Price list

For prices of car rental on Crete, see Crete car rental including price list.  

Car rental on Crete

Renting a means of transport on Crete is often the only way how to travel and get to know the beauties of secluded places of the island untouched by tourism.

As for the tourists, a rented car will enable them to visit historical sites, famous beaches, a water park, or natural places of interest all over Crete on their own. For more info, see our Tips for trips including a list of the most interesting places you really shouldn´t miss.

And as far as travellers are concerned, renting a car will enable them to travel on Crete independently, reaching the points of departure of the planned trips and hiking trips easily.

Yet in all cases, it is recommended to observe several rules that will make the whole process including renting and returning the mean of transport simpler, and, in case of a traffic accident or some other trouble, spare you lots of trouble, difficulties and save your money.

How long in advance should I book my car?

The earlier the better, especially during the main season - from July till the mid-September, all the cars are usually rented (not only on the internet but also on the spot). People often think they will negotiate a better price on the spot but in the end they don´t find a car at all. Or the prices for its rental are twice as higher compared to a car you have booked on the internet beforehand.

Are safety belts and baby car seats obligatory on Crete?

Yes, all the passengers regardless of their age must have their seat belts fastened, and the children weighing less than 25 kg must be placed on a children´s car seat and have their seat belt fastened (older children may use only the bottom part of the seat). All the car rental services usually have car seats both for young and older children available for free.

Choosing the typy of vehicle

Before making a decision of what kind of car you are interested in, you should think about what kind of travel you will use it for, see the targets of your trips, and see what kind of paths there are using a map.

Common tourist destinations

Common tourist destinations on Crete, regardless of whether they are cultural monuments, natural places of interest, towns or villages, can be mostly reached on quality tarmac roads passable with any kind of car like e.g. Fiat Panda, Toyota Aygo, Suzuki Alto, Renault Clio or Toyota Yaris that are sufficiently equipped to take you where you need.

Unpaved road  often seen  in tourist destinations	Quality road  in the mountains.  It is usually marked  with yellow on the maps.	Currrent road  in tourist  or inhabited areas

Unknown and desert places, mountains, south coast of Crete

If you want to travel to less known places and drive even on unpaved roads (which are most roads on Crete), it will be better to rent an off-road vehicle. In this case, your car rental service will mostly offer you a Suzuki Jimny or Suzuki Vitara. You can also drive on the unpaved roads passing through a relatively plain landscape using some of the common vehicles mentioned above, but it is not really recommended.

In case you drive on an unpaved road in a road vehicle, you will need to drive much slower than in an off-road vehicle, and you are running the risk of damaging the car, or you may even need to return in case the road surface starts getting worse. This can happen for example when eroded stones appear on the road after rain - in this case, the road will be passable in a Suzuki Jimmy, but not in a Toyota Yaris.

Also the question of time loss is not so insignificant as it may seem - for example, the road leading from Kissamos to Gramvousa is on the border of passability if you drive a road vehicle. It can be passed, yet depending on the state of the road and your driving skills, driving 10 km may take you up to one or two hours. If you take into account that you need to go to the place and back, the difference in time can be up to 3 hours.

Besides that, when driving a vehicle not suited for the given type of road, you become an obstacle for those who drive faster, which may lead to other dangerous situations.

When travelling to the mountains, desert locations or secluded places, a good 4x4 vehicle is completely indispensable.

Not only for its ground clearance (which amounts to almost 20 cm in case of Suzuki Jimmy), but also for the possibility of four-wheel drive, or gearing options. During steep descent or ascent or when driving in a really demanding and broken terrain, the reduction gear is necessary: it increases considerably the power transmitted to the wheels making the car handling using the gas pedal easier, facilitating things that would otherwise be impossible, like moving off on a steep ascent on gravel or gaining control when leaving sharp bends on a steep ascent - often the ascents are so steep that a normal car won´t start in first gear.

Descent to the sea	Ready for the trip	Beautiful sceneries,  not passable  in a common vehicle

Insurance

An indispenable part of car rental in a car rental service is the insurance in case of a traffic accident or damaging the rented vehicle.

Kinds of insurance:

Basic insurance

• CDW - Collision Damage Waiver. This insurance covers all the damage you may cause with the car. It is absolutely necessary and the car rental service usually has it included in the price of the car rental.

Insurance of other damages (every car rental service offers different coverage)

• Theft insurance
• Fire insurance
• Extra tyre insurance
• Extra glass insurance
• Extra chassis insurance

Be careful! When your car only has the basic CDW insurance, in case of a traffic accident, some car rental services may demand you to pay excess which can amount to up to 400-500 EUR, even in case you didn´t cause the accident.

Always check what your insurance includes and whether it covers the 400 EUR of excess.

With or without a roof?

Travelling without a roof may sound romantic but it has two huge drawbacks. You will be exposed to direct sunshine during the whole day, and everything on the car gets incredibly dusty, especially when driving on the unpaved roads on Crete. If there is someone driving in front of you or in the opposite direction, this is very unpleasant. Travelling in an open-top car is also not suitable when driving past beehives when you can have your car and hair full of bees, or when driving past lone farm buildings with dogs running around that will jump on your car bearing their teeth and barking.

Choosing the car rental service

If you are travelling independently, in the best car rental services, you can agree on everything on the internet, including driving your car to a particular place at a specific time, its returning, and the way of payment.

Today it doesn´t really matter when the rental service has its seat. A good car rental service will send your the car anywhere on Crete without extra cost.

What will the car rental service ask you for?

All you need to rent a car is your passport and driving licence (which usually doesn´t need to be international). The minimum age required to rent a car is usually 21 years.

Prices

Prices vary a lot depending on the car rental service, so you will always need to go through different offers and compare them. Not all the car rentals include complete insurance, driving your car to a particular place for free, etc. 

Warning

You shouldn´t really try to book your car in a special offer you find on the internet: or the car isn´t available at all, or the offer doesn´t apply on the date you have selected. Another thing is the bad communication with the car rental services who take long time to answer or the information on the car they state are not true. Those car rental services simply rely on that once they will send you the car, you need it anyway and so you have no choice but take it over.

Petrol and refuelling

There are two particularities about refuelling on Crete:

• You can drive to the petrol station from both directions, not only one
• You don´t refuel your car on your own but there is an attendant who does this. Or you tell them the amount or you ask for a full tank.

Car and motorcycle accessories

Every good car rental service will offer you a map for free, and, in case of need, also a children´s car seat or a roof rack. Motorcycle helmets (which are obligatory in Greece) are usually for free, too.

What to be careful of

Car rental service availability anywhere on Crete

Every good car rental service offers 24/7 service anywhere on Crete, or will replace you a broken car with a new one. Always check under what conditions the service or the replacement takes place.

More drivers

The car rental contract usually includes the name of the driver. In case there were more drivers, or you want to share the car with your friends to save money, it is good to ask about this beforehand. Some rental services are fine with that, others will charge you an extra fee for a second driver.

State of the vehicle

You should always examine the car carefully and check its technical state. If there is something that doesn´t seem ok to you, or you discover e.g. only a scratched fender, include a comment on this in the car handover form.

Insurance

Always ask about the insurance coverage and make sure it really covers what the car rental claims. Every good car rental service will explain you all the articles of your contract referring to the part of the text with the answer for your questions.

Number of kilometres

The rental fee usually includes an unlimited number of kilometres, but you should better check it out.

Fees

Before signing the contract, make sure that the price you have agreed on includes all the fees and that you won´t need to pay anything extra.

Fuel

When renting the car, check if the amount of fuel is marked in your contract. Always return the car with the same amount of fuel as when you took it over. To avoid disputes or extra cost, the best it to agree on taking over and returning the car with a full tank.

Maps

See Maps.