RENTING A CAR IN SPAIN. 

If you rent or hire a car in Spain -

The first thing to do when you get to your rental or hire car in Spain is to remove any stickers that indicate that the vehicle is a rental car. These are normally bright yellow with the name of the rental car firm on them and are often placed on the back window for all to see. 

Why remove the Car hire sticker?

It might seem strange, but these stickers make you a sitting target for thieves, robbers and the many unscrupulous people that abound during the tourist season. Thieves may be waiting at the airport to follow you, they know you are a tourist as you are in a rental car with a big yellow sticker on the back of th car - a sitting target.

Some time later, within a few kilometers of a service station, en route to your location or on the motorway, the thieves will drive next to you and indicate that you have an issue with a tyre. Concerned you may well be tempted to pull over and take a look. Don't. If everything in the car seems ok, keep going and only stop if and when you feel comfortable.

They will try and get you to pull over and there are likely to be at least two or three people in the car attempting to get you to pull over. If you do, the likelyhood is that they will distract you, by walking you over to the right front or rear tyre, so that their colleagues can open the car doors and steal your belongings whilst you are being distrated.  They may also hold you at knifepoint or gunpoint and get you to hand over your cash and valuables if you have stopped on the side of a motorway or in a deserted place. 

If you do decide to stop, make sure you park in sight of people and try and keep your car in sight. Make sure any belongings are not left in the car. If you do leave belongings in the car, keep them locked in the boot. Too many people leave handbags, and belongings in clear site, and it only takes a few seconds for the window to be smashed and have your valuables stolen. You will then be responsible for the damage to the vehicle. This also happens at large filling stations on the motorway, especially near the airports as thieves are aware that you need to return the car to the hire company full of petrol. 

This is a well known, very common and yearly issue when tourist season is upon us and we still can't understand why the Car hire companies in Spain insist on putting these stickers on their vehicles when they are fully aware of this problem. 

Don't become a target - remove that sticker, regardless of what the hire car company says and keep your car doors locked. Be safe, and enjoy your holiday.