A traveller gets a hire car ready for a drive on Tenerife.
CICAR’s Canary Islands conditions include comprehensive insurance without excess, unlimited mileage and an additional driver at no extra charge. Those are useful inclusions if you plan to explore Tenerife, but they do not settle every charge or collection detail. Separate the insurance excess, fuel deposit and arrangements for the office on your booking.
Before you choose a car, check who will drive, how long each driver has held a licence and which office you have selected. At collection, compare the agreement and fuel level with your confirmation. The practical question is whether the particular booking fits your trip, rather than whether a familiar rental name sounds reassuring.
Is CICAR a practical choice for your trip?
CICAR says it operates its own fleet in the Canary Islands and works through partners in mainland Spain and the Balearics. For a Tenerife booking, start with its Canary Islands terms. Do not carry over an inclusion or restriction from a mainland rental simply because both appear under the same brand. The relevant contract is the one for your selected rental.
Its published Canary Islands package includes cover without excess and unlimited mileage. That makes the terms easy to compare if you intend to make several island journeys. It does not guarantee a particular model or make CICAR the cheapest choice on your dates. Compare the category you need, every intended driver and the total shown for the same collection and return plan.
Choose the right office
Tenerife South Airport (TFS), Tenerife North Airport (TFN) and resort offices are different collection choices. CICAR’s Tenerife South Airport office page places that office in the terminal arrivals area, but the airport also has auxiliary and inter-island listings. Read the exact office name and instructions on your confirmation before heading for a counter.
Book the category and check the driver requirements
The Canary Islands conditions require a valid driving licence and at least two years of driving experience. They also state a minimum driver age of 21. Check each proposed driver against the current booking terms: age and time holding a licence are separate requirements. Bring the documents named in your confirmation and check that the vehicle category suits your luggage and route.
A booking for a category is not a promise of one model. CICAR says that, if the desired model is unavailable, it can offer a vehicle in the same or a higher category. If a particular body style, luggage capacity or feature matters, check what your selected category actually covers before paying. Compare quotes using the same dates, office, category and number of drivers.
The booking holder and the driver
CICAR’s published Canary Islands terms say an extra driver can be added at its offices without an extra charge. They do not, on their own, establish that any person named on a booking may drive. Put every intended driver on the agreement and check their licence details at collection. Keep the booking confirmation and the applicable contract accessible during the rental.
Cover, exclusions and fuel: separate the charges
CICAR describes its Canary Islands insurance as comprehensive without excess. It also lists unlimited mileage and the additional driver among its inclusions. Read the full rental conditions and the agreement presented for your booking: a statement about insurance excess does not cancel the renter’s responsibilities for infringements, correct refuelling or complying with the contract.
The same terms describe a fuel deposit when the contract is formalised. CICAR says it returns that deposit if the car comes back with the amount of fuel it had at handover; otherwise it charges for fuel consumed at the lessor’s stated price. Record the starting level and ask how it will be checked at return. A fuel deposit is a separate line from an insurance excess.
Fuel deposit versus damage deposit
These labels answer different questions. The published insurance has no excess, while CICAR separately requests a deposit linked to the fuel handed over with the car. Neither statement supplies a universal deposit amount for every booking. Compare your confirmation and the agreement for the actual amount and payment method, then keep the handover fuel record for the return check.
Compare the fuel gauge with the handover record before returning the car.
Collecting and returning at the airport
For a TFS collection, CICAR identifies its airport office in the arrivals area. Before travel, check the office named on your booking, its current opening information and any collection instructions; the listed airport options are not interchangeable. At handover, have the required documents ready, read the agreement, record the fuel level and inspect the car for existing marks before leaving.
Record the vehicle condition before leaving the collection point.
For the return, use the location and procedure in your own agreement. Compare the final fuel level with the starting record and allow time for the agreed handover steps. CICAR’s terms explain when the fuel deposit is due back, but give no universal bank processing time; keep the return paperwork until the payment is reconciled.
Child seats and useful extras
CICAR’s Canary Islands terms list child seats and booster seats among the included services, and describe the seat types they provide. Check the type and availability for your child and booking before paying. At collection, inspect the actual seat and fitting instructions rather than assuming a generic category will suit every child.
When to compare another rental company
Compare CICAR with Pluscar’s Tenerife conditions using the same dates, pickup and return offices, car category and drivers. Check fuel terms and insurance terms as separate rows. A fuel deposit is not the same thing as an insurance excess, and a headline inclusion is only useful if the rest of the booking fits your trip.
Without comparable live quotes, there is no honest price winner. CICAR’s additional driver and unlimited mileage may matter on a multi-stop trip; a different provider may fit another collection point or vehicle need better. Compare the full terms and the final quoted total, including any options you actually require, before choosing.
Before you confirm
Save the dates and times, exact office, vehicle category, driver names, fuel arrangement and cancellation terms in one place. Check them against the final confirmation, especially if you change the return office or add equipment. CICAR’s published terms say a booking can be cancelled or modified without an extra charge, but read the conditions attached to your specific reservation before relying on that option.
Frequently asked questions
Does CICAR require a fuel deposit?
Yes. CICAR’s Canary Islands terms say a fuel deposit is requested when the contract is formalised and returned if the car comes back with the original amount of fuel. This is separate from the insurance excess, which CICAR says is zero under those terms. Check the amount in your own agreement.
Is a specific car model guaranteed?
No. CICAR says that if the desired model is unavailable, it will offer a car of the same or a higher category. Book a category that covers your practical needs, then check the actual vehicle at collection. Do not plan around a named model unless your individual booking establishes it.
Are the mainland conditions the same?
Do not assume so. CICAR says it uses its own fleet in the Canary Islands and works through partners in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands. This guide addresses the published Canary Islands terms for a Tenerife rental. Read the terms attached to any separate mainland booking on their own merits.
Before you book or set out
CICAR’s Canary Islands terms include an additional driver and unlimited mileage, but your decision still rests on the category, drivers, fuel deposit and chosen office. Check the confirmation and contract for those details, then inspect the car at handover. If you are comparing providers, use the same trip details when reading the Pluscar guide.
