The Canary Islands consider a cap on rental cars: what the draft plan says, and what it means for your next trip

For most visitors to the Canary Islands, a rental car is the way to reach beaches and mountain roads, far ahead of buses and taxis. The regional government of the Canary Islands is now considering a limit on the number of rental cars per island, with Ibiza's cap as its example, according to a draft mobility strategy reported on 1 October 2026. Nothing has been decided, and for now nothing changes for renters. Here is what the draft says, and why it is worth keeping an eye on.

What the Canary Islands draft says about rental cars

The document is a draft of the Estrategia de Movilidad Sostenible e Inteligente de Canarias, known as EMSICAN. Atlántico Hoy, which reported on it first, writes that the draft describes the growth of the rental fleet as notable and uncontrolled and concludes that it needs regulating. It names Ibiza as a model, but it does not put a number on a cap for the Canaries.

The figures in the draft show why the islands are looking at rental cars. In 2024, 36% of newly registered cars across the islands were for rental companies. On Gran Canaria there were 10,434 rental registrations, about 43% of those analysed. Lanzarote had 2,643, about 53%, El Hierro about 61% and Fuerteventura about 45%. Tenerife recorded 3,131. More than 60% of tourist trips to attractions are made by private vehicle, and the draft links this to pressure on main roads such as the GC-1 and GC-2 on Gran Canaria and the TF-1 and TF-5 on Tenerife. It does not calculate what share of that traffic comes from rental cars.

The same draft also suggests that rental companies could be required to run a fixed share of electric or hybrid cars.

Why the islands are looking at car numbers

The background is wider than tourism. elDiario.es reported on 27 September 2026 that the Canary Islands have more than 2 million vehicles for about 2.2 million residents, or 830 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. Registrations reached 32,587 in the first nine months of 2026, according to the island statistics office ISTAC. A mobility researcher quoted by the paper said the tourism model especially favours the rental car for reaching beaches and nature areas. Fleets were not renewed during the pandemic, and the registration boom started in 2023 when companies replaced their cars.

How the Ibiza cap works

Ibiza already has a rule like this. Since 2025 it limits the number of vehicles from outside the island during the summer season. In 2025, from 1 June to 30 September, the cap was 20,168 vehicles, 16,000 of them rental cars. Spanje Vandaag reports that the 2026 limit is lower, at 17,668 vehicles including 14,000 rental cars. The travel industry warned that this would lead to shortages and higher rental prices in high season.

What this means if you rent a car in the Canaries

For now, nothing. There is no cap, no quota and no date, and Spanje Vandaag notes that travellers renting on Tenerife or Gran Canaria will not notice any change yet. If a cap does come, Ibiza suggests that the effect would show first in peak weeks, as fewer cars and higher prices.

What does not change is how disputes work. A deposit that is not released, extra cover at the desk or damage found after the return are handled the same way on the islands as on the mainland. Our guide to a damage claim after renting a car in Spain explains your options there. If prices rise, very low headline offers become more tempting, so read where very cheap rental deals make their money back before you book, and compare airport and city pick-up for your route.

Whatever you book, document the car at pick-up and return. The pick-up checklist takes five minutes and is the best protection against a claim you did not cause.