You land at Malaga airport. Your hotel is in Marbella, 50 km down the coast. A taxi costs roughly €70 to €84. The Avanza bus is €8 to €9, suitcases and all. Or you pick up a rental car at the airport. There is a fourth way: the car comes to your hotel, you sign the agreement by reception and set off whenever you like.
Car hire with hotel delivery (some companies call it doorstep delivery) is not free. You pay for each direction separately, from €20 in Torremolinos to €70 in Marbella. Is it worth it? That depends on the town, your landing time and any children travelling with you. Below you will find the full price list from our booking panel and an honest sum against the taxi. Plus how to add delivery to your booking.
In this article:
Hotel delivery is a one-off fee, charged once for delivery and once for collection. The amount depends on the town, not on the car model or the length of the rental. This is the price list from the Car4Rent Malaga booking panel, correct as of September 2026:
| Pick-up or return point | Pick-up (delivery) | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Malaga Airport (AGP) | €0 | €0 |
| Hotel Torremolinos | €20 | €20 |
| Hotel Malaga (city) | €25 | €25 |
| Hotel Benalmadena | €30 | €30 |
| Hotel Fuengirola | €35 | €35 |
| Hotel Marbella | €70 | €70 |
You can mix directions. The cheapest combination: delivery to your hotel in Marbella (€70), return at the airport before your flight (€0). You pay once, and on your last day you are heading towards Malaga anyway.
Now the sums.
Marbella. In 2026 a taxi from the airport costs roughly €70 to €84 one way. Hotel delivery: €70. Almost the same money, except one buys you a single ride and the other a car for your whole stay. Return the car at the airport for €0 and the bill closes at €70, instead of €140 to €170 for taxis both ways.
Fuengirola. A taxi is about €36 to €45 one way. Delivery costs €35. It comes out even again, and with a car at the hotel you can drive straight to Mijas or the beaches towards Marbella.
Torremolinos and Benalmadena. Here the price advantage disappears: a taxi costs €17 to €25, delivery €20 to €30. What is left is convenience. Nobody goes broke over €20, but in daytime, without children, picking up at the airport simply makes more sense.
What about the rental itself? The price and what goes into it are broken down in our article on how much car hire in Malaga costs.
Pick-up at Malaga airport costs €0 and takes 15 to 20 minutes. We go through it step by step in our guide to renting a car at Malaga airport. Before you decide, look at what getting to your hotel without a car really costs.
| From AGP airport to | Distance | Cercanías C1 train | Bus | Taxi (one way) | Hotel delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torremolinos | about 6 km, 10 min | about €2.05, 10 min | yes | about €17 to €19 | €20 |
| Benalmadena | about 12 km, 15 min | about €2.05, 15 to 20 min | yes | about €22 to €25 | €30 |
| Fuengirola | about 20 km, 25 min | about €2.05, about 35 min | yes | about €36 to €45 | €35 |
| Marbella | about 50 km, 45 to 50 min | no service | Avanza €8 to €9, 35 to 60 min | about €70 to €84 | €70 |
A few things the table cannot show.
The “Cercanías” (local commuter train) line C1 runs every 20 minutes, from around 5:30 until midnight, and ends at Fuengirola. There is no train to Marbella. The Avanza bus to Marbella has about 31 departures a day, the first at 6:20 and the last at 20:05. Landing at 22:00? That leaves a taxi or a car.
The airport taxi tariff for 2026 is approved by the “Ayuntamiento de Málaga” (Malaga city council). The minimum fare is €18.24 by day and €22.48 at night and at weekends. Add €0.58 for every suitcase over 60 cm. A family with three suitcases, landing on a Saturday evening, starts on the higher rate before the taxi has even moved.
In short: hotel delivery wins in Marbella almost every time, and in Fuengirola often. In Torremolinos and Benalmadena it wins only when something matters more than the price.
Consider it if:
When does airport pick-up make more sense? When you are staying in Torremolinos or in Malaga itself, you fly in during the day and you want the car straight away for €0.
Everything happens in the online booking, with no extra phone calls.
At the agreed time the driver pulls up at your hotel. A chat in English or Polish, a walk round the car, a handover report with photos. Keys in your hand, and the driver makes their own way back. All in: 15 to 20 minutes, the same as at the airport.
The paperwork is the same as at the airport. Before the driver arrives, have these to hand:
A child car seat (baby seat, child seat or booster, €10 to €15 as a one-off fee) is added when you book. Put your child's weight and height in the notes, and the driver will bring the car with the right seat.
Each of the four towns has its own logistics and its own sums.
About 50 km from the airport, 45 to 50 minutes on the AP-7 motorway (toll, faster) or the A-7 (free, busier). It is the only one of the four towns you cannot reach by train, and the bus stops running in the early evening.
Delivery costs €70, the price of one taxi. With a €0 return at the airport, it is the best deal on the whole coast. We deliver to hotels and apartments along the Golden Mile, in the Puerto Banus marina and in quieter San Pedro. Where to leave the car afterwards is covered in our article on parking in Malaga and Marbella.
About 20 km from the airport, 25 minutes by car or 35 minutes on the C1 train. Delivery costs €35, a taxi about €36 to €45.
Car hire with hotel delivery in Fuengirola makes sense when you are based in one place and want the car for day trips. Think Mijas Pueblo, Marbella, the beaches towards Estepona. We deliver all over Fuengirola and in Los Boliches. For beaches with parking within half an hour's drive, see our guide to Costa del Sol beaches by car.
About 12 km from the airport, 15 minutes. Hotel delivery in Benalmadena costs €30, a taxi about €22 to €25. Slightly worse on price, better on logistics. Arroyo de la Miel sits higher up and inland, so a hotel there can mean a steep walk with suitcases.
Benalmadena Costa is the strip of beachfront hotels plus Puerto Marina, one of the prettier marinas in Spain. We cover both areas at any hour.
About 6 km from the airport, 10 minutes. The closest of the four and the cheapest delivery: €20. A taxi is about €17 to €19, and the train takes 10 minutes.
Let's be straight: in daytime, with one suitcase, airport pick-up wins. Delivery in Torremolinos is mostly booked by families with small children and guests off night flights. For them, €20 is the price of skipping the terminal after a few hours on a plane. La Carihuela, the old fishing quarter, is within range too.
Yes, for the same fee as delivery. We agree a day and a time, and the driver comes to the hotel for the car. Handy if you have a morning flight and a lot of luggage.
The sum is simple, though. Returning at the airport costs €0, and on your last day you are going that way anyway. That is why the mixed option wins most often: delivery to the hotel, return at the airport. For Marbella you then pay €70 instead of €140, for Fuengirola €35 instead of €70.
Returns work around the clock, including at night and early in the morning.
Yes, a one-off €20 to €70 depending on the town: Torremolinos €20, Malaga city €25, Benalmadena €30, Fuengirola €35, Marbella €70. Pick-up and return at the airport cost €0.
Yes. You choose each direction separately in the booking panel. Delivery to a hotel in Marbella plus return at the airport comes to €70 in total, because there is no fee for an airport return.
15 to 20 minutes, the same as at the airport. Service in English or Polish, a handover report with photos, then the keys.
In Marbella, yes: a taxi costs about €70 to €84 one way, delivery €70, and returning at the airport €0. In Torremolinos and Benalmadena a taxi can be a few euros cheaper, so convenience decides, not the price.
Yes, around the clock, 7 days a week, as long as you book ahead with a time and your flight number. A night landing is not a problem.
Six points in the booking panel: Malaga airport, Malaga city, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Marbella. Other places on the Costa del Sol are agreed individually before the booking is confirmed.
No. You pay by debit card, cash or Revolut, and we take no deposit. All you need is your driving licence, a passport or ID card and the booking confirmation.
You now know what hotel delivery costs and when it makes sense. At Car4Rent Malaga you rent with no deposit and no credit card, with service in English or Polish around the clock. Choose “Hotel Marbella” or another point in the panel, then enter the address and your flight number. The driver will be at reception at the agreed time. Got a question before you book? Message us on WhatsApp: +34 695 715 325.
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