Car hire in Malta & Gozo, compared

• Mdina and Rabat — the old walled capital in the centre of the island. Park outside the walls; the city itself is almost car-free.
• Dingli Cliffs — Malta's highest point, with views straight out to sea. Best at sunset.
• The Blue Grotto at Wied iż-Żurrieq — sea caves you visit by small boat, weather permitting.
• Marsaxlokk — the colourful fishing village, with its well-known Sunday market.
• The north-west beaches — Golden Bay, Għajn Tuffieħa and Mellieħa Bay, plus Popeye Village at Anchor Bay.

Buses do reach most of these places, but with a car you can combine three or four in a day and stay for the sunset.

Malta International Airport is where most rental companies are based, and picking up as you land is usually the easiest option — you avoid a taxi to your hotel and have the car from day one. Many companies also deliver to hotels, or have offices in Sliema, St Julian's and Valletta, which suits you if you only want a car for part of your stay.

Staying on Gozo? You can rent a car on Gozo itself, which saves you taking a car across on the ferry.

• A valid driving licence from your home country.
• A credit card in the main driver's name. Most rental companies place a deposit hold on it when you pick up the car. Debit cards and cards in someone else's name are often not accepted for the deposit — check your booking's terms.
• Your booking voucher, on your phone or printed.

A licence from the EU or the UK is accepted as it is. If your licence isn't in English (or isn't in the Latin alphabet), bring an International Driving Permit alongside it.

Most companies rent to drivers from 21, some only from 25. Drivers under 25 usually pay a young-driver surcharge, so check the conditions before you book — the search above asks for the driver's age so the prices you see already account for it.

Rental prices usually include basic insurance, but with an excess — the amount you'd pay if the car is damaged, which can run to several hundred euros or more. That excess is also why the deposit hold on your card can be large.

You can reduce it in two ways: buy the rental company's own cover at the desk, or add full coverage when you book online, which is usually cheaper. Read what each option covers — tyres, windscreen and the underside of the car are often excluded from basic cover — and whether you'd need to pay first and claim the money back.

Compare prices now and add Full Coverage when you book.

• Malta drives on the left, like the UK and Ireland. Cars are right-hand drive, and at roundabouts you go clockwise and give way to traffic already on the roundabout.
• Speed limits are usually 50 km/h in towns and 80 km/h outside them, unless signs say otherwise. There are no motorways, and speed cameras are common.
• Expect narrow streets in village centres and the older towns, and heavy traffic in the morning and evening rush hours, especially around Birkirkara, Msida and the Sliema–St Julian's area.
• Choose a small car. It's easier to park and to fit down village streets, and it's usually the cheapest to rent.

Parking bays are colour-coded. As a rule of thumb: white bays are public parking for everyone (still check nearby signs), yellow lines or boxes mean no parking, blue bays are often time-limited or for residents at certain hours, and green bays are generally for residents.

Valletta has a Controlled Vehicular Access (CVA) zone: cameras record Maltese-registered cars — rental cars included — entering the city, and a small charge applies at certain times on weekdays. Rental companies usually pass the charge on to you afterwards, so ask how they handle it. Parking in Floriana just outside the city walls and walking in is often simpler.

The car ferry to Gozo runs from Ċirkewwa, at Malta's northern tip, to Mġarr on Gozo, and the crossing takes about 25 minutes. You don't pay on the way there: the return fare for the car and driver is paid at Mġarr when you leave Gozo. Check the current fares on Gozo Channel's website before you go.

Check your rental conditions first. Some companies don't allow their cars on Gozo, or don't insure them there. If yours doesn't, take the foot-passenger ferry and rent a second car on Gozo.

Most rentals use full-to-full: you get the car with a full tank and return it full, which is usually the fairest option — it's worth filtering for it when you compare prices. Fuel prices in Malta are the same at every petrol station, so there's no need to shop around. Some stations close in the evening and on Sundays and public holidays, but many have self-service pumps that take cards.

• Photograph the car — every side, the wheels, the windscreen and the fuel gauge — before you drive away, and again when you return it.
• Make sure any existing scratches or dents are written on the rental agreement.
• Check the return time: returning late can cost you an extra day.
• If you're flying out, leave extra time to return the car and get to the terminal.

• Driving licence (plus an International Driving Permit if it isn't in English)
• Credit card in the main driver's name, for the deposit
• Booking voucher
• Check: age rules, the excess, the fuel policy, and whether Gozo is allowed
• Photos of the car at pickup and at return