Any thoughts on paying extra for the GPS in rental car or just use Google maps on my phone? Is price of GPS worth it? I am driving from Barcelona to Basque region. Many thanks for taking the time to respond.

To me it’s.a no brained. google maps on your phone. You can download offline maps and use your phone gps without needing cell service. You still get turn by turn directions, and the gpa satellites are all the same regardless of the device

You can pin different destinations using google maps when connected to wifi, or even from a computer ahead of your trip and they’ll be at your fingertips when you want to navigate.

How do you download online maps, please?

For me it is also a no-brainer, with the opposite opinion. For a solo driver, holding phone is a lot harder than having map on screen built into car. (Unless you get a phone-holder to attach, but even then the screen is small). I LOVED having built-in GPS last month in Spain, when I drove for first time in Europe on my own. But, I ordered a car that I knew would almost definitely have GPS. Or I think it would have......like to know more bout this. Is GPS a given with certain classes of rental? Doesn't GPS come standard with certain models?

Wish I knew about downloading maps for other times....why do you have to download if you have unlimited data on phone? Or do you??

You don't hold the phone, which is illegal in any case, but listen to the directions, which are clear and turn by turn. Our car is so old the GPS is out of date on it, so I put my phone on the passenger seat. I never actually look at the map on it once I am moving, didn't with the one built into the car either.
If you have unlimited data no need to download the maps and the route will adapt to traffic conditions.
With Google maps you can be sure the directions are in a language you understand. It isn't always clear how to change it on a built in one.

Your own phone
Just GPS
Never, ever hold a phone in a car, both for safety of yourself and others and because the Spanish Police will take you to the nick.

Google tells me

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.
3. Tap “Offline Maps.”
4. Tap “Select Your Own Map.”
5. Move the rectangle over the area you plan to visit.
6. Click “Download.”

other map APPs exist which you pre-load

To me the biggest benefit of using my phone is that I can pre-load / pin destinations from the comfort of my lodging/on wifi and never have to type in an address or search for a destination on the car navigation.... waypoints of interest on the route, restaurants, sites, and even parking lots.

Another benefit of using your phone is that you can take it with you when you park the car and use it for walking directions, and pin your car park location... Of course you can do that if you use the car gps to navigate while driving...

If you have an international plan with unlimited cellular data then correct, you do not need to use the offline maps. Since I have a basic Verizon plan I try to avoid paying the extra dailly fees ($10 per line). If I need to use the phone, then I certainly can, but if I can connect on wifi (many shops, restaurants, and even some whole towns), then why give Verizon my $...

If you are not getting the cheapest class of rental (and if you go with an automatic, you definitely will not fall into this category), it's highly likely that your car will be equipped with Apple Car play. So, if you have an iPhone, you can plug it into the USB port and run your GPS through your car's media screen. Best of both worlds.

I haven't downloaded maps offline, but I know that is an option, and saving places beforehand will help you get to where you are going (which isn't always easy when inputting place names in Europe). I like having data available, so I typically get a SIM for the country I'm travelling to. Last time, when I wen to France last May, I got an e-SIM that I was able to download before the trip and activate on arrival by simply going to the settings screen.