Recently opened to great fanfare by King Felipe VI, Murcia’s brand new airport (RMU) comprises of a single passenger terminal with a capacity for three million passengers (although its eventual capacity will be boosted to five million passengers).
Murcia Airport (Photo: joa V via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
It was built to cater for the region’s burgeoning tourist industry and as a result it has already attracted five internationally recognised car hire companies. Four of these car rental companies can be found just across the road as you exit the main terminal building with the fifth, Centauro, located in the nearby industrial estate.
As always, TravelMag.com has looked into rates, selection of cars, customer reviews and company policies of all the car rental companies at RMU to work out the best three options. The results of our findings are below.
Most Affordable – Budget
Thankfully, despite general price increases in the car rental market, car rentals at RMU airport have remained relatively cheap compared to the rest of Europe. Amongst some of the cheapest deals on offer, Budget has some of the best. Their compact cars, including an Opel Corsa, Seat Leon and Toyota Aygo, were all under €60 per day on our selected dates during the high season. Budget picks up an overall score of 6.9 out of 10 on the popular car rental site, rentalcars.com. The offices are located in the terminal but you’ll need to take a shuttle bus to pick up your car meaning the average waiting time is just shy of 20 minutes. Budget’s opening hours are from 8.30am to 9.30pm daily.
Best for Luxury – Firefly
At RMU, Firefly had the best selection of vehicles and some of the best prices in the luxury car category. Amongst the vehicles on offer, they have the Seat Arona or a Skoda Koraq – ideal for anyone who dreams of zipping down to the Spanish city of Murcia or up into the surrounding hills in style. Reading through customer’s feedback, there was plenty of praise for the calm and friendly customer service and for the staff’s relaxed attitude to selling car rental extras (quite exceptional in this industry!). Moreover, it picks up the best score on popular car rental site rentalcars.com. Firefly’s desk sits just outside the main terminal and is open from 7.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Best for Minivans – Leasy’s
Options are somewhat limited for families planning vacations at Murcia Airport. Out of all the companies operating RMU, it was Leasy’s that came out on top thanks to its superior selection of SUVS and large cars. It also receives lots of positive customer feedback with a remarkable 8.8 out of 10 when it comes to staff helpfulness, car condition and value for money. Leasy’s vehicles include a Ford EcoSport Estate, Kia Sportage and a Nissan Qashkai and finally, the Jeep Compass. However, it is worth noting that none of these vehicles are really designed to sit more than 5 people. Leasy’s desk at Murcia Airport is open from 8a.m. to 10p.m. daily.