Buying or starting a car rental business in Spain: costs, fleet and rules

An existing car rental business in Spain sells for about €249,000 on average: that is the median of 13 priced listings with cars in 2026, ranging from €40,000 to €2.3m, or roughly €11,000 per car in the fleet.

Opening with 30 new cars costs about €500,000. The mainland needs no permit; the Canaries require 20 cars; Ibiza has a quota.

Looking at a car rental business for sale in Spain?

Below: what an existing one costs and what the price actually buys, what a fleet costs from scratch, which rules apply on the mainland, in the Canary Islands and in the Balearics, what a rental business earns with staff paid under the collective agreement and with fleet wear counted, how it is taxed and what to check before buying.

The page includes a payback calculator with an illustrative 30-car rental business.

If servicing cars appeals to you more than renting them out, see Buying or opening a car repair garage in Spain.

What an existing car rental business costs

Rental businesses rarely come up for sale. We collected every listing we could find in October 2026 on Milanuncios, Wallapop and BusinessesForSale.com — 24 in total.

Of these, 18 are trading rental businesses with cars, and 13 state a price. The median is €249,000, and half the businesses fall roughly between €155,000 and €850,000. These are asking prices: they come down in a deal.

The price of a rental business is driven above all by its fleet.

Eight listings state the number of cars, and they work out at about €11,000 of price per car on average — roughly what a used rental car is worth.

The customer base, website and broker agreements come almost free at that price, so the key to valuation is the vehicle list with year, mileage and any finance on each car.

Examples from the sample: a rental business in Ciudad Quesada on the Costa Blanca with 21 cars and forward bookings for next season — €129,000; a business in the Alicante region with 24 cars, a garage and an agreement with Alicante Airport to hand over four cars at the terminal — €250,000; a 26-year-old company on Lanzarote with 20 cars and an office rented at €600 a month — €235,820; a business near Tenerife South Airport with 80 cars and a 600 m² warehouse — €995,000, of which €750,000 is the value of the cars; a group in Calpe with car rental and a car park next to Alicante Airport — €2.3m.

Four more — in Andalusia with 50 cars, in Fuengirola, Torre del Mar and Orihuela Costa — are listed without a price.

What is actually for sale

A rental business is rarely sold as premises with a sign over the door — it is not a bar. The listings offer four different things:

• The whole company. The buyer takes over the SL with all its cars, contracts, history and debts. The Lanzarote business at €235,820 is sold this way — “as a whole, not car by car”. Such a deal is checked like any company acquisition.
• Cars and rental desks without the licence. In Gran Canaria, two listings say outright that the licence does not transfer: the cars and offices are sold, and the buyer files their own notice to start trading. In the Canary Islands that requires a fleet of at least 20 cars no older than a year — more in the permits section.
• A licence attached to another business. A car wash in Manacor, Mallorca, with an active rental licence — €150,000; a workshop with a rental licence in Cabo Blanco, Tenerife — €80,000; premises with a licence in Santa Ponsa — €35,000. These are a way into the sector without cars.
• A website without cars. For €4,500 in Seville, a broker website with agreements with other rental firms is for sale. That is an agency, not a rental business.

Look separately at the monthly market: a business renting 10 cars by the month in Torremolinos asks €59,900 and promises €3,700 “net” a month — but monthly rental to residents and 3–9 day tourist rental are different businesses with different utilisation.

What it costs to open a car rental business from scratch

The main item is the cars. The cheapest new B-segment car in Spain costs from €14,490 in 2026, a hybrid from €19,890.

Rental firms get volume discounts but also buy a class up, so a guide figure is €15,000–16,000 per car and about €450,000–480,000 for a 30-car fleet.

In 2025, rental companies bought 190,434 new cars in Spain — about a sixth of all sales (ANFAC): the big chains renew their fleets every year and sell cars after 1–3 years.

• Fleet. Buy outright, on credit or on a lease, take cars on renting, or agree a buy-back with the manufacturer after 6–12 months. A small rental firm rarely has the volume for buy-back, so owned and leased cars are more common.
• Office and parking. A rental desk at the airport or in a resort town and space for the fleet; in the Canary Islands, a garage for at least a quarter of the fleet.
• Insurance. A fleet policy for every car and liability cover towards customers.
• Sales. A booking system, your own website and commission to the aggregator sites that bring in a large share of bookings.
• Winter reserve. Car and insurance costs run all year, while revenue comes in May–October. How to size the cushion is covered in Cash gap.

Hence the case for buying: a business with 20–30 cars at €130,000–250,000 costs less than half a new fleet.

The case against: its cars are no longer new, and within a year or two you will be replacing them with your own money.

Which permits a car rental business needs

Under national transport law, renting vehicles without a driver is a free activity: any company that meets tax, employment and safety obligations may carry it on (art. 133.1 Ley 16/1987, LOTT).

There is no national rental licence. But regions and islands add their own rules, and these decide what you can actually buy.

• Mainland. On the Costa Blanca, the Costa del Sol and elsewhere on the mainland, a rental business needs the ordinary municipal activity licence for its office and parking. We found no separate regional rental register in the Valencian Community or Andalusia.
• Canary Islands. A rental business starts trading by notifying the Cabildo at least 30 days in advance, and every 4 years confirms that it continues trading and still meets the conditions (art. 114 Decreto 72/2012). The notice must show at least 20 cars; when filed they may be no more than a year old, and later no more than 7 years (up to 1,500 cc) or 9 years; the garage must hold at least 25% of the fleet on each island (arts. 119–121 Decreto 72/2012). That is why Gran Canaria listings say the licence does not transfer: each operator obtains its own.
• Ibiza. Since 2024 the Consell d’Eivissa may cap the number of rental cars on the island; rental firms report their number plates to it daily, and permits are allocated so as to leave room for new operators (arts. 2 and 6 Ley 5/2024). The limits for 2026 and 2027 were approved on 20 March 2026: according to the press, up to 14,000 rental cars a day may circulate in summer; the Balearic rental association has challenged the decision in court. When you buy a rental business in Ibiza, you are buying its share of the quota first of all.
• Formentera. Since 2019 the Consell de Formentera may set how many rental cars can enter the island each year and circulate on it (Ley 7/2019).
• Mallorca. The Consell de Mallorca has sent the Balearic parliament a bill on vehicle numbers and in July 2026 asked rental firms for their peak fleet in summer 2024 and 2025 in order to set a cap on rental cars. Until the law is passed, this is a risk to price in.

Every car must carry compulsory third-party insurance (art. 2.1 Real Decreto Legislativo 8/2004); for a rental business this is a fleet policy, and its claims history is part of due diligence.

Desks inside the airports are let by Aena through a tender.

In 2024, 21 companies bid for 21,500 rental spaces at 38 airports, with contracts running for 5–7 years, so a small rental firm works through terminal hand-over arrangements or a shuttle from its own car park.

What a car rental business earns

Car rental is seasonal.

According to bookings through the CHECK24 comparison site, a rental day cost €41 on average in August 2025 against €30 in March; in Palma €39 against €21, in Ibiza €41 against €18.

In summer cars go out almost without idle days and for 9 days on average; in winter for 6 days and with long gaps. Hence the main risk: cars and insurance cost money all year.

The second big cost is fleet wear. A new €16,000 car sells for about half its price after three years, so each car costs the business about €2,400 a year just to replace.

In listings, sellers quote profit before fleet wear — EBITDA. For example, a 50-car business in Andalusia states revenue above €600,000 and EBITDA of about €200,000. You cannot compare that with the price without deducting wear.

The team is small but essential: handing over and taking back cars, cleaning, moving vehicles.

Under the Balearic car rental collective agreement, in 2026 a rental desk agent earns €18,024.05 a year and a driver-porter €17,321.92, including 15 payments and an island allowance of €121.84 a month; the agreement runs to the end of 2029 and expressly provides for seasonal and fijo discontinuo staff.

Employer social security in 2026 adds about 32%, so one desk agent and two driver-porters cost the business about €69,500 a year, or €5,800 a month.

Car rental payback calculator

The calculator shows an illustrative 30-car rental business in Mallorca trading all year.

The purchase price is €330,000 (30 cars at the sample median of €11,000) plus €20,000 for a booking system, rebranding and a premises deposit.

Revenue is €30,000 a month excluding VAT, €360,000 a year: over the year a car is out 65% of days at €50 a day including zero-excess cover and extras.

Direct costs are 25% of revenue: aggregator commission, cleaning, servicing, tyres, minor repairs.

Staff cost €5,800 a month (the owner works without a salary), office and parking rent €1,500 a month, other costs €9,750 a month, of which €6,000 is fleet replacement and about €2,250 insurance.

Pre-tax profit is €65,400 a year, about €52,700 after tax, and the €350,000 investment pays back in about 6.6 years.

Three caveats. First, we have included fleet wear under “other”, although the calculator does not count depreciation in general.

Take it out and the business “pays back” in 3.2 years — which is how it looks in listings that quote EBITDA. Second, car rental is highly sensitive to utilisation.

If revenue falls 10%, pre-tax profit drops from €65,400 to €38,400; at 20%, to €11,400; break-even is about €22,700 of revenue a month.

Third, Mallorca is preparing a cap on rental cars, and a smaller fleet hits revenue directly. How to read a payback period and what to compare it with is covered in Payback period.

Take revenue from bank statements, booking-system reports, aggregator payouts and VAT returns (modelo 303), not from the seller’s word.

How a seller justifies the price is explained in How to value a business for sale.

Car rental taxes

• VAT. Car rental is charged at the standard 21% rate (art. 90 Ley 37/1992); in the Canary Islands the Canary tax IGIC applies instead of VAT. The business recovers the VAT on the cars it buys.
• Vehicle registration tax. Cars used exclusively for rental are exempt from registration tax (IEDMT), but not if a car is let to one customer for more than 3 months in 12 or to related parties; the exemption must be recognised by the Tax Agency in advance (arts. 66.1.c and 66.2 Ley 38/1992). If within 2 years of registration a car stops being used for rental — for example, it is sold to a private buyer — the tax must be self-assessed and paid (art. 65.3 Ley 38/1992). That is why rental cars are usually sold after two years or to other rental firms.
• Módulos. Car rental is not among the activities that may use the módulos flat-rate scheme in 2026 (Orden HAC/1425/2025): a rental business keeps full accounts of income and expenses.
• SL. A rental business run through an SL pays corporate tax: in 2026, with turnover under €1m, 19% on the first €50,000 of profit and 21% above that. How to take the profit out is covered in Salary or dividends from a Spanish SL.

What to check before buying a car rental business

1. The right to trade. Whose name the notice or licence is in and whether it passes to you. In the Canary Islands — whether you have 20 cars no older than a year for your own notice; in Ibiza — what share of the quota the business holds and whether it transfers; in Mallorca — how many cars the business ran in summer 2024 and 2025, as its future cap may depend on it.
2. The fleet. The vehicle list with year, mileage, inspection status and damage; who owns each car — the business, a leasing company or a bank — and whether there is a charge or retention of title. For each car, proof of the registration tax exemption and the date after which it can be sold without tax.
3. Monthly revenue. For 2–3 years: bank statements, booking-system reports, aggregator payouts, VAT returns. Look at winter separately: how many cars worked from November to March.
4. Insurance and claims. The fleet policy, accident history and customer complaints; disputes over deposits and fuel are a common cause of complaints.
5. Premises and airport. A business tenant may assign the premises lease without the landlord’s consent, but the landlord may raise the rent by 20%, and must be notified within a month (art. 32 LAU); the lease may prohibit assignment (art. 4.3 LAU). If the business hands over cars at the terminal, check what the airport arrangement is based on and until when.
6. Debts and staff. The buyer of a going concern is liable for the seller’s tax debts (art. 42.1.c LGT) unless they obtain a Tax Agency debt certificate before the deal (art. 175.2 LGT); for Social Security debts (art. 168.2 LGSS); and employees transfer with all their rights (art. 44 ET) — including fijos discontinuos who will be called back next season. The sale of an entire business capable of operating on its own is not subject to VAT (art. 7.1 Ley 37/1992), whereas selling the cars separately is.

How an existing business is checked before a deposit is described on the traspaso audit page; if you are buying the company that owns the rental business, you need full due diligence.

If you are moving to Spain to run this business

A non-resident can buy a rental business, but a non-EU citizen can only live in Spain and run it in person with a residence permit — usually a self-employment permit, initially for one year.

The golden visa has been abolished, and the startup visa does not fit an ordinary business of this kind.

How the self-employment permit works and how it differs from employment is explained by Relotus in “Cuenta propia in Spain“.

A sensible order: first find out whether the permit suits you, and only then pay a deposit.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a car rental business cost in Spain?

In 13 priced 2026 listings for rental businesses with cars, the median is €249,000 and the range €40,000 to €2.3m. That works out at about €11,000 of price per car in the fleet. In the Canary Islands the median is about €343,000, on the Costa Blanca €250,000. These are asking prices.

What does it cost to open a car rental business from scratch?

The fleet comes first: €15,000–16,000 per new car, or about €450,000–480,000 for 30 cars, plus an office with parking, insurance, a booking system and a winter reserve. The fleet can be leased or rented, but you pay for it all year.

Do you need a licence to rent out cars in Spain?

Under national law, no: renting vehicles without a driver is a free activity. You need a municipal licence for the office and parking. In the Canary Islands a rental business notifies the Cabildo and shows at least 20 cars no older than a year; in Ibiza and Formentera rental cars are capped by a quota.

Can you buy a rental business in the Canary Islands with its licence?

The notice to start trading is personal: Gran Canaria listings say outright that the licence does not transfer. After buying the cars and offices, the buyer files their own notice. The right to trade is kept by buying the owning company as a whole.

What are the rental car quotas in the Balearic Islands?

In Ibiza, the Consell d’Eivissa approved the quota for 2026 and 2027 — according to the press, up to 14,000 rental cars a day in summer. Formentera has had a quota since 2019. In Mallorca a law on a rental car cap is being prepared, and in July 2026 rental firms were asked for their peak fleet figures.

How much does a car rental business make?

In the illustrative example, a 30-car business with €360,000 of annual revenue makes about €52,700 after tax, with the owner working in it and fleet wear counted. The €350,000 investment pays back in about 6.6 years; without counting wear, the period looks half as long.

Does a rental business pay vehicle registration tax?

No, if the car is used only for rental and the exemption has been recognised by the Tax Agency in advance. If within 2 years the car is sold to a private buyer or let to one customer for more than 3 months a year, the tax becomes payable.

Key points on buying a car rental business in Spain

• An existing rental business with cars costs about €249,000 on average, around €11,000 per car; the price is mostly the used fleet.
• Opening with 30 new cars costs about €500,000; buying is usually cheaper, but its cars will soon need replacing.
• There is no national permit, but the Canary Islands require a fleet of at least 20 cars and your own notice, Ibiza and Formentera have quotas, and Mallorca is preparing a cap.
• The main costs are fleet wear and winters without revenue; never compare a seller’s profit before fleet wear with the price.
• Payback in the example is about 6.6 years, and a 20% drop in revenue all but wipes out profit.

Sources

• Ley 16/1987 (LOTT), art. 133 — BOE; Decreto 72/2012 (Canary Islands), arts. 114–124 — BOC.
• Ley 5/2024 (Ibiza) — BOE; challenge to the 2026–2027 limits — BOIB no. 74, 2026; Consell de Mallorca request for rental fleet data — BOIB no. 91, 2026; Ibiza 2026 quota — fibwi.
• Balearic car rental collective agreement 2026–2029 — BOIB no. 110, 2026; Orden PJC/297/2026 (social security) — BOE.
• Ley 37/1992 (VAT) — BOE; Ley 38/1992 (registration tax), arts. 65 and 66 — BOE; Orden HAC/1425/2025 (módulos) — BOE; Real Decreto Legislativo 8/2004 (motor insurance) — BOE.
• LAU, arts. 4 and 32 — BOE; LGT, arts. 42 and 175 — BOE; Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 44 — BOE.
• Aena rental tender — Aena; new cars sold to rental firms in 2025 — ANFAC; seasonal rental prices — CHECK24; new car prices — km77.
• Rental business listings — Milanuncios, BusinessesForSale.com, Wallapop, October 2026.