Car rental in Crete: frequently asked questions

Your Crete car rental includes:

• All taxes, including VAT at 24%.
• Unlimited kilometers.
• Free road map.
• Free Heraklion and Chania airport and port delivery and collection.
• Free delivery and collection to hotels within 10 km from Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno and Agios Nikolaos (no delivery to AirBnb's or town centres).
• Road assistance, 24 hours a day.
• Cover for death or damage to third parties up to 500,000 Euros.
• Material damage to third parties (excluding your own vehicle) up to 100,000 Euros.
• Theft and Fire Protection Insurance for total or partial loss of the car.
• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) that limits the renter's liability to a non waivable deductible of 900, 1100 or 1300 Euros depending on the car group.

Optional extras, all including VAT, are:

• Night delivery or collection (21.00 to 08.00): 25.00 Euros.
• Additional drivers: 3.50 Euros per day (the first driver is free).
• Baby or booster seat: 4.50 Euros per day.
• GPS navigation system: 15.00 Euros per day.
• One-way rental, when your drop-off point differs from your pick-up point: 50.00 Euros (for example Heraklion Airport to Chania Airport).
• Delivery or collection in outlying areas: Sitia 100.00 Euros, Sfakia 120.00 Euros, and any other point outside the Heraklion or Chania 10 km limit 0.30 Euros plus VAT per km (minimum 11.75 Euros plus VAT).

You choose between two insurance levels. Standard Insurance includes unlimited kilometers, 24-hour road assistance, all taxes, third-party cover, Theft and Fire Protection, and Collision Damage Waiver with a non waivable deductible of 900, 1100 or 1300 Euros depending on the car group.

Premium Insurance adds a Full Damage Waiver (FDW) that can remove that deductible for a daily cost of 12.00 Euros for most car groups and 15.00 Euros for larger groups. Car groups LM, SM, HS2 and HSM are excluded from FDW. See rates in the cars in Crete pages.

Cars can be delivered across Crete, at the airports, at the ports and even at your hotel or villa, with desks in Heraklion, Heraklion Airport, Rethymno (Adelianos Kampos), Chania Airport and Agios Nikolaos. You can return the car at a different point from the pick-up with a one-way fee. The pick-up locations page describes each one.

You book online and secure through this website. Go to the car rental pages, choose a vehicle and follow the quick reservation procedure, or use the booking form to see a live quote for your dates.

Rental days are calculated on a 24-hour basis, with a grace period of 3 hours. A later return means an extra day is charged.

On arrival at Heraklion Airport or Chania Airport, report to the rental desk outside the arrivals hall, or receive the car at your hotel. Drivers show a full driving licence, ID card or passport, the rental confirmation and a valid credit card, all in the driver's own name. If you add your flight details to the booking and your flight is delayed, the car can be held for you for some time.

The car must be returned with the same fuel level it had at the start of the rental, otherwise the renter is charged for the missing fuel plus a 7.00 Euros refueling service charge. Always use the correct type of fuel. There is no refund for unused fuel. If you would like the car delivered with a full tank, ask in advance and it will be arranged.

Check and report any existing damage on the vehicle before you drive away, to avoid charges for damage caused by a previous renter. You sign a vehicle condition form at collection and delivery.

A deposit is required when your car is confirmed. Payment at pick-up is made by credit card, not debit card. Accepted cards are Visa, MasterCard and American Express. You sign the rental contract and show your credit card to the employee who meets you with the car.

The minimum age is 21 for credit card holders and 23 for non credit card holders on car groups A, B, C, D, E and FC. For all other car groups the minimum age is 25. There is no maximum age as long as the driving licence is valid.

You need a valid driving licence issued at least a year ago. EU citizens drive in Greece with their regular licence. Citizens from outside the EU need an international driving licence, which you obtain in your home country.

For every reservation, a credit card authorization of the deductible excess is held for security, including bookings with Premium Insurance. The authorization is higher for specialty vehicles, and these funds are not available to you during the rental. When you return the car without damage, the amount is released to the credit card. The charge back can take 7 to 21 working days, depending on your bank.

An approval is an amount held on your credit card that may be used for the deposit. It shows as a pending amount on your card until the rental is completed. Once the rental is complete, the deposit is released back to your card.

Allow up to 20 business days for the funds to clear and become available in your account, depending on your bank.

The renter is fully responsible for traffic violations and pays the respective fines.

In the event of an incident, a non-refundable fee of 30.00 Euros covers administration expenses, regardless of the driver's liability.

If you drop the car off earlier than the confirmed times, unused days are not refunded.

There is no cancellation fee up to 48 hours before the rental starts.