Malta Transportation vs Rental Cars a Beneficial Travel Guide

Renting a car in Malta is the most convenient way to get acquainted with all the sights of this small island state. And there are plenty of them here, and they are scattered in different parts of the republic. Despite the tiny size of the main island (only 27 by 15 km), it takes a lot of time to move between cities, even if you are by car, not to mention buses. Because the speed of movement is small. For example, to get from the capital to the port, from where ferries depart to the neighboring island of Gozo, it will take about 50 minutes. To get the best car service from the capital (Valletta) to Mdina (ancient city) will take 30 minutes. And if you move around the island by bus, you can safely double these figures.

The advantages of renting a car in Malta:mobility and convenience, independence from transport and excursion schedules, the ability to independently go around all the sights in one vacation, you can choose the best beaches and buy products in supermarkets. In general, for independent travelers – this is an indispensable thing, you can feel at home on the island.

Many tourists are afraid to rent a car in an unfamiliar country due to the fact that they do not know all the nuances. But do not worry, today I will not just tell in detail about all the features of renting a car in Malta, but also give the coordinates of all the most interesting sights.

Just a road somewhere on the island of Gozo

Features of car rental in Malta and tips

The main feature is that the steering wheel in the car is located on the right, and you need to move on the left side of the road. This feature inherited by Malta from the time when the island was an English colony and naval base. But in fact, there is nothing terrible in left handed traffic, you can use to it very quickly. The main thing is not to hurry and remember that you need to move on the left side of the road, at roundabouts go to the left.

On the second day, usually everyone gets used to it. However, when you sit on the right side of the car, the dimensions of the car feel different, and it is more difficult to use to it. So be careful, periodically assess your position relative to the edges of the road, looking into the side mirrors. On a two-lane road, try to drive in the left lane, the right is for overtaking.

Transmission Rented

In Malta, a lot of cars with a manual transmission rented. For most of Europe, this is normal, but since Malta has left-hand traffic, and the driver’s seat in the car is on the right, you will have to change gears with your left hand. If you regularly drive at home on the “mechanics”, you can get use to it. But the difficulty lies in the fact that the same left hand will need to switch the “turn signals”.

You will have to get used to left-hand traffic, and to the “right wheel”, and to shifting gears with your left hand, and to new terrain. Here the advice is simple – take a better car on the “automatic”. A car with a manual box is a good option for those who want to save, because the choice of cars “on the mechanics” here is huge, and the prices are significantly lower. The pedals in such a car are located in the same way as in a regular one.

According to this picture, you can imagine how easy it will be for you to control the car “on the mechanics”

• The third feature is that Malta is an island republic, consisting of several islands. And if you want to see all the most interesting sights,then you need to visit the island of Gozo, and you will have to travel by ferry between the islands. But there’s nothing complicated about it. Next, I will talk in detail about this ferry in a separate chapter. Also keep in mind that the movement of the rented car outside malta, for example, to Sicily, is almost always prohibited by the rental conditions.

Where it is better to rent a car. Features of the search for a rental office

Since the main revenue of the maltese economy is tourism, the field of car rental is very well developed here. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail, and renting a car is very simple. You can immediately approach one of the rental offices upon arrival, but I recommend booking a car in advance at home, via the Internet. It will always be cheaper, and the car rental will be able to prepare for your arrival, and you will be calm, knowing that the right car is already waiting for you.

Especially if you go to Malta at the height of the season – in the summer, when the number of tourists on the island is simply off the scale. Rental cars are not enough in the summer, especially with an automatic transmission. Book in advance.

It is better not to mess with small local distributors. Cars in most cases are old, not in the best technical condition. They often indicate prices without taxes, and when you receive a car you will have to pay extra. There are a lot of such distributors on the streets of resort towns, but in order not to spoil your vacation, it is better to trust reliable rental companies that value their name. Also, don’t mess with Gold Car. These are real crooks, I will talk about them in more detail later.

I recommend using the sites of major international aggregators, which I described in more detail in the article about renting a car in Europe.

Malta. Prices for car rental 2021

The table shows the approximate prices for car rental in Malta (the cost indicated per day of rent with standard insurance, when booking a car for a week)The lowest cost of renting a car in Malta I found on the website Economy bookings.

All these services offer cars from well-known major international car rental companies and the largest local car rental firms. I booked the car through Discover Card. On my dates, the conditions for me there were more favorable.

I recommend checking the prices for your dates on each of the above sites.

In addition to the fact that with the help of these services you can rent a car almost always cheaper than directly, there you can insure your deductible (liability in case of an accident) at a price 2-3 times lower than that of the car rental provider in the office when receiving the car.

When comparing prices on other sites, keep in mind that not always the price that displayed on the site is final. Some negligent car rental parents in pursuit of customers do not take into account insurance, airport fee, fee for the provision and delivery of the car outside working hours. And for this, at first glance, their price looks more attractive. But if you luxuriate in all the mandatory payments, the price becomes much higher than that of others. Those sites that I use, and which recommend, show the amount honestly, taking into account compulsory insurance, taxes and airport tax.

If your plane arrives after 21-00, then in most cases you will have to pay extra for getting a car after hours. And for some, working hours considered to be from 10 to 16.

Also keep in mind that in Malta, distributors often put up very high deposits (pledges) and franchises. Very often you can find a deposit / franchise of 1400-2500 euros. This amount must be on your credit card at the time of pick-up. Or you must have a credit limit sufficient to block this amount on the card. The amount of the deposit blocked on the bank card, and after the delivery of the car unlocked within a few days. Sometimes, quite rarely, the block can last up to 30 days, but this is the maximum.

Therefore, when searching for and booking a car, pay attention to the amount of deposit / deposit. Usually, information about the deposit and franchise indicated in the”Rental Terms”tab:

Rental terms and conditions on the economy bookings website

The deductible is your responsibility in the event of an accident, everything that exceeds this amount will be paid by the insurance company. Related: Airsial Booking

A deposit is a deposit for a car, which is usually equal to Deductible + Fuel + VAT in Malta.

We had a late arrival. The air malta plane supposed to arrive at 23-15. Therefore, when looking for a car, I was face with the problem of high markups for renting a car after hours. Many car rental increased the rental amount from 25 to 50 euros, only because the car had to received at 23-30.