Book an “economy” or “compact” car in Tenerife and you used to be able to guess the shortlist fairly confidently: a Seat, a Fiat, a Peugeot, maybe a Renault. That guess is getting less reliable. Rental fleets across Spain — Cicar’s among them — have been adding Chinese-made and Chinese-owned brands at real speed, and a traveler who’s never heard of Omoda, Jaecoo or EVO can end up a little thrown handed the keys to one at the counter.
This isn’t a fringe trend. Chinese-badged brands sold over 800,000 vehicles across Europe recently, more than double the year before, and by some counts one in every ten new cars sold on the continent now carries a Chinese badge. Spain specifically has become a landing point for this expansion, with local assembly deals bringing brands like Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo, plus the Spanish-branded Ebro (built in partnership with Chery), into the market at scale. Rental fleets, which refresh their cars more often than private buyers and care primarily about unit cost, have been an early adopter channel for exactly this reason.
The brands you might actually encounter
| Brand | Owner/origin | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| MG | SAIC Motor (China), British heritage name | The most established of the group in Europe — over a million cumulative European sales, widely available as EV and hybrid models |
| Omoda / Jaecoo | Chery (China) | Newer to Europe, growing fast, assembly now based in Spain |
| EVO | DR Automobiles group | Positioned as an entry-level brand; quality experiences on rental fleets have been mixed in early reviews |
| Ebro | Chery joint venture, Spanish brand name | A revived Spanish nameplate built on Chery platforms, assembled in Barcelona |
Is this actually a downgrade?
Not uniformly, and it depends heavily on which brand you land on. MG has the longest European track record of this group and generally solid reviews, including on its EV and hybrid models — getting an MG instead of a familiar European compact is unlikely to be a meaningfully different experience. EVO, by contrast, is newer and less proven, and real feedback reflects that: one Cicar reviewer specifically flagged dissatisfaction with an EVO 5’s build quality, a pattern worth being aware of rather than alarmed by — it’s one data point, not a verdict on the whole brand, but it does suggest the newer entrants haven’t all reached the same consistency as more established names yet.
🚗 Discover Tenerife – Best Car Rental Deals
Compare top-rated suppliers, no hidden fees & free cancellation included.
Why rental companies are adding them
Fleet economics drive this more than any marketing push. A rental company buys in volume, holds cars for a relatively short period, and then moves them into the used market — competitive upfront pricing from Chinese manufacturers looking to establish a European foothold fits that model well, particularly for electric and hybrid categories where these brands have been aggressive on price. This connects to a broader pattern covered in our hybrid car hire guide and electric car hire guide: a meaningful share of the “economy EV” and “hybrid” categories you’re now quoted in Tenerife may be exactly these newer entrants rather than an established European or Japanese nameplate.
What to do if you’re assigned one
Treat it exactly the way our inspection checklist already recommends for any car: photograph it thoroughly before you drive off, regardless of badge. If anything about the vehicle feels unfamiliar — a different charging port standard on an EV model, an unusual dashboard layout — it’s entirely reasonable to ask staff for a two-minute walkthrough before you leave the lot, and most local companies will happily do this given how new some of these models still are even to their own staff.
Frequently asked questions
Can I request a specific brand instead of whatever I’m assigned? Generally no — rental bookings are by car class (economy, compact, SUV), not by brand, so which badge you actually get depends on same-day fleet availability rather than anything you can specify in advance.
Are Chinese EV models compatible with Tenerife’s charging network? Generally yes, as they use the same standard connector types sold across Europe, though it’s worth confirming the specific charge port and cable included with the car at pickup if charging matters to your trip.
Does getting a less familiar brand affect my insurance or deposit? No — the rental contract terms, excess, and deposit structure are set by the rental company and your chosen cover, not by which manufacturer built the car.