We rented a car in Mallorca in September 2026 with a four-year-old and a six-month-old in tow, landing at 18:30 on a Friday. The booking was made 34 days ahead through DiscoverCars with Centauro at Palma airport: an intermediate automatic for five days, €214.46 all in, including DiscoverCars’ own Full Coverage. The car was new, the deposit range on the voucher was €38–240, and the total was the best we found for an automatic in that class. These are the tips we would give a friend before their first Mallorca rental: what the price is really made of, how to pick a supplier when the cheapest ones have terrible reviews, the three road rules that cost fines in 2026, and what changes when you travel with small children. The company-by-company picture is in our full Mallorca car hire guide.
Palma on its own works without a car. The old town is walkable, the A1 airport bus runs every 15–20 minutes, and parking in Palma is expensive enough that a car there is a liability. Everywhere else on the island, the calculation flips. Bus coverage of the Tramuntana villages, the east-coast coves and the caves is thin, and once you add a pushchair, a nap schedule and a toddler who wants to leave the beach now, timetables stop being a plan.
We were based in Cala Millor on the east coast, about an hour from the airport on the Ma-15. Without a car the transfer alone would have cost more than a day of rental, and every outing after that would have depended on a taxi. With a car, the Safari Zoo, the Drach caves, Artà and half a dozen coves were all twenty minutes away. If you are staying anywhere outside Palma with children, take the car for the whole stay rather than trying to be clever about splitting it.
Mallorca has one of the largest rental fleets in Europe, with over 100 operators at Palma airport, and that competition keeps off-season prices genuinely low. The seasonal swing is steep, though. August averages around €50 a day for an economy car, roughly 70% above the yearly average, while the same car in February costs less than half that. Early September, when we travelled, sits in the middle: still warm, but the August surcharge is gone.
Seasonal Rate Ranges – Economy Car, Palma Airport
Aggregator data (DiscoverCars, KAYAK, momondo), re-checked September 2026
| Season | Economy €/day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Low (Nov–Feb) | €14–22 ($15–24) | Cheapest window, widest choice |
| Shoulder (Mar–May, Sep–Oct) | €18–32 ($20–35) | Best price-to-weather ratio |
| Peak (Jun–Aug) | €40–55 ($44–60) | Automatics sell out first |
Price by Month
Indicative economy-car daily rate, Palma airport pickup
The most reliable single lever on price is lead time. Booking 27 or more days ahead consistently lands a below-average rate; in peak season, waiting until the final week can double the price, and automatics disappear entirely. We booked on 1 August for a 4 September pickup, 34 days out, and paid €36.58 a day for an intermediate automatic before insurance.
Most rental advice talks in ranges. Here is one real September booking, taken straight from the voucher, so you can see what the number is made of.
Our Booking: Centauro via DiscoverCars, 4–9 September 2026
Palma airport (PMI), pickup Friday 18:30, return Wednesday 17:00, billed as 5 days
| Line item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate automatic (Cupra Formentor or similar), 5 days | €182.92 ($200) | €36.58/day, unlimited mileage, full-to-full fuel |
| Supplier zero-excess waiver (FDW), tyre & glass, theft, roadside assistance | Included | Part of the rate, not a counter upsell |
| DiscoverCars Full Coverage | €31.54 ($34) | €6.31/day, €3,000 limit, Sincera Insurance |
| Total charged | €214.46 ($234) | €42.89/day all in |
| Security deposit on the voucher | €38–240 | Flagged “lower than average for this class”; debit or credit card |
| Child seat (9–18 kg) | Booked in the form | Added in the booking form, paid at pickup |
Two things in that table matter more than the headline rate. First, the zero-excess waiver was already in the price, which is why the deposit was tiny; a rate €5 a day cheaper with a €1,200 hold is not actually cheaper. Second, we still added DiscoverCars’ Full Coverage, and we would again. Section 6 explains why.
This is where Mallorca differs from most destinations: the gap in quality between operators is far wider than the gap in price. The best-rated company on the island is a local family firm; the worst-rated is a household name. And the honest complication is that we booked one of the low-scoring ones and it went well.
Straightforward pricing without the counter negotiation, full-to-full fuel and a fleet generally newer than the budget chains. If you have had a bad rental experience on Mallorca before, this is usually where people end up next time.
A 2.3 score across 17,000+ reviews is a real signal, and the complaints cluster around deposits and fuel billing. What made it work for us was the way it was booked: a broker rate with the supplier’s zero-excess waiver already included, a €38–240 deposit, full-to-full fuel, Full Coverage on top, a child seat pre-booked, and a slow walk-around video at pickup and return. Take the same precautions and the low price is real. Skip them and you are relying on luck.
1.3 out of 5 across more than 54,000 reviews. A very large sample and a very low score together cannot be explained by a few unlucky customers. The pattern is counter pressure, large deposit holds and post-return damage charges, and it repeats in every airport we have covered.
Review Scores: Mallorca Rental Companies
Trustpilot aggregate ratings, checked August 2026
The full seven-company comparison, including ROIG, OK Mobility, Sixt and Record Go, is in our Mallorca car hire guide. One reading rule for the chart: a middling score from 30,000 reviews tells you more than a perfect score from 25.
Palma’s Son Sant Joan is Spain’s third-busiest airport and every summer flight seems to land at once. There are two pickup models. The big brands keep desks in the arrivals hall with the cars in the multi-storey opposite: no bus, but you pay the airport concession fee and still queue. Many cheaper operators, Centauro among them, sit a few minutes away and run a courtesy shuttle.
For Centauro you leave arrivals through exit gate 2, walk to the end of the platform and wait on the right for the yellow minibus to the Camí de Son Fangos office. Budget 10–20 minutes each way. On a five-day family trip that was a fair trade for a noticeably lower price; on a one-night stop it would not be.
Every Mallorca rental includes basic CDW with an excess, typically €600–1,500 depending on the class, blocked against your card. Counter super cover reduces it to zero at roughly €15–25 a day. A standalone excess policy bought online costs a fraction of that, but you pay first and claim back.
Our rate already included the supplier’s zero-excess waiver, so why add DiscoverCars’ Full Coverage for another €6.31 a day? Because supplier waivers and post-return disputes are about the same short list of items every time: tyres and rims kerbed in a village lane, a windscreen chip from the Ma-10, the underside scraped on a beach car park, a lost key, misfuelling, and the “damage administration fee” that appears on top of any repair. Full Coverage names all of those explicitly, has a €3,000 limit, applies to every named driver, and is refundable in full if you remove it before pickup day. For €31.54 across five days with two small children and a new car, it was the cheapest peace of mind on the trip.
Insurance Options Compared: One Week, Small Car
Mallorca, 2026 pricing
| Option | Cost per week | Deposit blocked? | Tyres, glass, underbody? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic CDW only | €0 | Yes, €600–1,500 | Usually excluded |
| Counter super cover | €105–175 ($115–192) | No, or heavily reduced | Varies by supplier |
| Broker Full Coverage (what we did) | €44 ($48) at €6.31/day | Small hold if the rate includes FDW | Yes, named in the policy |
Mallorca has no tolls, but it has three access rules that no rental agreement explains. All three apply to hire cars, and all three are camera-enforced.
The Ma-2210 to the Formentor lighthouse is closed to private vehicles from 15 May to 18 October 2026, daily between 10:00 and 22:00. The stretch from the beach to the lighthouse is fully shut in those hours; rental cars and motorbikes are named specifically in the rule, and the fine is €100–200. The TIB bus on route 334 runs daily from Alcúdia to the lighthouse throughout the restricted period, and before 10:00 the light at the cape is better anyway.
The Ma-2141 down to Sa Calobra is not closed to cars. It is 13 kilometres of hairpins dropping about 700 metres, with a 10-tonne limit since a retaining wall collapsed in 2023, and digital signs on the approach tell you whether the car parks at the bottom are already full. Go early, stay in a low gear on the way down, and expect cyclists on every bend.
Palma’s ZBE has been live since January 2025 and the fine is €200. Cars rented on Mallorca carry the required environmental badge, so you can drive in without paperwork; until December 2026 the B, C, ECO and 0 badges are all admitted. The zone only bites if you bring a foreign-plated car over on the ferry, which now needs a temporary registration through Mobipalma.
Fuel is the one running cost that is genuinely higher on Mallorca than on the mainland. In the first week of September 2026 the Balearic average for petrol 95 was €1.93 a litre, about ten cents above the Spanish average of €1.83, and prices have been climbing as the national fuel discount is phased out. Stations right around the airport are dearer still; fill up on the Ma-19 or in Palma before the final exit. A week of island driving in a small car rarely needs more than one tank. The fuel cost calculator will give you a figure for your own route.
Speed limits are 120 km/h on motorways, 90 on open roads, 50 in towns and 30 across much of Palma. Parking in Palma and the coastal towns is mostly ORA blue zones paid at the machine or by app; beach lots fill by mid-morning in summer. Return the car with the tank as you received it and keep the timestamped receipt from a station near the airport.
💰 Mallorca Rental Budget Calculator
Compare Mallorca prices →Rate prefilled with what we paid for an intermediate automatic in early September 2026. Actual rates vary by supplier, car class and how far ahead you book.
If you are staying in Palma only, no: the centre is walkable and the airport bus A1 is cheap. For anywhere else on the island a car is the difference between one beach and twenty. Bus coverage of the Tramuntana villages, the east-coast coves and the caves is thin, and with children the timetables stop working altogether.
Our rental in September 2026 went fine: a new automatic, the lowest deposit we have seen on a rental, and the shuttle office on Camí de Son Fangos, a few minutes from the terminal. Centauro's Trustpilot score is 2.3 out of 5 across more than 17,000 reviews, though, so book it the way we did: through a broker with the supplier's zero-excess waiver included, add Full Coverage, pre-book the child seat and film the car.
Usually yes, in the main driver's name, because the deposit is blocked on it. Our Centauro rate accepted debit or credit and held only €38–240, but that is unusual. Amex, cash and cards without embossed numbers are refused by most operators.
For us yes: €31.54 for five days, a €3,000 limit, and it covers the items supplier waivers argue about most, namely tyres, glass, underbody, roof, keys, misfuelling and the admin fees. You pay the supplier first and claim back, so keep every receipt.
Not between 10:00 and 22:00 from 15 May to 18 October 2026. The stretch from the beach to the lighthouse is closed to private and rental cars, cameras enforce it and the fine is €100–200. Take bus 334 from Alcúdia, or drive it early in the morning outside those hours.
No. Mallorca has no toll roads and the Sóller tunnel is free. Decline any toll device or transponder offered at the counter.
November to February, when a small car costs €14–22 a day. August averages around €50 a day. Early September, when we travelled, sits in between: our intermediate automatic came to €36.58 a day before insurance, booked 34 days ahead.
Disclosure: Auto Jardim participates in the DiscoverCars affiliate program. The booking described here was our own, paid at the published price. Rental company reviews are based on Trustpilot scores, traveler forum feedback and direct research. We only recommend companies we would use ourselves.
Fact-checked: September 10, 2026. Booking figures from DiscoverCars voucher D014822819 (Centauro, PMI, 4–9 September 2026). Fuel prices: Balearic and Spanish averages from the Ministry’s Geoportal de Hidrocarburos as reported on 5 September 2026. Formentor restrictions: Consell de Mallorca and TIB. Trustpilot scores checked August 2026. Prices and policies change – always verify directly with the rental company.
