Renting a car in Spanish: the counter, the insurance words and the damage check in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
The rental counter is a short conversation about money. Most of it is insurance, a deposit and a fuel policy, and you protect yourself afterwards, in the car park, with the damage sheet in your hand. This page has the documents, the insurance words, the deposit, the walk-around, the fuel policy, the tolls and the return, with what changes between Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. For the petrol station and the road itself, see Renting a car, filling up and driving in Spanish.
What the car is called
The first sentence you say already has four versions.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car | el carro | el coche | el carro | el auto |
| To rent | rentar | alquilar | alquilar | alquilar |
| I want to rent a car | Quiero rentar un carro. | Quiero alquilar un coche. | Quiero alquilar un carro. | Quiero alquilar un auto. |
| The rental firm | la arrendadora, la agencia de renta | la empresa de alquiler | la agencia de alquiler | la agencia de alquiler |
| The branch | la sucursal | la oficina | la sucursal | la sucursal |
Alquilar is understood in Mexico and rentar is understood everywhere, so you will not be stuck with either word. Auto is also fine in Mexico and Colombia. Spain is the one country where carro means a trolley or a cart.
Documents and the booking
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I have a booking | Tengo una reserva a nombre de Clark. | Spell the surname; you will be asked to |
| Here is my licence | Aquí tiene mi licencia. | Spain: el carné or el permiso de conducir. Colombia: el pase. Argentina: el registro |
| The card is in my name | La tarjeta está a mi nombre. | They check this against the licence |
| My wife will drive too | Mi esposa también va a manejar. | Spain and Argentina: conducir and va a conducir |
| How much is an extra driver? | ¿Cuánto cuesta el conductor adicional? | |
| Is it automatic? | ¿Es automático? | |
| I cannot drive a manual | No sé manejar estándar. | Mexico. Spain, Colombia, Argentina: no sé conducir / manejar manual |
Manual is the default in Spain and Argentina, and an automatic costs more and runs out early. Book it before you fly. In Mexico estándar is the everyday word for a manual gearbox and manual is understood too.
The credit card has to be in the driver’s name in all four countries, and a debit card is often refused, because the deposit is a hold rather than a charge. Ask when you book: ¿Aceptan tarjeta de débito para el depósito?
The insurance words
This is the part of the conversation worth slowing down. The same four ideas have different names by country.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance | el seguro | el seguro | el seguro | el seguro |
| The excess (what you pay if you crash) | el deducible | la franquicia | el deducible | la franquicia |
| Full cover, nothing to pay | cobertura amplia or cobertura total | a todo riesgo sin franquicia | cobertura total | cobertura total sin franquicia |
| Third-party liability | responsabilidad civil, daños a terceros | responsabilidad civil, a terceros | responsabilidad civil | responsabilidad civil, contra terceros |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What does the insurance cover? | ¿Qué cubre el seguro? | The single most useful question here |
| What is not covered? | ¿Qué no cubre? | Tyres, glass and the underside are the usual answers |
| How much is the excess? | ¿De cuánto es el deducible? / ¿la franquicia? | |
| I want full cover | Quiero la cobertura total. | |
| I do not want extra insurance | No quiero seguro adicional. | You do not have to give a reason |
| My credit card covers it | Mi tarjeta de crédito ya tiene cobertura. | Bring the letter from the card issuer |
| Is third-party liability included? | ¿Va incluida la responsabilidad civil? | |
| Are the tyres covered? | ¿Cubre las llantas? | Spain: los neumáticos. Argentina: las cubiertas |
| Is the windscreen covered? | ¿Cubre el parabrisas? | |
| Is there roadside assistance? | ¿Tiene asistencia en carretera? | Argentina and Colombia also say auxilio mecánico |
The answer matters most in Mexico. Third-party liability has to come from a Mexican insurer, so the responsabilidad civil sold at the counter is not optional and your card at home is no substitute for it. The deal advertised for a few dollars a day is the car without it. Ask the price with insurance included when you book: ¿Cuánto sale con el seguro de responsabilidad civil incluido?
Colombia’s SOAT travels with the car. It is the compulsory accident insurance, every registered vehicle has one, and a rental will be current. It covers injuries to people, not the bodywork.
Rental firms in Spain sell the no-excess upgrade hard. A todo riesgo sin franquicia is the phrase, and on the basic rate there is almost always an excess in the hundreds. The polite refusal is Así está bien, gracias.
The deposit
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How much is the deposit? | ¿De cuánto es el depósito? | Spain: la fianza. Mexico also el depósito en garantía |
| When do I get it back? | ¿Cuándo me lo devuelven? | Ask for the date and write it down |
| Does the deposit go up without full cover? | ¿Sube el depósito si no tomo la cobertura total? | It does, in all four |
The walk-around
Do not sign until you have walked round the car with the sheet in your hand. Photograph every side, the roof, the wheels, the windscreen and the dashboard with the fuel gauge and the odometer showing. Then say what you see.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| There is already a scratch here | Aquí ya hay un rayón. | Spain: un arañazo or una raya |
| A dent | una abolladura | Spain also un golpe or un bollo |
| The bumper is scraped | La defensa está raspada. | Spain: el parachoques. Argentina: el paragolpes. Colombia: el bómper |
| This tyre is low | Esta llanta está baja. | Spain: esta rueda. Argentina: esta goma |
| There is no spare tyre | No trae llanta de refacción. | Spain: rueda de repuesto. Colombia: llanta de repuesto. Argentina: rueda de auxilio |
| Can you write it on the sheet? | ¿Me lo puede anotar en la hoja? | Every mark goes on the sheet before you sign |
| Can I take photos? | ¿Puedo tomar fotos? | Spain: ¿puedo hacer fotos? |
| The tank is not full | El tanque no está lleno. | Spain: el depósito |
| The boot does not open | No abre la cajuela. | Spain: el maletero. Colombia and Argentina: el baúl |
The damage sheet is la hoja de daños or el inventario del vehículo, and in Spain the form you fill in after a knock is el parte. A new mark found at the return comes out of the deposit.
Fuel policy
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel | la gasolina | la gasolina | la gasolina | la nafta |
| Diesel | el diésel | el gasóleo or el diésel | el diésel or el ACPM | el gasoil |
| The tank | el tanque | el depósito | el tanque | el tanque |
| Full to full | lleno a lleno | lleno a lleno | lleno a lleno | lleno a lleno |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Do I bring it back full? | ¿Lo devuelvo lleno? | |
| Full to full, right? | Es lleno a lleno, ¿verdad? | Argentina: ¿no? at the end |
| Which grade? | ¿Qué tipo de gasolina lleva? | |
| Do I have to keep the receipt? | ¿Tengo que guardar el ticket? | Mexico and Colombia: el recibo. Spain: el ticket |
| I was charged for fuel | Me cobraron combustible. | The word for fuel in general is el combustible |
Lleno a lleno is the policy to take. The alternative, where you pay for a full tank at the counter and return it empty, is el tanque prepagado or, in Spain, lleno-vacío, and the price per litre is above the pump. Fill up a few kilometres out rather than at the airport gate.
Tolls
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toll | el peaje, la caseta | el peaje | el peaje | el peaje |
| Toll road | la autopista de cuota | la autopista de peaje (AP) | la vía con peaje | la autopista |
| Free road | la carretera libre | la autovía (free, N and A roads) | la vía nacional | la ruta |
| The tag | el TAG, el telepeaje | el Via-T | el TelePASE |
Mexico’s toll motorways are fast and expensive, and the parallel libre road is slower and goes through every town. Ask ¿Trae telepeaje? at the counter and carry cash in pesos anyway, because plenty of casetas still refuse cards. Colombian booths are frequent on the roads between cities and take cash. Argentina’s TelePASE is normal around Buenos Aires; ask ¿Tiene TelePASE?
Returning the car
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I am returning the car | Vengo a entregar el carro. | Spain: el coche. Argentina: el auto |
| Here are the keys | Aquí están las llaves. | |
| I filled it up | Lo llené. | Show the receipt |
| Can I have it in writing? | ¿Me lo puede dar por escrito? | For the release of the deposit |
| Is there a grace period? | ¿Hay tolerancia? | Ask how many minutes |
| A stone broke the windscreen | Una piedra rompió el parabrisas. |
Get the closing paper. It is el comprobante de entrega or la hoja de devolución, it says the car came back with no new damage, and it is what you send if a charge appears on the card a month later. Out of hours, the drop is entrega fuera de horario and the car is checked without you, so photograph it in the bay with the time showing.
On the road
A speed bump is el tope in Mexico, el badén in Spain, el resalto or el policía acostado in Colombia and el lomo de burro in Argentina. Mexican topes are unmarked as often as not and will take the sump out of a low car. A roundabout is la glorieta in Mexico and Colombia and la rotonda in Spain and Argentina.
What the agent will say
¿Me permite su licencia y una tarjeta de crédito a nombre del titular? Your licence and a credit card in the main driver’s name.
Le vamos a hacer una retención en la tarjeta como garantía. We are putting a hold on your card as a deposit.
El seguro básico va incluido, pero tiene deducible. Basic insurance is included, but it carries an excess.
¿Desea la cobertura amplia? Do you want the full cover? In Spain, ¿Quieres el todo riesgo sin franquicia?
Se lo entregamos con el tanque lleno y así lo devuelve. We hand it over full and that is how you bring it back.
El kilometraje es ilimitado. Unlimited mileage. The opposite is tiene un límite de kilómetros al día.
Cualquier daño nuevo se descuenta del depósito. Any new damage comes out of the deposit.
Devuélvalo antes de las once, tiene media hora de tolerancia. Bring it back before eleven, you have half an hour of grace.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Tengo una reserva a nombre de Clark. Aquí está mi licencia. I have a booking under Clark. Here is my licence.
- ¿Es automático? No sé manejar estándar. Is it automatic? I cannot drive a manual. (Mexico)
- ¿Qué cubre el seguro y qué no cubre? What does the insurance cover and what does it not cover?
- ¿De cuánto es el deducible? How much is the excess? (Mexico, Colombia)
- ¿De cuánto es la franquicia? How much is the excess? (Spain, Argentina)
- Aquí ya hay un rayón. ¿Me lo puede anotar en la hoja? There is already a scratch here. Can you write it on the sheet?
- Es lleno a lleno, ¿verdad? It is full to full, right?
- ¿Trae telepeaje? Does it have a toll tag? (Mexico)
- Vengo a entregar el auto. ¿Lo puede revisar ahora? I am returning the car. Can you check it now? (Argentina)
- ¿Me da el comprobante de entrega? Can I have the return receipt?
Questions people ask
Do I need an international driving permit? Rental firms in all four countries normally accept a valid home licence from a visitor. Where the licence is not in Spanish, a branch or a traffic officer can ask for the international permit as the translation of it, so carry one with the original. Check the current rule for the country before you travel.
Is the cheap insurance on the booking site enough? It is a refund product, not cover. You still pay the excess at the counter and claim it back afterwards, and in Mexico it is not enough for the legal third-party requirement. Ask what the deposit becomes if you decline the counter cover.
What is “deducible” versus “franquicia”? The same thing under two names: the amount you pay before the insurer pays anything. In Mexico and Colombia it is deducible, in Spain and Argentina franquicia.
Can I take a rental car across a border? Assume no. Spain to Portugal is normally allowed with a fee declared in advance, for Argentina to Chile you need paperwork requested days ahead, and in Mexico and Colombia it is generally forbidden. Ask ¿Puedo cruzar la frontera? before you book.
What does “kilometraje ilimitado” mean? Unlimited mileage. With the alternative you get a set number of kilometres a day and pay for every one over it. Ask ¿El kilometraje es ilimitado? and check the answer on the contract before you sign.
Can I collect in one city and leave the car in another? Often yes, for a fee, and the fee is worth asking about before you book. ¿Puedo entregarlo en otra ciudad? ¿Cuánto cuesta? On booking sites it appears as a one-way charge.
What if a charge appears weeks later? Write to the branch with the return receipt and your photographs. Les escribo por un cargo en mi tarjeta del quince de marzo. Adjunto el comprobante de entrega y fotos del vehículo. Keep it short and attach the evidence.
Practise these words
alquilar, seguro, cubrir, depósito, licencia, tanque, lleno, peaje, llanta, devolver, entregar, daño, firmar. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.