Alicante Airport
Best for: Elche or coast driving begins after landing
Use the booked desk and vehicle-bay instructions, not merely the arrivals sign.
Alicante Airport car hire
Alicante-Elche Airport has rental counters on arrivals floor 0. The car itself can be elsewhere: SIXT keys are at the parking-level-4 service point from 08:00 to 23:00, then at the terminal from 23:00 to 01:00; collection is unavailable outside those hours. Returns use level 4. Check the selected company and car bay before leaving arrivals. Collect at the airport for an immediate Elche or Costa Blanca drive; if Alicante city comes first, the C-6 bus reaches the centre and rail station, so a later city hire may avoid idle rental days.
Search Alicante Airport car hire
Preparing live car hire search
Search starts at Alicante Airport, with the same return location and EUR as the requested currency. Check the exact branch, collection instructions and full conditions in the selected offer.
Alicante Airport at a glance
- Rental desks
- Arrivals, floor 0
- SIXT vehicle handover
- SIXT keys: level 4 from 08:00 to 23:00; terminal from 23:00 to 01:00
- SIXT return
- Marked spaces on parking level 4
- City alternative
- C-6 bus links terminal, Alicante centre and rail station
- Coast choice
- Elche and southern Costa Blanca stops form a different first leg
Choose when to collect in Alicante Airport
Supplier collection arrangements
Selected airport rental operators and collection arrangements. Check availability in your search. Your selected offer and voucher identify the booked branch.
Arrivals counter, with key handover varying by time
- SIXT
Use the level 4 service point via footbridge exit B from 08:00 to 23:00; terminal keys from 23:00 to 01:00. Return to marked SIXT level 4 spaces.
Follow the booked company from arrivals to the car
A floor 0 desk does not mean the keys and vehicle are beside the exit.
Locate the counter first
Several rental operators have arrivals counters on floor 0. Read your reservation before joining a queue because the same airport search can include an off-site operator or a different vehicle handover. For daytime SIXT collection, cross the footbridge from its arrivals counter, take exit B and continue to the level 4 service point. Other suppliers have their own levels and instructions. For SIXT key handover, use parking level 4 from 08:00 to 23:00 and the terminal from 23:00 to 01:00. No collection is available outside those times; confirm the late-arrival arrangement with the reservation.
Inspect at the actual bay
Take the original licence for each declared driver, identity document, booking and payment card required by the offer. Photograph existing marks, wheels, glass, fuel and mileage while the car is still parked. Check the boot with all luggage and confirm the booked transmission before driving off. If the flight is delayed, contact the operator about its collection window; airport terminal opening is not the same as desk availability.
Check luggage and vehicle fitCompare Benidorm town car hire
For a Benidorm base, decide whether the car is needed from the airport or only for later road days. A town collection can avoid parking a rental through a beach-only stay; compare the transfer to the branch before choosing.
Compare Benidorm town car hireChoose Alicante city or the wider coast as the first stop
The airport can serve several different opening itineraries.
Delay the car for a central stay
The C-6 bus reaches central Alicante and its railway station. For a first stay near the centre, compare bus tickets and a later city collection with airport hire days and accommodation parking. Confirm the exact later branch and its hours rather than assuming an airport reservation can be collected in town. If bags, children or a late arrival make the transfer difficult, weigh that real effort in the comparison.
Consider an Alicante city startKeep airport pickup for an onward base
A car becomes useful on arrival if the accommodation is in Elche or elsewhere along the Costa Blanca rather than central Alicante. A route through Elche, Santa Pola, Guardamar and Orihuela is a different plan from a short city break. Set the first actual stop before collecting, then make sure the vehicle category and included mileage suit the whole trip, not just the airport exit.
Find the rental garage before the passenger kerb
The fast passenger collection area is not a rental return.
Navigate to the right level
For SIXT, follow Car rental signs into the garage and continue to level 4 before following its return markers. Another operator may have a different car park level or an off-site depot. Save the exact return pin from the booking while you have mobile data and allow a spare loop around the airport if you miss the entrance. Do not park in express arrivals and carry keys to the terminal.
Close the agreement with evidence
Follow the selected fuel rule when refuelling and keep the receipt. Photograph the assigned return space, vehicle condition and final fuel reading before handing over the keys. SIXT has a 24-hour return option, but collection hours and other suppliers’ key procedures can differ. Follow the booking’s after-hours instructions and retain the return record until charges settle.
Treat Alicante and Elche as separate road starts
The airport name joins two cities, but their first drives are not identical.
Plan the Elche leg deliberately
An Elche or southern Costa Blanca itinerary can include Santa Pola and Guardamar before reaching Torrevieja or Orihuela. Use current road signs and your actual accommodation address rather than assuming every coast-bound vehicle should enter Alicante first. Stop planning around a beach pin alone: check legal parking and time for the final walk, particularly if the vehicle will be loaded with bags.
Give the northern coast a different allowance
If the plan heads toward Benidorm or Dénia, the trip can involve slower local roads and multiple beach stops. Compare one base with daily drives against moving accommodation, because repacking and parking may consume more time than the map distance suggests. A compact car helps at busy car parks only when every passenger and case fits; a larger model does not authorise rough tracks or restricted access.
Plan a Spanish Mediterranean routeSeparate legal driving from the rental counter test
A licence can be valid for a visit while a selected supplier applies additional conditions.
Check the issuing country before departure
Spanish visitor-driving rules depend on licence origin and visit status. Carry the original licence and verify whether an international permit or translation is needed for your circumstances; the permit is supplementary, not a replacement licence. Review the actual driver age, licence-history and card rules in the chosen rental offer separately. An airport search result does not establish that an individual driver is eligible.
Read cover and charges in one sitting
Compare the payable total, security hold, excess, excluded parts, added drivers, child seats, fuel and mileage for the same dates. Check who must present the payment card at Alicante and whether the card has enough available limit after other holiday charges. If a protection option reduces an excess, confirm what remains excluded and whether the deposit changes. Keep a copy of the accepted condition report.
Estimate the Alicante rental totalSet the final branch before paying
An outward coastal drive may end away from Alicante Airport.
Price a different Spanish drop-off
If you finish in Valencia or Murcia, enter that exact return in the search rather than assuming a same-airport price covers it. Compare the one-way offer with a loop including fuel and time; check branch opening and the signed return process for the final day. An unscheduled change can trigger additional fees even when the company has another branch in the destination city.
Compare a Valencia Airport endpointKeep foreign or ferry legs conditional
A possible later drive across a border or onto a ferry needs the selected supplier’s permission, cover and vehicle eligibility. Do not infer from the open road network that a Spanish rental may be carried to an island or returned abroad. Give the company the proposed route before booking and keep the written response with the agreement; passenger ferry tickets alone do not change rental conditions.
Choose the next stop before collecting
Dénia pickup planning
For a Dénia base, compare the Alicante Airport rental with a later town-office start after the coast transfer.
Dénia car hire optionsCosta Blanca pickup planning
Choose a Costa Blanca starting point around the first night: Alicante Airport collection and later resort hire suit different schedules.
Costa Blanca car hire optionsMore ways to start from Alicante Airport
Alicante Terminal railway station
A stay in Alicante Terminal railway station can precede the driving portion of your trip. Compare this city or station pickup with airport collection, allowing for the actual operator address and any transfer from the train or hotel.
Plan Alicante Terminal railway station car hireAlicante Airport rental questions
Where are Alicante Airport rental desks?
The airport has named rental desks on arrivals floor 0. Follow the selected operator’s directions for the vehicle itself.
Where does SIXT return at Alicante Airport?
Follow rental signs into the parking garage and go to its marked return spaces on level 4.
Can I take a bus into Alicante before hiring?
Yes. The C-6 links the terminal with Alicante centre and rail station; compare a later city branch with extra hire days.
Is Alicante Airport the right start for Elche?
It can be if your onward drive begins immediately. Enter the actual Elche address and check car fit, parking and return branch.
Do I need an international driving permit?
That depends on the issuing jurisdiction and visit status under Spanish rules. Carry the original licence and separately check the rental company’s acceptance terms.
Compare Alicante Airport car hire
Choose your dates and compare the total price, pickup arrangements and rental conditions. Check the branch and return plan before confirming an offer.
Search Alicante Airport car hire