Do you need a car in Lanzarote?
It depends on where you are staying. Lanzarote has no train network at all, so if you are based in Playa Blanca, Famara, or planning to road-trip around the island, a rental car is close to essential. If you are staying in Puerto del Carmen or Arrecife, you can get by comfortably on foot and by bus. Either way, watch out for two well-documented rental scams — Goldcar and Europcar — before you book.
- It depends on your resort: Puerto del Carmen and Arrecife are walkable with good bus links, but Playa Blanca, Famara, and road-trippers need a car — the island has no trains at all.
- A taxi from the airport to Playa Blanca costs €45-50 versus €12-18 to Puerto del Carmen — a single round trip can cost more than a week-long rental.
- Avoid Goldcar and Europcar — both have well-documented scam patterns at the airport desk. Local suppliers like Autoreisen, Cabrera Medina, Cicar, and Pluscar are strongly recommended instead.
- You cannot drive yourself into Timanfaya National Park — private and rental cars must park at Islote de Hilario, and only the official tour bus is allowed inside.
Taxi prices reveal a huge distance gap between resorts
Lanzarote is served by a single airport (Arrecife, ACE), but the resort towns are spread out unevenly around it. Puerto del Carmen is closest, just 12-18 minutes away and €12-18 by taxi, and Costa Teguise is similar at around 15 minutes. Playa Blanca, in the southwest, is a different story — about 28 minutes and €45-50 by taxi. A single round trip to Playa Blanca can cost more than renting a car for the whole week.
Do you actually need a car? It depends on your resort
Puerto del Carmen and Arrecife are genuinely fine without one — both have walkable centres and decent bus connections, and Arrecife in particular is a good base if you do not want to drive. Playa Blanca, Famara, and anyone hoping to explore the villages and viewpoints across the island are a different case: Lanzarote has no train line at all, only buses, which thin out fast once you leave the main towns.
Avoid Goldcar and Europcar — two separate scam patterns
Goldcar has a well-documented reputation problem at Lanzarote airport: renters report being asked to leave keys at the desk on return with no inspection or written confirmation the car was accepted undamaged, followed by unexpected charges later. Europcar has a distinct issue reported by other renters — being charged for a full tank under a "same-to-same" fuel policy despite returning the car at the agreed level. Local suppliers such as Autoreisen, Cabrera Medina, Cicar, Payless, and Pluscar are consistently recommended instead, typically with no deposit, no excess, and straightforward fuel policies.
You cannot drive into Timanfaya National Park
Timanfaya is not just a restricted zone — private and rental cars are banned from driving inside it entirely. You park at the Islote de Hilario car park, and from there the only way to see the volcanic interior is the official park bus. Opening hours are enforced strictly, typically 9:00-15:45 and varying seasonally, so check before you plan your visit around it.
Roundabouts, cyclists, and parking rules worth knowing
Driving is on the right, and two roundabouts trip up visitors most often: the one between Arrecife and Costa Teguise, and the "double roundabout" at Playa Honda — stay in the outer lane if you are unsure. Lanzarote also has heavy cycling tourism, and Spanish law requires a minimum overtaking distance of 1.5m on normal roads and 2m when fully overtaking. For parking, blue lines mean paid, white means free, and red or yellow kerbs mean no parking at all. One rule that catches almost every tourist out: driving in flip-flops is technically finable in Spain. On paperwork, EU and UK licence holders generally do not need an International Driving Permit despite some booking sites suggesting otherwise — but carry it anyway if your licence is not in English to avoid any argument at the desk.
