Best options to rent a car in Santa Cruz?

So, I’ve been planning my holiday and realized that getting around Santa Cruz without a car might be a real headache. I checked buses and shuttles, but they don’t really match the spots I want to see, especially the smaller beaches and hiking trails outside the city. The tricky part is, I’ve never booked a rental there before, and some sites make it sound way too easy while others are full of horror stories about hidden costs. I don’t want my first day wasted standing at a counter arguing over insurance. Has anyone here gone through this and can share how to rent a car in Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz is amazing but definitely not the place to rely only on public transport. When I traveled, I ran into the same confusion with all the rental offers, and it took me forever to compare them. I used a single platform instead of juggling random sites. If you want a smooth way to sort it out, check this site  https://getrentacar.com/en-US/spain/santa-cruz Honestly, for anyone who needs to rent a car in Santa Cruz, that’s the least stressful way to do it