Exploring Mallorca: A Guide To Driving and Renting a Car
Mallorca (not Majorca!) is one of the most beautiful and romantic places that we have ever been to with dreamy villages, the most insanely blue water, and epic mountains. The best way to experience all the adventure, beauty, and romance that this Spanish island has to offer is to get a rental car in Mallorca and then drive around, which is what we did for almost a week.
In this ultimate guide, we will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know to have an epic Mallorcan driving adventure, as well as the things that we wish we knew before we had ours!
Here’s a video I took on day one before we got a rental car from the bus so you can see how narrow the roads are, how close the cars pass, AND some of the beautiful views in store for you!
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The “Too Long Didn’t Read:” Do you REALLY Need a Car in Mallorca?
YES if you are spending more than 3 days in Mallorca, want to really explore as much as Mallorca has to offer, or do more than just relax at the beach and see things beyond the main city. There are many places to visit using a car that are harder without one!
>> Click here to check prices and availability of rental cars on Discover Cars <<
No, if you just want to have a relaxing vacation by the beach or are only spending a day or two on the island. Then you can just use a different transportation method from the Palma airport into the city and stick around there.
Driving Doesn’t Feel Super Safe…
We always want to keep it real with you so we need to be honest: we didn’t LOVE driving in Mallorca. Mallorca driving isn’t HARD per se, just that the roads are very very different than we are used to in the USA.
While it didn’t feel like we were going to die the whole time, it definitely was a little bit scary when you are talking about driving around the mountain ranges and you are driving alongside a massive cliff that has very little barrier to dropping into the ocean and going around hairpin turns.
The Best Areas To Drive
Overall, the roads are in pretty good condition and there are lots of main roads that feel pretty much the same as driving around the USA.
If you are staying on the main highways outside of the mountains such as the Ma-1 or Ma-19 you will be 100% fine. It’s relatively flat and easy to drive.
Worst Places to Drive
On the flip side, once you enter the Serra De Tramuntana, things start to get dicey. You will find very, very narrow roads on the edge of cliffs and hairpin turns. This is especially true on the road up to Valdemossa and Deià and Soller, the Ma-10 which is the most dangerous road on the island.
If you go a little further to Sa Calobra where the MA-10 turns into the Ma-2141, this is known as the “Snake Road” and can be pretty treacherous but is a bucket list item for some people coming to the island!
Driving During Peak Tourist Season vs. Shoulder Season
Driving during the peak tourist season – June through August – is also much different than driving at other times. During these months, tourists flock to Mallorca and there are way more cars on the road.
This makes driving slower and a little more treacherous as you have more people on the road who don’t know how to navigate the roads. If you can plan to visit Mallorca in the Spring or Fall, you will make driving a little easier on yourself.
Requirements for Driving in Spain
The requirements for driving in Mallorca are the same as the rest of Spain and the rest of most of Europe:
To drive in Mallorca you will need to be 18 years old however many car companies require you to be 21 or older or they may apply a “young driver fee” You also need a valid driver’s licence from your home country. You will also need a valid piece of ID on you and most rental car companies require this to be your passport. Finally, you will need a valid credit card to rent a car.
You also need to have the vehicle registration documents and you have to display your rental agreement in the car windshield while you are driving to alert the cops. You can remove it when parked, but make sure you don’t forget to put it back!
Do you need an International Drivers Permit (IDP?)
For Americans, an International Drivers Permit is required to drive in Mallorca and Spain. This is on top of your American driver’s license and passport. The rental car company *may* not ask to see your IDP but this is illegal and you should always carry one just in case.
PRO TIP Getting an International Drivers Permit is easy, fast, and cheap to get in the USA. We usually get ours before we go on vacation at any BCAA location. They are around USD 20 and you need to bring in 2 passport-sized photos to get the IDP in the USA. Even if you are not sure if you plan to drive in Mallorca, just get an IDP anyway to be safe!
If you are from the EU, you do not need an International Drivers Permit and you can just use your regular license on your Mallorca road trip.
Speeding Fines in Mallorca
Something different about speeding in Mallorca versus the States is that you will most likely have to pay your fine on the spot if you are a non-Spanish resident. If you are caught speeding on a camera, as opposed to the civil guard, your rental car company will be notified.
Fines can range from €100 – €600 depending on how much over the speed limit you are going
What side of the road do you drive on in Mallorca?
In Mallorca, you drive on the right side of the road. You will find many single-land roads around the island so remember to stay on the right when you are giving way.
Drinking and Driving
Drinking on your Spanish vacay is bound to happen and the legal limit to drive in Mallorca and Spain is 0.05%. Like all countries, driving under the influence is a serious offence so we recommend not drinking at all if you are driving. Plus, with the windy roads, you want your witts about you.
Mandatory Insurance
To drive in Spain you must have unlimited third-party liability insurance.
Road Conditions
We found the road conditions in Mallorca to be in pretty good condition with the lanes clearly marked. Of course, when you get into the mountains they get a little dicey but, if you go in the warm months, you shouldn’t run into any problems with road conditions.
Road Signs
The road signs in Mallorca are not much different than we are used to and they confused us a little bit. Here are some of the pain road signs to watch out for:
- Speed limits are on circular signs with a number and red border
REMEMBER SPEED LIMITS ARE IN KILOMETERS PER HOUR NOT MILES
- Points of Interest are brown signs
- Other signs like roundabouts, no passing, and no U-turns are very self-explanatory.
- Sometimes traffic lights are in weird spots, like on a post right beside your car as opposed to in the air in front of you. If you don’t see your light, look to your side!
Here is a graphic I made you with some of the road signs you should know and may not know so you can drive safely and confidently in Mallorca!
Roundabouts
Mallorca LOVES its roundabouts, especially on main highways. It is not uncommon to find a roundabout randomly on a highway. We found them to be a little more chaotic than American roundabouts as no one signals when they are leaving the roundabout like we are supposed to do here.
So, be safe and enter the roundabout slowly, making sure to yield and go slow. Like I said, drive defensively and you will be okay.
Speed Limits
One of the most important things to remember for us Americans is that speed limits are in kilometers and not miles. Your car’s speedometer should be in km, so hopefully there is no math to do.
In terms of actual speed limits, on highways, the speed limit is 120km/hour, on all other areas it ranges from 30km/hr-90 km/hr. Usually, 30-50km/hour is reserved for urban areas.
Tolls
There are no roads with tolls in Mallorca! Yay!
A Guide to Driving in Specific Areas
Driving in Palma
Driving right in the capital, Palma de Mallorca can only be described as chaotic. This was our least favorite area to drive in as traffic is almost always congested and things can get a little hairy.
Driving on the mainland, outside the mountains
Once you get outside of Palma and are driving around the island outside of the North Mountain area, the roads are perfectly fine. They are pretty quiet, chill, and beautiful. This was our favorite area to drive.
Driving in the villages
While not scary, when you are driving in the little villages you will find a lot of narrow roads and speed bumps. Mallorca really has a thing for roundabouts and speed bumps.
Driving in the mountains
In the North and North West of Mallorca, you have the Serra Tramuntana Mountain Range with the Ma-10 (discussed above) being the main road through them.
The Ma-10 is winding and a little bit treacherous so make sure you go nice and slow and give way to buses coming around hairpin turns.
A pro of mountain driving that we did not expect was that there was one lane in each direction, they are not just one-lane roads. The lanes are also well-marked, so that makes it a bit less scary.
Details about renting a car
Insurance Needed to Rent a Car
As mentioned, you need unlimited third-party liability insurance to rent a car in Mallorca and this is included in the price of any rental.
We recommend getting a credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, that comes with secondary insurance so you don’t have to add full coverage when you rent a car.
PRO TIP: if you book a rental car through a third-party website like Discover Cars, instead of directly through the rental company and do opt to add full coverage when booking, the rental company will most likely ask you if you want to add full coverage. They can’t see that you have added it through the third party, so make sure you say NO so that you don’t end up paying for the same thing twice. There, saved you some money!
Where to Rent a Car
The best place to rent a car in Mallorca is at the airport in Palma, PMI. This is the most convenient as you will have to fly into this airport pick up your car immediately and take it into town right away.
If you don’t want to rent in PMI, you can also rent a car in the Palma beach area or any of the major beach towns around the island.
We rented our car with Click and Rent through Discover Cars and, although it was off the airport, there was a shuttle and the experience was super smooth and easy. The people working there spoke English and we felt confident renting there.
There are also the more well-known rental companies there such as Sixt, National, Alamo, and Enterprise if that makes you feel better.
You can look at many options for car rentals on Discover Cars.
What Kind of Car to Rent
One thing you will notice in ALL of Europe is that manual cars over automatic are WAY MORE POPULAR, so the majority of rental cars will be manual. However, we did find an automatic car.
We do recommend you get an automatic if possible when renting a car in Mallorca, even if you are used to driving a manual and feel confident in it. With driving around the mountain roads, you want to make it as easy and stress-free as possible.
PRO TIP: Our car did not have a “P” in the shifter so we didn’t know how to park the car at first. If this happens to you, turn it to Neutral (N) and use the parking break even if you’re not on a hill.
We also recommend you get a car as SMALL as possible because the roads are narrow and parking spots can be super tiny!
Car Rental Prices
We found the prices of rental cars in Mallorca to be a lot more affordable than we thought it was going to be! Keep in mind that car rental prices vary based on the season – it’ll be much more expensive to rent a car in the Summer than in the winter!
The average price to rent a car in Mallorca is usually around $15-USD 60 per day and the cheapest months to rent a car are usually the winter- January through March.
>> Click here to check prices and availability of rental cars on Discover Cars <<
The Deposits
If you decide to opt out of full coverage with the rental company directly (even if you purchased it from a third party) they will ask you to give a credit card that they can use for hold charges if you mess something up with the car.
You have to know that hold charges can be steep. Ours was $1000! If you return the car in good working condition, you get this right back! Just make sure to check out your credit card afterward to make sure it does come back
NOTE: if you did end up adding full coverage directly with the rental car company, they won’t ask you to do the hold.
Picking up And Dropping Off Your Rental Car
Picking up and dropping off your rental car is pretty smooth and straightforward. Here are a couple tips to keep in mind for the smoothest experience:
- Rental cars at the airport are typically open at the same hours that flights are running, which is why we like renting at the airport.
- If you rent a car off-airport, keep in mind that it might be closed during some hours. Make sure that this isn’t going to be a problem with your flight time.
- Sometimes dropping your rental car off will be in a different location than the pickup location, so always double-check this with the company when picking it up.
Do I Need to Reserve A Rental Car In Advance?
We did not reserve our rental car in advance – we did it the day of. However, we visited Mallorca during a shoulder season when there were fewer tourists renting cars.
If you are traveling during the busy Summer season, we suggest renting a car in advance. If you are traveling in a shoulder season you are probably okay waiting if you are not sure if you want to rent a car in Mallorca.
What If You Get a Ticket in A Rental Car?
If you get a ticket for a rental car, you will be responsible for paying it and likely right on the spot if you get it from a police officer.
If you get a ticket from a camera, it can take months to be reported to the rental car company and then they will forward that on to you to pay.
What If You Get Into An Accident In a Rental Car?
If you get into an accident, the emergency number to call is 112.
This is why we recommend having Googlefi. This is the phone service provider we use because we get cell service in almost all countries in the world! This ensures you have service (and safety) when you’re on the road without wifi. We have been obsessed with it since we switched from Sprint!
Once you call emergency services then make sure you let your rental car provider know as well.
Tips We Wish We Knew Before We Rented a Car in Mallorca
While renting a car in Mallorca is pretty straightforward, there were a few things that we wish we had known when we did it:
- Take photos of EVERYTHING when you pick up your car – Inside, outside, top, bottom, etc. Driving on the mountainous roads of Mallorca means scrapes and scratches are VERY common and you don’t want to get charged for something you did not do.
- If you don’t have Googlefi, opt for getting some sort of GPS device with the car so you don’t get lost. The last thing you want is to be driving the Ma-10 at night with no idea where you are.
- Only the main driver is insured. If you want the other person in your couple to drive sometimes, make sure to tell the rental car company beforehand.
Parking in Mallorca
Parking in Mallorca, especially in the main city of Palma, can be a little tricky due to being congested. The parking rules themselves are pretty straightforward and are marked by color:
- White zones = free parking
- Blue zones = Paid parking
- Yellow zones = Parking prohibited
A lot of times you need special permits for street parking and, honestly, street parking is pretty hard to find anyway. We recommend using a public parking garage. We liked parking in the SABA parking garage in Palma, as it’s right in the city center and walkable to many locations.
IMPORTANT: While the parking garage made parking easier, they were not as cheap as we expected. Expect to pay around $35 each day for parking in a garage.
In many of the small villages, you will find free public parking lots. If you do end up having to park in a paid area, make sure to keep some change on you. While they usually take credit cards, we found the credit card function was broken most of the time. 😅
PRO TIP: The “no parking” signs looks a lot like American “one way road” signs. So, we thought we were going down all these one-ways and we freaked out. But, they are just no parking areas! They are circular and blue with a red x or red line through the blue,
Getting Gas in Mallorca
When picking up your rental car, double check what kind of fuel your car takes – petrol (gasoline) or diesel (gasoil)
How to do it
When filling up at an estación de servicio (gas station), know that petrol is the green pump and Diesel is the black pump. However, there is almost always a gas station attendant so the easiest is just to tell them to fill up the car or you. This ensures you don’t do it wrong and ruin the car!
Gas Prices
Keep in mind that gas prices in Europe look cheaper than the USA as it is the price per liter, not per gallon. However, once you do the conversion, it is MUCH more expensive. You can expect to spend around $1.70 per liter, which is around $7 per gallon!
Tips for Driving in Mallorca From Our Personal Experience
Here are a couple of tips for driving from our time driving around Mallorca:
- Rent a small car to be able to fit in small places and navigate the narrow roads.
- As we mentioned, parking is not cheap if you opt to park in garages for the convenience.
- Cycling is SUPER popular in the mountain area and they are always coming around the corners, so you have to pay attention and go even slower than you think.
- Turn signals seem to be a suggestion there.
- Stop lights can be in weird places so look around if you can’t see it right in front of you!
When planning how many days you need in Mallorca, we definitely recommend considering renting a car in Mallorca if you can as it will really allow you to take in the diversity of the island from the beautiful, lush, green mountains to the turquoise-blue oceans and the dreamy villages.
If you have any questions, just let us know in the comments so we can help you out!
Now that you know to rent a car in Mallorca, you should know what to see with that car! Check out our guide on the best places to see with a car on the island!
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