Car rental for foreigners

From €19 per day, car rental for foreigners in Barcelona starts with 136 cars across 14 classes — from the Fiat Panda and Kia Picanto in Economy to Exotic models at €896 per day. We deliver the car to you anywhere in the city, and the booking is agreed with a manager beforehand.

What car rental for foreigners in Barcelona includes

Rent-Trip is a self-drive car rental for foreigners in Barcelona: 136 cars on this page, from €19 a day, and the whole booking is a conversation with a manager rather than an online checkout. You tell us the dates, the model and where you want the car; we agree the terms and bring the vehicle to you.

How self-drive works for a foreign visitor

We hand over the car to you and you drive it yourself — without a chauffeur, no guide, no fixed route. Our fleet on this page covers 14 classes, from a Fiat Panda at €19 a day to Exotic cars at €896, so the choice is about your trip rather than about what happens to be left on the lot. Because the booking is agreed with a manager, the model, the dates and the delivery point are settled before the car reaches you — not at the kerb with a queue behind you.

What is agreed before the car reaches you

• Model and class: the exact car is confirmed with a manager, so you are not choosing blind from a category list.
• Delivery point: the address is agreed when booking, whether that is a hotel, an apartment or another meeting point.
• Rental agreement: the terms are set out in the rental agreement, not quoted in advance.
• Gearbox and fuel: automatic or manual, petrol, hybrid or electric — settled in advance, not on the day.

What the price covers and what it does not

The daily rate is the number you see: €19 for an Economy car, €114 a week, €399 a month, with weekly counted as daily × 6 and monthly as daily × 21. Beyond the rate itself, the terms are set out in the rental agreement — we do not quote them as figures here, because they depend on the class and the terms you sign. The compulsory third-party cover is included by law in any booking in Spain, so the car is legal on the road from the first metre.

Car rental for foreigners in Barcelona documents

Spanish rental law splits drivers into two groups, and the paperwork follows that split. What you hold, what you carry and what we agree with you at booking all depend on which group you fall into.

Which licences are valid in Spain

An EU/EEA licence is valid in Spain as it is, for as long as it has not expired. A third-country licence is valid if three things are true at once: the licence is in force, you are old enough for the equivalent category, and no more than six months have passed since you took up ordinary residence in Spain. The Permiso Internacional de Conducción is a supplement, not a substitute — it is shown only together with your passport and your national licence, it runs for one year, and it comes as a grey triptych cover with 16 pages in Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian. The DGT advises getting one before the trip.

Non-Latin licences and sworn translation

A licence that is not in Spanish is accepted either with an official sworn Spanish translation or if it was issued on the model of Annex 9 of the Geneva Convention or Annex 6 of the Vienna Convention. For Cyrillic, Arabic or character-based licences this in practice means an IDP or a certified translation — the two are alternatives, not a pair.

Passport, card and minimum age

You may drive in Spain from 18 for category B.

Classes and prices for car rental for foreigners in Barcelona

Our 136 cars on this page run from €19 to €1,490 a day across 14 classes.

Classes and daily prices

Weekly pricing is daily multiplied by six and monthly is daily multiplied by 21, so the same €19 Economy car comes to €114 for a week and €399 for a month. That arithmetic is worth doing yourself before you pick a class: a Convertible at €35 a day is €210 a week.

Which model fits your trip

• Two to four seats: Fiat Panda, Fiat Pandina, Toyota Aygo and Fiat 500 cover couples and solo travellers at €19–€22 a day.
• Five seats: Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Dacia Sandero, Kia Rio, Citroen C3, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i20, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and Volkswagen Polo — the widest choice on the page, all Economy.
• Nine seats: Passenger vans are the only class here that reaches nine, so book that class early if your group is that size.
• Zero fuel stops: Citroen e-C3, Fiat 500e, Peugeot e-208 and Renault 5 E-Tech start the Electric class at €34.

Renting a car in Barcelona automatic or manual

Most of our Economy cars are manual, but automatics start at €26 with the Lancia Ypsilon and €29 with the Toyota Yaris.

What transmission and fuel actually cost you

Manual is the base in Spanish rental and automatic is a separate, dearer class — book it early if you need it. Among our 136 cars, the manual Economy group runs from €19: the Fiat Panda, Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto at 1.0 L and 67–70 hp, then the Fiat Pandina, Toyota Aygo and Dacia Sandero at €20–€22. Automatics begin at €26 with the Lancia Ypsilon (1.2 L, 100 hp, hybrid) and €29 with the Toyota Yaris (1.5 L, 116 hp, hybrid). Fuels across the fleet cover Petrol, Diesel, Hybrid, Mild Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, Petrol/LPG and Electric, so a Dacia Sandero at €22 a day burns LPG while a Renault Clio at €25 runs hybrid.

Petrol, diesel or electric in Barcelona

Electric cars on this page start at €34 with the Citroen e-C3 and Fiat 500e, both automatic and front-wheel drive, and climb through the Peugeot e-208 and Renault 5 E-Tech at €38 to the Citroen e-C3 Aircross at €40. The city runs the Zona de Bajas Emisiones Rondes de Barcelona (ZBE Rondes BCN), covering more than 95 km² — the whole municipality except the Zona Franca industrial area and the Vallvidrera – el Tibidabo i les Planes neighbourhood, plus L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs and parts of Esplugues de Llobregat and Cornellà de Llobregat.

What to check before you choose

• Charging habit: EcoOne bills per kWh used rather than per session, so a short top-up costs less than a full charge.

Driving rules for car rental for foreigners in Barcelona

Spain drives on the right and every car we hand over is left-hand drive.

The ZBE Rondes de Barcelona low-emission zone

Zona de Bajas Emisiones Rondes de Barcelona (ZBE Rondes BCN), known in Catalan as Zona de Baixes Emissions Rondes de Barcelona, covers more than 95 km² and reaches well beyond the administrative border of the city itself. It operates on working days, Monday to Friday.

Alcohol, phones and child seats

• Phone: 200 EUR, with six points if the phone was held in the hand rather than used hands-free.
• Seat belt, helmet, child seat: 200 EUR and four points; the driver answers for a child travelling without a restraint.
• Child restraints (SRI): compulsory for children under 135 cm tall; from 135 cm the standard belt is allowed.
• Fines: leve up to 100 EUR without points, grave 200 EUR, muy grave 500 EUR and always points, with a 50% reduction if paid within 20 calendar days.

Car hire for foreigners in Barcelona parking and tolls

Street parking in Barcelona is run by the municipality through metered zones. The green zones are dearer and prioritise residents.

What drivers pay and when

Metered hours: paid parking applies during the posted AREA hours.

Trips out of town with car rental for foreigners in Barcelona

Barcelona sits between the sea and a ring of hills, and the roads that leave it are the reason many visitors take a car at all. Rent-Trip vehicles are delivered to you, so a day trip starts from your own address rather than a depot on the edge of town.

Routes we have pages for

• Montserrat: the mountain monastery, a climb inland from the city into the hills above the Llobregat valley.
• Costa Brava: the northern coast, a run of beaches and coves.
• Girona: the old quarter and the cathedral, a day trip north-east of Barcelona.
• Tarragona and PortAventura: a run south of the city, an easy day out for anyone who wants a longer drive than the coastal hop to Sitges.
• Penedès wine country: the vineyards and cava cellars of the Penedès, an easy drive west of the city.
• Andorra and the Pyrenees: the mountains to the north, with La Cerdanya beyond the Túnel del Cadí.

Tolls on the way out

The Túnel del Cadí on the Pyrenees route is a separate charge. Tolls are paid by the driver.

Before you set off

• Timing: August is the busiest month of the year for overnight stays here, so leave early on coastal routes.

Keep the car within the territory agreed at booking.

Conclusion on car rental for foreigners in Barcelona

Car rental for foreigners here comes down to three things: the right licence, a booked class, and a clear plan for the city's low-emission zone. Everything else follows from them.

• Licence: an EU/EEA permit works in Spain as it is; a third-country permit works while it is in force, you meet the age for the category, and you have not held ordinary residence in Spain for more than six months.
• Non-Latin script: carry an International Driving Permit or an official sworn Spanish translation — for Cyrillic, Arabic or character-based licences one of the two is what makes the document readable at all.
• Class: 136 cars on this page span €19 to €1,490 a day across 14 classes, from an Economy hatchback at €19 to Exotic at €896; weekly is daily × 6 and monthly is daily × 21.

Two practical points decide how smooth the first hour goes. Book the class you actually need rather than the cheapest one — an automatic starts at €26 with the Lancia Ypsilon and €29 with the Toyota Yaris, and a group of seven needs a Minivan or Passenger van, not two Economy cars. If a trip out of town is on the plan — Sitges, Montserrat, the Penedès wine country — say so when you book, because the territory allowed for the car is part of what is agreed with a manager.