hire Lanzarote Puerto del Carmen: Do You Need a Car?

For a week of beach and pool, honestly, probably not. Fariones Playa is about half a mile from the centre, Playa de los Pocillos roughly two miles along the coast and Playa de Matagorda around two and a half, all within reach on foot or by a short taxi ride. Rancho Texas Park, the resort's zoo, is barely a mile away.

The case for car rental in Lanzarote and Puerto del Carmen grows when you want to see the island. Los Volcanes Natural Park, near Tías, is about 6 miles off, the Lanzarote Aeronautical Museum around 4 miles, and the ferry ports are further still: Arrecife about 6 miles, Playa Blanca roughly 11. Many British travellers hire for just two or three days in the middle of a fortnight rather than for the whole stay.

Lanzarote Airport (ACE) is the obvious place to pick up, with direct flights from the UK and a drive of only around six minutes to Puerto del Carmen and four to Tías. Collecting on arrival means no transfer to arrange and no queue for a taxi.

If you only want a car for part of your holiday, it can be worth comparing options to rent a car in Puerto del Carmen itself, then using a taxi for the short airport hop at either end. The comparison on this page lets you check both approaches side by side.

Distances here are short. Tías, the neighbouring town, is about 3 miles inland, and the aircraft-landing viewpoint at Matagorda, popular for watching planes come in to the airport, is roughly 3 miles from the centre. Few of the trips in this guide take you more than a dozen miles from your hotel.

The weather is on your side. Puerto del Carmen sees very little rain, with daytime highs from around 21°C in winter to 29°C in August, so wet roads are uncommon. In summer, keep water in the car and avoid leaving it parked in full sun for long if you can.

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 what you use. Read the excess terms carefully, as the amount you would be liable for in the event of damage varies, and decide before you travel whether you want cover to reduce it.

If you are travelling with children, reserve child seats at the time of booking rather than on arrival. Demand rises during UK school holidays, so booking early for those weeks gives you a wider choice of cars. You can compare live car-hire prices here, alongside package holidays, hotel prices and tours.