Ibiza is 41 kilometres long and 15 wide, with roughly eighty coves reachable by road and about six of them reachable by bus. That gap is the entire argument for renting a scooter. It is also why, in August, every rental shop in San Antonio and Ibiza Town is fully booked and quoting double what they charged in May.
Here is what a scooter in Ibiza actually costs, what licence you legally need (this catches people out), and where the two-wheel option beats a car and where it does not.
The licence question — get this right
This is the single most misunderstood part of renting two wheels in Spain, and getting it wrong voids your insurance entirely.
50cc mopeds (speed-limited to about 45 km/h) can be ridden by anyone aged 15+ holding an AM licence, and a standard EU or UK category B car licence covers this entitlement. Non-EU visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence — Spanish traffic police ask for it and rental shops increasingly require it.
125cc scooters are the trap. Spain does allow drivers to ride a 125 on a car licence, but the rule applies to licences issued in Spain and held for at least three years. It is not automatically extended to foreign car licences. If you hold a non-Spanish car licence with no A1 motorcycle entitlement, assume you cannot legally ride a 125 in Ibiza. Some rental shops will hand you one anyway. Their willingness is not a legal defence, and an insurer will decline the claim.
The practical upshot: unless you hold A1 or better, rent a 50cc. It is slower, it is fine for the island, and it is legal.
What it costs in 2026
- 50cc, shoulder season (May, June, late September, October): €22–35 per day, dropping to €15–22 per day on a weekly rate
- 50cc, July and August: €35–50 per day, weekly rates €200–300
- 125cc, shoulder season: €35–45 per day
- 125cc, peak: €50–70 per day
- Deposit: €150–400, held on a card or occasionally taken in cash. Ask which before you arrive with only a debit card.
- Helmet: included and legally mandatory for rider and passenger. A second helmet is sometimes charged at €3–5 per day.
- Fuel: a 50cc uses roughly 2.5 litres per 100 km with a 5–6 litre tank. At Spanish pump prices that is under €10 to fill and it will last most of a week of island riding.
Booking ahead matters more than the daily rate. In the first three weeks of August, walk-up availability in San Antonio is close to zero and the shops that do have stock know it.
Insurance: read the excess line
Third-party liability is included by law. What is not included, or is included with a large excess, is damage to the scooter itself and theft.
Typical excess on a 50cc runs €300 to €600; on a 125cc, €600 to €1,000. Scooter theft on the island is a real problem in peak season, particularly overnight from unsecured street parking in San Antonio and Playa d’en Bossa. Some rental agreements exclude theft entirely if the scooter was not chained to a fixed object.
Ask three questions at the counter: what is the damage excess, is theft covered, and what are the conditions for theft cover. Photograph the scooter from every angle before you ride away — existing scratches on rental scooters are universal and disputes about them are common.
Where a scooter genuinely wins
Parking, which is the real reason
In August, finding a car parking space in Ibiza Town, San Antonio, Santa Eulària or at the popular calas is a 20-to-40-minute exercise in frustration. Scooters park almost anywhere, free, in marked two-wheel bays that are rarely full. On a week’s trip that is genuinely hours of your life recovered.
The cala access roads
Many of Ibiza’s best beaches — Cala Salada, Cala d’Hort, Cala Llentrisca, Aigües Blanques — are reached by narrow single-track roads with limited parking at the end. A scooter fits where a car queues.
Short hops
Ibiza Town to Playa d’en Bossa is 5 km. To Santa Eulària, 15 km. To San Antonio, 15 km. To Cala Comte, 22 km. These are 15-to-35-minute scooter journeys on good roads and they cover most of what visitors actually do.
Where a scooter loses
- The motorways. The E-10 (airport to Ibiza Town) and E-20 (Ibiza Town to San Antonio) are dual carriageways where 50cc mopeds are prohibited, since vehicles limited to 45 km/h cannot use them. You will use the older parallel roads, which are slower and busier. A 125 can use them; a 50 cannot.
- The north. Portinatx, Cala Xarraca, Cala Benirràs and the Sant Joan road are hilly and winding. A fully loaded 50cc with two people struggles on the climbs — expect 25 km/h uphill and a genuinely long journey. If the north is your priority, rent a 125 or a car.
- Luggage and beach kit. Under-seat storage on a 50cc holds a helmet and a towel. That is it. Coolers, umbrellas, paddleboards — not happening.
- Night riding after drinking. Spain’s limit is 0.5 g/l and 0.3 g/l for motorcyclists in many enforcement contexts. Ibiza police run breath checks on the main roads at night in season, and they are not casual about it. If your evening involves drinking, the scooter stays parked and you take a taxi.
- Rain. Rare in July and August, frequent in October. Ibiza’s roads get slick fast because of the dust.
Scooter or car? A straight comparison
For one or two people in July or August staying in the south or centre: scooter, comfortably. Parking alone decides it.
For three or more, or anyone with beach equipment, or a trip focused on the north coast, or travel in October when rain is likely: car. Ibiza car rental in shoulder season is genuinely cheap — often €25 to €40 a day for a small hatchback — and the gap narrows against peak scooter pricing. Compare Ibiza car rental rates before assuming two wheels is cheaper; in August, a small car can cost the same as a 125cc scooter.
Riding notes specific to Ibiza
- Roundabouts are everywhere and Spanish drivers signal on exit rather than entry. Assume nothing.
- Gravel and dust collect on the approach roads to the calas, especially on the outside of bends. This is the single most common cause of tourist scooter accidents on the island.
- Sun. Riding a scooter at midday in July on bare legs and arms is how people go home with second-degree burns and gravel rash. Long sleeves and closed shoes, seriously.
- Fuel stations are sparse in the north and centre. Fill up in Ibiza Town, San Antonio or Santa Eulària rather than assuming you will find one near Sant Joan.
- Speed limits: 50 km/h in towns, 90 on open roads, 120 on the dual carriageways. Fixed cameras exist on the E-10 and E-20.
One useful trick — the ferry to Formentera from Ibiza Town takes 30 minutes and Formentera is even better scooter territory than Ibiza: flat, small, and with almost no car parking at the beaches. Most people rent a separate scooter on arrival rather than paying to take one across.
Getting to the island and where to base yourself
Ibiza Airport is 7 km from Ibiza Town and about 20 from San Antonio. Bus route 10 runs to Ibiza Town in around 20 minutes for a few euros; taxis run €20 to €30 to Ibiza Town and €35 to €50 to San Antonio, with long queues on summer evenings. A pre-booked airport transfer is worth it if you are landing after midnight, which many summer charters do.
On where to stay: Ibiza Town and Santa Eulària suit scooter-based trips best because they are central and have secure parking. San Antonio is convenient for the west-coast sunsets and has the worst scooter theft record. Compare Ibiza accommodation with secure parking as a filter if you are renting anything.
One more thing to budget: the Balearic sustainable tourism tax, charged per person per night by your accommodation, runs from a few cents to about €4 depending on category and season.
Data on the road
You will be navigating to unmarked cala turnoffs on roads with no signage. Download offline maps and, if you are visiting from outside the EU, get a Spanish eSIM before you fly — Spain eSIM plans cost a few euros for the week and beat carrier roaming by an order of magnitude.
The verdict
Rent a 50cc if you have a car licence and no motorcycle entitlement, ride it in the south and centre, book it in April for an August trip, photograph it before you leave the shop, chain it up at night, and take a taxi when you have been drinking. Do that and it is the best €30 a day you will spend on the island.
Related reading
Updated August 2026. Prices are indicative and vary sharply by season. Some links on this page are affiliate links; using them costs you nothing and helps keep this site running.
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