Car rental in Euskadi.

Discover everything that surrounds car rental in Euskadi, choose with knowledge.

After enjoying travel experiences with car rental companies around the world, we have decided to analyze the car rental market in our cities and airports, in our environment, in Euskadi. And the fact is that the prices of rental cars vary so quickly that it is often more difficult to choose between all the companies in this sector than to plan the trip itself.

Although the price is one of the fundamental factors when it comes to choosing one car rental company or another, we must point out that it is not everything. The rental conditions, the personalized attention, the condition of the vehicles, the possibilities of choosing between different pick-up points or the fact of being able to rent an electric car, are also, to a certain extent, to blame for the final choice. Throughout our life, there have been many companies with which we have had the opportunity to work, and although we have had the occasional altercation due to the peculiarities of some of them, in general terms all of them have been rewarding.

Now, is itworth renting a car to visit Euskadi? The answer is not as simple as it seems, it all depends on your tastes, budget and needs. If you only plan to visit the Basque cities, the most important urban centers of our land, the balance leans slightly towards “No”, on the contrary, if your tastes are more rural, more exotic, if you want to know the bowels of Euskal Herria, the balance leans towards “Yes” resoundingly.

Our recommendation is simple, plan the places to visit, know your connections with public transport, study their rates / frequencies and choose accordingly. Although there are services such as Sagardobus (complete services that take us by bus to the sagardotegis) or the txakolibus (service that shows us the txakoli wineries of the region of Uribe) for many people they are not enough to know at their own pace the charms of these places.

There are many car rental companies in the Basque Country, but today, we wanted to put them face to face, comparing every detail of their services. Which car rental company in the Basque Country will be the best? Stay tuned because we are getting started!

Euskadi: The Basque Country is a very complete people, a land, in which we find all kinds of spaces. The natural, historical, cultural and gastronomic richness has catapulted tourism in Euskadi in recent years. A new sector, to which the diversity of Euskal Herria has contributed so that the trips of all the people who visit us become a unique experience. An example of this diversity is the fusion of innovation with tradition, industry with agricultural activity or urban spaces with rural spaces. And it is in the latter, in rural environments, where having your own vehicle, a rental car, offers flexibility and comfort, freedom. Like the visits to the wine cellars of txakoli or sagardotegis (cider mills), the rural tourism in Euskadi is on the rise. And, if the Basque Country is known for something, it is for the attractions that it has scattered throughout its territory, among them:

All of them are places where public transport does not offer us the frequencies, lines and fares that we would all like and where a private vehicle may be practically necessary.

Companies: In our particular comparison of car rental in Euskadi, we have included a nice mix of companies among which we find Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, Hertz, Sixt and Gaursa Rent a Car. A list, in which not all the options of the market are present (it is impossible for us to analyze all the existing companies), but a good part of the leading companies of the sector are present.

Price Comparison: In order to compare the rental prices in Euskadi we have skipped all the car comparison websites, where the result and positioning of each company may be incentivized by some of them (we recommend you to do the same). The prices that you see in this comparison have been taken directly from the web pages of each of the car rental companies present here. A simulation, carried out for the rental of a car from Bilbao airport in the month of January (20/01/2018).

In this section, the Basque company Gaursa Rent a Car, surprised us by offering a much lower price than the rest of the companies .

Comparison of conditions: Once we are clear about the prices, let’s compare the conditions offered by each of these companies, because price is not everything. In this section, most of the characteristics are usually very similar, making the excesses of comprehensive insurance a great concern among regular users to make online reservations. Let’s see who offers the best solutions:

As you can see, as far as insurance excesses are concerned, Sixt is the company with which we must pay the least amount in case our vehicle has an accident, on the contrary, Avis is the one that offers the highest excess.

Comparison of vehicles: Although many people are indifferent to the vehicle that each company offers, it is another variable to take into account. Having the latest models for rent is synonymous of having better security, more comfort and lower consumption (which means savings for the user). Although many of them have more or less the same car models, we are going to compare them for you:

As you can see, all of them are modern, new models.

The electric car that Gaursa Rent a Car shows among its most profitable vehicles has caught our attention, because, as France has shown, electric cars are the future.

Electric cars are the most effective solution to try to save the planet. A fact, to which we can add that the price we have found, is still very competitive when compared to other prices offered for diesel and gasoline cars (even cheaper). Renewable energy, clean and that also means a reduction in the cost of renting the vehicle, as we save the price of fuel. Next time, we have it clear, electric vehicle.

Online rental: According to user surveys, online car rental has become one of the most used methods in the world, and computers, cell phones and tablets already account for more than 50% of total bookings. It is clear that convenience at the time of booking is another fundamental factor when choosing the company with which to hire this type of service. In this sense, we have analyzed all the websites mentioned, and apart from some that could be improved, all of them have interfaces (screens) that are easy to interpret and fill in. You know, the typical, date of entry, date of exit, pick-up time, delivery time, type of car, driver’s age…

Communication and attention: Nowadays, in the era of online communication, response times and the means in which it is provided are very important for the users who visit us. Thus, we have valued very positively, the fact that in addition to telephone and email, companies have active profiles in the most important social networks, as well as a telephone with active WhatsApp service.

Most of the time we contact them looking for help, we do not want the rental company’s own customer service to represent a new problem. In our humble opinion, we believe that good treatment and the possibility of communication by any means are fundamental. A service that, in addition to being free of charge, should be fast and practical. Once again, Gaursa Rent a Car comes out victorious. We highlight its cell phone (not a 902 like the rest of the companies) and the WhatsApp service.

Offices: Although the highest percentage of car rental is at airports, it is clear that the more possibilities/options we have the better. So we have set out to check the branches or pick-up/drop-off points of each of them.

In this section it was logical that Gaursa Rent a Car was the one that offered us the most pick-up points, since being a company of the Gaursa Group, they have establishments all over the Basque Country. We were surprised not to find any company offering its services at the Bilbao Cruise Port, one of the most important entry points for travelers in recent years.

Conclusions: Once analyzed all the sections that influence when opting for one of the many car rental companies in Euskadi (price, conditions, vehicles, attention, branches…), we have been able to verify that a Basque company, a local company, is the clear winner, Gaursa Rent a Car. We are glad to see that a Basque company with branches spread all over the Basque Country, is able to compete head to head against the giants of this sector. And as you can see, Gaursa Rent a Car has had no rival in this complete comparison of car rental in the Basque Country. What do you think?

Gaursa Rent a car experience: Since Gaursa Rent a Car is the best option to rent a car in the Basque Country, we wanted to check their services in person, and who in their right mind would recommend something without trying it first?

Our experiences with Gaursa Rent a Car have been repeated up to 2 times, the first in Olite and the second in Donostia San Sebastian. Both equally gratifying. Jon, Lander, Lourdes and the rest of the Gaursa Rent a Car team were a very important pillar in our experience, and the convenience of sending a WhatsApp to solve doubts is a real joy.

The pick-up and delivery point we selected was the Gaursa office on Bilbao’s Gran Vía, very close to the Euskalduna Palace, San Mames Stadium and the Bilbao Maritime Museum.

Upon arrival at the office, Lander and Jon, 2 of the people who make up the Gaursa Rent a Car team, explained the details of our reservation and later accompanied us to the first floor, to the garage, where Lander gave us the vehicles explaining in detail the operation of each of them. The cars, a Renault Megane and a Renault Scenic were spotless, with very few kilometers, latest models, comfortable to drive and with all the extras on the market. A joy!

Upon arrival, we used the WhatsApp application to solve any doubt or inconvenience. Remember that as with all car rental companies, the fuel tank must be delivered as it was found, full. One thing we have clear, the service offered by Gaursa Rent a Car, close, quality and comfortable provides everything you need to enjoy any trip to Euskadi without any concern, so, if you compare prices and Gaursa Rent a Car, happens to be among the best deals, our recommendation is to hire their services. You will not regret it.

If in your getaway to the Basque Country you are planning to leave the cities to explore the heart of Euskadi, having a rental car can help you to make the most of your stay in the Basque Country. Now you choose. Ondo pasa!