Everything, before you set off

We are beWinkle (GHyL Projects S.L.), a small company with our own fleet of 4 Volkswagen Transporter campervans. We also list the vans on Yescapa, where our profile is a professional one, not a private one: Yescapa acts as an intermediary, but the rental contract and the insurance are ours. Booking directly on bewinkle.com usually works out cheaper.

A valid category B licence held for at least 2 years, and you must be 25 or over. The van weighs under 3,500 kg, so you do not need a C licence or anything special. You can add as many extra drivers as you like: booking on bewinkle.com they are free, you just add them and they upload their licence and ID. On bookings paid with a Groupon voucher, the second driver costs €10/day because the voucher does not include it.

You can book up to 12 months ahead. In high season (July–August and bank holiday weekends) we recommend booking as early as you can, because availability goes fast.

A 50% deposit to hold the dates. The other 50% is paid 7 days before pick-up at the latest: either we charge it to your card automatically that day, or you pay it earlier by bank transfer. It is not paid in cash on the day of pick-up. The €600 security deposit is separate and is paid by bank transfer before you collect the van.

Yes. Free cancellation up to 30 days before pick-up, with a full refund of the 50% you paid. Between 30 and 7 days we refund 50%. Under 7 days we keep the deposit but offer you a date change within 6 months at no cost.

No, pets are not allowed in the Winkles. We look after every van so we can hand it over spotless, and keeping them free of hair and smells is part of that, so no pets on board.

No. The Winkles are smoke-free, both inside and in the pop-top. If the van comes back smelling of tobacco it needs a special clean, and that cost comes out of the security deposit.

It depends on whether the van is free after your dates: quite often there is another rental right behind you. Write to us as soon as you can and we will look into it; you can also check availability for other dates and other models on bewinkle.com.

The lead booker’s ID (or passport/NIE) on both sides, and the driving licence of every authorised driver, with its number. We need them to draw up the rental contract and for the insurance: without those details we cannot hand the van over.

Everything is uploaded from your booking area: when you confirm, you get an email from beWinkle with your personal link, and it asks you step by step for what is missing (ID, each driver’s licence, contract, security deposit). There is no need to send us anything by email or WhatsApp.

The contract is signed digitally in your booking area, in the step after the documents. You can sign it well in advance, there is no need to wait for the day of pick-up. If you need a copy, we can send it to you whenever you like.

No. We use a standard contract for every customer and we do not make individual changes to the clauses. If something does not sit right with you, tell us before you sign and we will explain how it works in practice; you can also check the cancellation terms for your booking.

Yes. Upload the temporary licence or the renewal receipt showing it is valid, and with that we can prepare the contract.

Check your spam or promotions folder first, and make sure the address you gave us is spelt right (one letter out and it does not arrive). If you spot a mistake, write to us and we will resend the link to the right address straight away.

No. They open as your booking moves along, not by day or time. You can do the documents, sign the contract and pay the security deposit as far ahead as you like; only the pick-up photos are taken when you are standing in front of the van.

On each Winkle’s page, in the guide section (bewinkle.com/winkles/…/guia), and on our YouTube channel. They are short videos: heating, water, pop-top roof, electrics. You also have the link inside your booking area, in the pick-up step. They are narrated in Spanish.

Diesel, never petrol. The filler cap is on the driver’s side. It averages 7.5–8.5 L/100 km at 90 to 110 km/h, with an 80 L tank that gives you a range of about 950 km.

It is 2.10 m tall. Before going into a car park or under a height barrier, always check the maximum height is over 2.10 m. And watch out for low branches and the barriers at beach car parks.

It depends on the model: Báltico and Índico carry up to 57 L of water with hot water; Adriático has a 20 L fresh water tank; and Caribe has a jerrycan with a pump. All of them have an outdoor or portable shower. The portable chemical toilet is an extra you can add when booking. You will find the details for each Winkle on its own page.

A fridge, basic kit (plates, glasses, cutlery, a pot, a frying pan, a coffee maker), a cleaning kit, window shades and a road safety kit with a V16 beacon. Depending on the model, also a parking heater, a pop-top roof, a shower and hot water. Bed linen, the portable toilet, the gas hob and the bike pack are added as extras when booking.

They are not included: bed linen is an extra. If you have not booked it, bring your own (sheets, a pillowcase and a sleeping bag or duvet). You can add it when booking or later, from your booking area.

Approved seats for travelling: Adriático 3, Caribe and Índico 4, and Báltico 5. Sleeping is a bit different: Adriático and Caribe are ideal for 2, Índico sleeps 4 with the pop-top, and Báltico up to 5 with its central bed and the pop-top. You will find the details on each Winkle’s page.

From the time you booked. As the handover is self-service, you are not depending on anyone waiting for you: you can arrive at that time or later, no problem.

Everything is done from your booking area, in order: 1) you check the van from the outside and upload the photos; 2) you pay the security deposit and attach the receipt; 3) you take a selfie holding your ID next to the van so we can verify your identity; 4) once that is checked, the code to get the key appears on screen; 5) once inside, you note the mileage and fuel and take the interior photos. We guide you by phone and WhatsApp if you get stuck at any point.

It is the identity check for the self-service handover: since nobody is handing the van over in person, that is how we confirm the person collecting it is the one who signed the contract. The photo is of the lead booker holding their ID, taken next to the van.

We have bases in Leganés and in Madrid (around Plaza de Castilla), depending on the Winkle. The exact address and step-by-step directions (with photos) are in your booking area and in the preparation email we send you before pick-up.

If your pick-up is in Leganés, the quickest way from Atocha is a taxi or a ride-hailing car: about 20 minutes and around €20, depending on traffic. You can also take the Cercanías train or the Metro. Handing the van over somewhere else in Madrid is exceptional: it has to be agreed beforehand and depends on availability.

Yes, if the van is free. From your booking area you can add early pick-up: 2 h earlier (from €50) or 4 h earlier (from €80), subject to availability and model; the exact price for your Winkle shows when you select it. If you need it much earlier (half a day, a whole day), write to us and we will look into it.

The app talks you through each one: the four sides, the corners, the four wheels and the interior. If you see a dent, a scratch or any damage that was already there, take a close-up: that way it is documented and it is not put down to you. If something does not fit the photos the app asks for, send it to us on WhatsApp and we will keep it with your booking.

It is €600 and it is paid by bank transfer (never in cash). The account details are in your booking area and in the email we send you. When you make the transfer, upload the receipt in the app: it is required before you can carry on with the pick-up.

On the day of pick-up at the latest, before taking the van. You can pay it in the days before, so on the day itself all you have left is the photos.

If there is no damage, no incidents, no outstanding fines, no additional charges and no breach of contract, we refund the deposit within a maximum of 72 hours from the van being checked. We will ask you for your account number to make the payment and, if you need it, we send you the transfer receipt.

The window is up to 72 hours from the check, and after that the bank can take a while to show the transfer (especially if it is made in the afternoon or at the weekend, where working days count). If it still has not shown up after that, write to us and we will send you the receipt.

No. Extras you have booked (additional mileage, cleaning, bed linen…) are paid separately and are not part of the deposit. For example: if you paid €600 as a deposit plus €30 of extra mileage, the deposit refunded to you is still €600, as long as there is nothing else to deduct.

We ask the workshop for a quote and send it to you, itemised, before deducting anything. The maths is simple: deposit − cost of the repair + anything you paid out of pocket (oil or AdBlue, for instance, keeping the receipt). If you do not agree with the quote, you can provide another one.

Yes, within the EU plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway at no extra cost. For Morocco you need to tell us 15 days ahead and we arrange specific cover (an extra €50).

24/7 assistance across Europe with recovery, a hotel and a replacement vehicle. You call the number we give you in the contract and, depending on how serious it is, we sort it out in under 4 hours. For questions about how something works, or minor things, message us on WhatsApp and we will guide you there and then.

The base price includes 100 km per rental day. When booking you can move up to 200 km/day (+€10/day) or unlimited mileage (+€35/day), and you can also upgrade later from your booking area, even on the day of pick-up. If you go over the pack you booked, it is €0.50/km when you bring the van back. The mileage included in your case is shown in your booking and in the contract.

The Winkles have a second (leisure) battery for the fridge, the lights and the USB sockets in the back, and a solar panel that recharges it during the day. With normal use you do not need to plug into anything. You can see the level on the control panel: if it drops below 25%, run the engine for a while so it charges. The 220 V inverter should be off except when you plug an appliance in, because it uses a lot.

The USB sockets at the front (driver’s area) work with the engine running. With the van switched off, use the USB sockets in the back, which run off the second battery. Avoid leaving the ignition on to listen to music: it drains the starter battery and then it may not start.

It is the panel that runs the camper side: interior lights, water pump and the USB sockets on the second battery. It has to be switched on to use them, and it also shows you the battery level. The fridge is separate and does not depend on the control panel.

Yes, it can stay on all night: it uses very little and runs off the second battery. Depending on the model it is switched on with a dial at the back (turning it to the right) or by plugging it into the socket in the rear. If at some point it is not cooling, the first thing to check is that the leisure battery is charging and that its cable has not come loose.

We hand the van over with the fresh water tank full. To use the water pump the control panel has to be on, and it is best to switch the pump off when you are not using it. You refill the tank at petrol stations and service areas with a water point; on some models the filler is on the driver’s side, towards the back, and its key is on the same keyring as the van.

With the drain valve underneath the side of the van (on some models, right below the sliding door). Always empty it at a proper point in a motorhome service area or campsite, never in the street or out in the countryside. The van has to come back with the grey water emptied.

Very important: no toilet paper goes inside, it is not made for it. The fluids go in the compartment behind the toilet: the flush fluid on top and the tablets for the lower section, the waste one. It is emptied at proper points in service areas and campsites, and comes back emptied and clean.

The models with a parking heater (independent of the engine) heat more than enough and can be set on a timer. Even so, if you are heading for the mountains we recommend a good duvet or sleeping bag: it gets colder before dawn than you would think. If the blind is stiff in hot weather that is normal, it expands: put the air on for a while and it improves.

Yes, but always with a window or a door open so it ventilates. Same for lowering the pop-top roof: it needs a window or door open to let air in.

By stepping on the seat and on the backrest, never on the armrests: they break easily and that damage comes out of the security deposit. For the lower bed, put on the mattress protector kept in one of the cupboards.

There is no penalty for bringing it back early (and no refund for the time not used either). If you are late, the charges are: €30 up to 1 hour late, €50 between 1 and 3 hours, and a full extra day beyond 3 hours. Always let us know if you are going to be late: there is almost always another rental behind you and we have to get the van ready.

In the same state we handed it over: clean inside and out, with a full fuel tank, the grey water emptied, the fresh water tank full and the portable toilet emptied and clean if you have one. The check-out (photos, mileage and fuel) is done from your booking area before you leave.

Yes, unless you have booked the Cleaning extra (€45), which covers the inside. The outside comes back clean in every case. You can add the cleaning extra from your booking area after booking too.

No, never. The vans have a solar panel on the roof and a car wash can damage it. Wash it by hand or at a petrol station wash bay with a hose. There is a Repsol with a wash bay near our Leganés base.

Yes, the fuel tank has to come back full. If fuel is missing we charge €3 per litre. Fill up at the petrol station on the way that we point out in the drop-off email, just before you arrive.

At the same place you collected it, unless we agreed another spot beforehand. Once you have checked you are not leaving anything inside, lock the van, leave the key in the key box at the back and scramble the combination so it locks. If you also took a garage key at pick-up, that goes in the same key box, next to the van key. The app reminds you step by step, with photos.

Nothing, if you bring it back as you took it. The charges set out in the contract are: missing fuel €3/litre; kilometres over the pack you booked €0.50/km; portable toilet not emptied €50; exterior cleaning €30 and interior cleaning €40 if it does not come back as it left; grey water not emptied €15 and fresh water not refilled €15; smoking on board €100 and travelling with pets €100. Late returns are separate (€30 up to 1 h, €50 from 1 to 3 h, an extra day beyond 3 h) and, if we have to deal with a fine or a toll, €60 of handling is added to the amount of the penalty.

The same areas as at pick-up: the app asks for them one by one (exterior, wheels and interior), plus the mileage and the fuel level. That documents the state it comes back in and closes your rental.

Fully comprehensive cover with a €600 excess per claim, included in the price. It covers damage to the van and to third parties throughout the rental within the permitted areas (EU, UK, Switzerland and Norway). You will receive the full policy terms along with your booking confirmation. If you want to lower the excess, you can take out the extended cover (€12/day, only available on bookings of at least a week): it brings the excess down from €600 to €200.

That even though the insurance is fully comprehensive, in a claim you are responsible for, that is the most you can be asked to cover, according to the policy terms. It matches the security deposit, which is where it is deducted from if it applies.

We check the vehicle together at both points. Before handover we send you instructions to document the exterior and any existing scuffs or dents with photos, and you sign a paper annex where it is all recorded in writing before you set off. If damage that is not on that annex shows up at drop-off, it is taken to have happened during the rental and the insurance excess applies as appropriate.

Yes, always. Any dent, scratch, loose part or damage you find before setting off, take a close-up in the pick-up step. It is the best way to have it documented and not have it put down to you when you return the van.

Only in exceptional cases where the vehicle is immobilised because of misuse or a breach of contract by the renter (for example, testing positive for alcohol or drugs, negligent driving or use outside the permitted areas). In those cases the insurer does not cover it and the cost of returning the vehicle to base falls to the renter, up to 50% depending on the case. Under normal use, the 24/7 assistance covers the return at no extra cost.

Mechanical breakdown: fully covered by the insurance, and the 24/7 assistance takes care of recovery, accommodation and a replacement vehicle where applicable; you pay nothing. Damage caused by an identified third party: fully covered by their insurance, with no excess. Damage by an unidentified third party, a fixed object, or theft: covered by the fully comprehensive insurance, with the renter covering the €600 excess (reducible to €200 with the extended cover, available on bookings of at least a week). In every case, let us know as soon as possible so we can activate the assistance and, where appropriate, file an accident report or a police report.

Let us know as soon as you can and we will check the van to find it. If it turns up, we keep it safe and agree a day and time with you to come and collect it.

We hope so! You can book directly on bewinkle.com, where it usually works out cheaper than through platforms, and if you already have an account your details and documents are saved for next time.

It helps us enormously. When the rental ends, the link to review us on Google appears in your booking area, and you can also upload your photos from the trip there: if you give us permission, some of them end up on the bewinkle.com home page.

That is normal, and it is fine. You have short videos of your Winkle on its guide page, the app walks you through pick-up and drop-off step by step, and you can write to us during the whole trip: we would rather you asked ten times than were left wondering.