One-way car rental
from Playa de las Américas,
handed back elsewhere.

Can you rent one way from Playa de las Américas?

Yes, on the cars that allow it. Put Playa de las Américas in as the pick-up and a different place as the drop-off in the same search, and the results show only the cars that take that route, each with its one-way fee shown with the price. Nothing about the route is settled at the handover; it is all on the listing before you book.

This is a good place to start one. Outside the two airports, Playa de las Américas is the deepest pick-up point on the island, and its pairing with arrivals at Tenerife South is the second deepest one-way route after the run between the two airports, in both directions.

The start of the rental works the way it does everywhere on the strip. City delivery is the only handover offered for Playa de las Américas: the car is brought to the address you give, a hotel or an apartment, and there is no office to walk to. Whether delivery is included or adds a charge is shown on each car.

Where can you leave the car?

Tenerife South Airport. The obvious end for a flight home, about 30 minutes and 19 km from Playa de las Américas without traffic. The handover there is the arrival area. For the fuel check at the return, the Repsol on the airport access road and the BP at Carretera Atogo km 0.5 on the TF-1 are both open 24 hours.

Puerto de la Cruz. The one for a stay that moves north, and the route from Playa de las Américas to Puerto de la Cruz is among the deeper one-way pairings on the island. It is about 72 minutes and 73 km without traffic, and it is the one town on the island where the handover is not delivery alone: the named handover points in Puerto de la Cruz are Free parking Puerto de la Cruz, Parking Parque Taoro and the Bus Station Guaguas Puerto de la Cruz, with City delivery as well.

Not Golf del Sur or Guía de Isora. Both are pick-up points only, so neither can end a one-way. For any other drop-off, Tenerife North Airport included, the search answers on your dates: a route no car takes simply shows no cars.

How is a one-way rental priced?

Per car. The one-way fee is shown with the price, so compare the total rather than the daily rate, and run a same-place search beside it if the drive back is short. The rental itself is charged in 24-hour periods: a car from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon is two full days, and a car handed back in Puerto de la Cruz on the morning of day four stops costing there. If you want it longer than booked, tell the rental agent in advance.

The deposit is set per car as well and shown on the listing before you book. How the rest of the rental is paid, how the deposit is held and when it is refunded are set out during booking and in the rental voucher. The same rules govern one-way rentals across the island, from either airport or from any town that takes a return, so nothing changes because the trip starts on the strip.

What happens when you hand it back?

Return the car at the fuel level it had when it was delivered. Below that level the difference is charged at the rental company's rates, and above it you are not compensated, so fill up near the end of the drive rather than at the start. The BP on Avenida de los Pueblos 6 in the resort is open 24 hours; in Puerto de la Cruz there are a Cepsa and a BP on the Carretera del Botánico.

A car returned so dirty that it cannot be inspected is washed at your expense. Fuel, parking and fines are the renter's; the motorways on Tenerife are toll-free, and the TF-1 and the TF-5 both carry fixed speed cameras. In Puerto de la Cruz the TF-31 runs through the Martiánez false tunnel, 292.7 m long and unlit, so have the lights on.

Cover is chosen per car when you book. Under the standard cover on a one-way rental, the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen and the interior are excluded, and any higher levels a car offers are listed and priced on that car. After an insured event, notify the rental agent at once and get a police report.

How far is it from Playa de las Américas?

The two drop-offs that matter are about 30 minutes to Tenerife South Airport and about 72 minutes to Puerto de la Cruz, both without traffic. The rest of the south coast is close: Costa Adeje about 10 minutes and Los Cristianos about 11.

Which car suits a one-way from here?

The same list as a same-place rental, filtered by the route. Rental cars may only be driven on paved public roads, wherever the rental ends. If you want an automatic, look early: automatics are a minority of the island's list and sit mostly in the compact and crossover classes.

For a larger group the harbour town next door works the same way, and a seven seater delivered in Los Cristianosis about 11 minutes away. Seven seaters are scarce on the island, so a one-way in one needs booking well ahead, and the minimum age and driving experience are listed on each car's page.