Driving in Gran Canaria is fairly easy. Most roads have a good pavement and the main highway, the GC-1, has 6 lanes with a max speed of 120 km/h. Cars are the main way of moving on the island for those who are staying here long term.
These are the main advantages:
- Price of gasoline is low, the average for gasolina 95 is €1,10 per liter and some stations go as low as €0,90 – €1 / L. Just type Gas in google maps and the list of Gas Pumps will appear with the updated prices. There are 2 gas pumps that are very cheap, one is in Cruce de Arinaga and it’s called Gasolinera Canaryoil, the other one is Petroprix in La Isleta in Las Palmas.
- The overall car maintenance is fairly low as temperatures are stable, it doesn’t rain much and winters are not as cold as in Europe. Make sure to protect the front dashboard from the sun though!
- Parking is easy in almost every location in Gran Canaria. Las Palmas is a big exception where car spots are both expensive and rare to find so it is recommended to move by public transport or to park in La Isleta and head down to Las Canteras by foot if you’re up for a visit.
Before covid renting cars was very cheap and sometimes you could get a basic one for as low as €5 a day if renting for a month. Nowadays prices have gone crazy and it will take at least 1-2 years for fares to go back to normal. At the time of writing (February 2022) renting a car for 1 month costs around €23/day and a 3 days weekend is around €34/day.
Public transportation is an option of course but being free and able to visit any spot in Gran Canaria allows you to enjoy the island in a way different vibe, so make sure to team up with some people on Slack, rent a car and enjoy your trip!