Car hire at Barcelona-El Prat Airport: the desks at T1 and T2, rental conditions and driving in Barcelona

Where do you pick up the car?

Which car hire companies have desks at Barcelona-El Prat

Nine companies have desks at the airport: eight at both terminals, and Firefly at T2 only.

If you need to call the desk, use the number in your booking confirmation.

Picking up at T1: the desks on Floor 1

At T1 the car hire desks are on Floor 1, in the arrivals hall, the floor where you leave baggage reclaim: the Sky Center hall for most flights, or carousel 00 for the Barcelona–Madrid air shuttle (Pont Aeri). OK Mobility's desk is in La Plaza, the landside area of the same floor.

After the paperwork the company sends you to its collection area. Hire cars are generally picked up from areas in or beside the terminal car parks, and the exact bay, floor and return route are each company's own: they are in your booking confirmation. OK Mobility, for example, sends its customers from arrivals to the signed "car rental" areas and then to its office on the car-park level.

Picking up at T2: every desk in T2B, Floor 0

At T2 all the desks are together in T2B, Floor 0, the arrivals hall. T2 is one terminal in three sections, and your bags may come out in another one: T2A takes non-Schengen arrivals (except easyJet and Pegasus), T2B Schengen arrivals (except easyJet and Norwegian), and T2C easyJet, Norwegian and Pegasus. From T2A to T2B is about 2 minutes on foot; from T2C it is about 5 minutes, or 1 minute on the shuttle.

As at T1, the company's confirmation tells you where to walk for the car once the contract is signed.

Landing at the other terminal from your booking

Aena's free shuttle links T1 and T2 24 hours a day; allow 15 to 20 minutes door to door. Stops and frequencies are under getting between the terminals.

Returning the car at the other terminal can count as a one-way rental with a fee, so agree it with the company first.

Off-airport companies and shuttle pick-ups

Some brands sold for Barcelona airport, mostly budget and meet-and-greet operators, keep their cars at depots outside the airport and take you there by shuttle bus. Which brands do this changes often, so read the voucher: it gives the meeting point and the shuttle times. Save the company's number, and add the shuttle ride to your timing when you bring the car back before a flight.

Opening hours, late landings and out-of-hours returns

Every company sets its own desk hours, so check opening hours with the company, above all for a flight that lands very early or late at night. If the desk may be shut when you arrive, ask before you fly how the pick-up works: some brands charge an out-of-hours collection fee, others need it arranged in advance. For the return, some offer a 24-hour drop-off at the airport. Write down what you agree, with the name of the person who confirmed it.

What to bring: licence, ID, credit card and International Driving Permit

Each company sets its own rental conditions, and your contract has the final word. At the desk the main driver normally shows:

• a valid driving licence;
• a passport or national ID card;
• the booking voucher;
• a credit card in the main driver's name.

Licences from the EU and the EEA are accepted on their own. A licence issued outside the EU in a non-Latin alphabet, or not in Spanish or English, usually has to be shown together with an International Driving Permit. The company and your nationality decide, so check both before the trip.

Minimum age, young drivers and the deposit

The minimum age at most companies is 21, with a young-driver surcharge under 25; some also ask for a licence held for one or two years. Certain car categories require an older driver, and some brands set conditions or a surcharge for older drivers too.

For the deposit, companies block an amount on a credit card in the main driver's name, and most refuse debit and prepaid cards for it. Debit-card and no-deposit products exist, with stricter conditions. Make sure the card's limit covers the hold before you travel.

Excess, CDW and what basic cover leaves out

The standard rental includes a collision damage waiver (CDW) with an excess: the amount you still pay if the car is damaged. Damage to glass, tyres and the underbody is often left out of basic cover and sold as an add-on. Zero-excess top-ups are sold at the counter and by third parties; compare what each covers before you sign.

Fuel policy, extra drivers, child seats and late returns

Full-to-full is the common fuel policy: the tank is full when you collect the car and should be full when you return it. Some budget brands use full-to-empty instead, with the first tank paid in advance. Check which applies so you are not charged for refuelling.

An additional driver and child or booster seats are usually paid extras, and seats have to be requested in advance. The grace period for a late return is short, usually 29 to 59 minutes depending on the company, and beyond it you pay an extra day.

Barcelona's low-emission zone (ZBE Rondes de Barcelona)

Barcelona has a permanent low-emission zone, the ZBE Rondes de Barcelona (zona de baixes emissions). It covers the city inside the ring roads and parts of the neighbouring municipalities; the city's ZBE rules give the exact boundary, including the status of the Ronda de Dalt and the Ronda Litoral themselves.

Vehicles without a recognised environmental classification may not enter on weekdays, Monday to Friday, from about 07:00 to 20:00, and the fine is €200. The rules change, so check the city's ZBE rules before driving in.

The DGT label on a hire car, and cars on foreign plates

Spanish vehicles carry an environmental label from the DGT, the national traffic authority (distintiu ambiental in Catalan): 0, ECO, C or B. A car with no label is the most restricted. Spanish-registered hire cars normally have the right sticker, and most modern fleet cars are C, ECO or 0, so they can usually enter the ZBE. The label belongs to the individual car, though, so confirm it at the desk, especially if you booked an older or unusual vehicle.

A car on foreign plates, such as your own car driven from abroad, cannot get a DGT label. It has to be registered before you drive into Barcelona and its metropolitan area, and checked against the environmental requirements. If it complies, it can circulate freely; if not, you can apply for day permits to enter the ZBE, up to ten a year.

Parking in Barcelona: Àrea Blava, Àrea Verda and car parks

Street parking in central Barcelona is scarce and regulated by AREA, the city scheme run by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM). Blue bays, the Àrea Blava, are for any driver; green bays, the Àrea Verda, are mainly for residents. Rates vary by zone and partly by the car's DGT label, and blue bays start from about €1.15 an hour (listed by travel sites in October 2026, not set by B:SM); the parking meter in the street shows the official rate.

Leaving the car in a paid car park (pàrquing) near the hotel saves hunting for a bay. Ask your hotel before you arrive which one it uses.

Tolls around Barcelona: the AP-7, the AP-2 and the C-32

The state tolls on the AP-7 and AP-2 motorways in Catalonia ended on 31 August 2021, so the main motorway corridor through the Barcelona region is now largely free. The C-32 is only partly free. Its northern section, from Barcelona along the Maresme towards Lloret, lost its tolls in 2021, while the southern C-32 through the Túnels del Garraf, towards Sitges and the Baix Penedès, is run by the Generalitat de Catalunya and still charges; its current price is on the website of the Generalitat or of the concessionaire.

Many hire cars carry a Via-T toll tag, or the company bills tolls by number-plate recognition, with a service fee that differs between companies. Ask how tolls are charged when you pick up the car.

One-way rentals, France, Andorra, Portugal and ferries to the Balearics

The rules here are each company's own, so read your contract; what follows is how they generally work. Most major brands offer one-way rentals, with the car returned at the other terminal, in another Spanish city or abroad, for a one-way fee agreed when you book.

For France, Andorra or Portugal you need the company's written authorisation in advance; expect a surcharge and limits on insurance and roadside assistance outside Spain. Andorra, outside the EU, has stricter conditions at many companies than France or Portugal.

A hire car on a ferry to Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza or Formentera is forbidden by many contracts, and the rest require the company's explicit written permission. If the islands are on your route, ask before you book.

Returning the car at Barcelona-El Prat

Before you drive off the bay, photograph any existing damage and ask which way the return route goes. On the way back, follow your company's return signs to its area of the car park, and keep the signed check-in document after the inspection. On a full-to-full rental you can refuel at the airport's own petrol station, at T2 on Floor 0, open from 06:00 to 22:00 with petrol, diesel and LPG; for a return outside those hours, fill up before you reach the airport.

Left something in the car? The rental company holds it, so contact its desk in the arrivals hall or its customer service. Items lost in the terminal or the car parks go to Aena's lost property office on T1 Floor 1.