Automatic car rental
at Tenerife North,
in the arrival area.

Can you rent an automatic at Tenerife North Airport?

Yes, when one is offered on your dates. Tenerife North is the second-deepest pick-up point on the island after Tenerife South, and the island's automatic rental cars are a minority of the whole list, so the search with a transmission filter is the quickest way to see what there is. Book once a car suits you rather than waiting.

The handover is in the arrival area, which is the named place for the airport. The paperwork is the same as anywhere on the island: a debit card stands in for a credit card only where the booking and the voucher say so, exactly as when renting at Tenerife South Airport without a credit card, and the card must be physical, embossed and in the main driver's name.

Which automatics are on the island's list?

The automatics sit mostly in the compact, crossover and SUV classes rather than the economy one. The models that turn up include the Toyota Yaris, the Hyundai i20, the VW Polo, the Hyundai Bayon, the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Nissan Juke, the SEAT Ateca and the Audi Q3. Which of them is offered at Tenerife North on your dates is what the search shows.

If the smallest class is what you want, expect it to be mostly manual, and widen the filter by a class rather than giving up on the gearbox. The minimum age and driving experience are set per car and listed on its page, and they can differ between similar models, so read them on the automatic you choose.

What do you need at the handover?

• The licence card. Valid, with its details in Latin script, and in date until the last day of the rental. Copies and electronic licences are not accepted; if your licence is valid only in the country that issued it, bring an International Driving Permit as well.
• The card in the main driver's name. A physical, embossed credit card may be required. A debit card only where the booking and the voucher say so, and then physical, personalised and embossed as well.
• A reachable phone. The number on the booking, with its country code, from the day before pick-up to the end of the rental.

The deposit is shown on each listing before you book, and how it is held and refunded is set out during booking and in the voucher. The rental is charged in 24-hour periods.

Where does an automatic take you from Tenerife North?

The airport sits at 633 m on the northern slope, close to the capital and the north coast. La Laguna is about 9 minutes away without traffic, Santa Cruz about 13 and Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast about 26. The climb to Teide is the long one: El Portillo is about 46 minutes and 43 km.

There is no fuel station inside the national park, which is why the petrol stations on the way up to Teide matter on a day like that. The PCAN on the TF-152 at km 2.08, beside the airport, is open 24 hours. Rental cars may only be driven on paved public roads, which rules out the tracks in Teno and parts of Anaga.

How does the return work?

Bring the car back at the fuel level it had at pick-up. Below it, the difference is charged at the rental company's rates, and above it you are not compensated, so the PCAN beside the airport is the last stop. If someone is meeting you, the general car park is about a minute from the terminal and open 24 hours.

To end the rental in the south instead, dropping the car at the other airport is the deepest one-way route on the island, with the fee shown in the price. Tenerife South is about 64 minutes away without traffic, and most international flights leave from there.