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Crete car hire, one island fleet
Land at Heraklion or Chania, drive the north-coast road between them, and agree any ferry crossing with customer support before you book.
Home / Crete
Land at Heraklion or Chania, drive the north-coast road between them, and agree any ferry crossing with customer support before you book.
How each place differs for a driver. Drive times are routed with no traffic and rounded up; car counts come from our 22 October 2026 searches for a seven-night hire running 16 to 23 November 2026.
The airport sits about 10 minutes (5.3 km) from Lions Square and 15 from Knossos, and Hersonissos and Malia are 30 to 35 minutes east along the north road.
106 of the 314 Heraklion-search cars started at the airport itself, with the others delivered or waiting at a company office. A bypass of the city is part of the new motorway being built.
From Chania airport it is about 25 minutes (15.6 km) into town or to Souda port; Kissamos is about 1 h, Omalos for the Samaria Gorge 1 h 15 min, and Elafonisi or Chora Sfakion about 1 h 45 min.
Look at totals here: 80 of the 152 cars handed over at Chania airport already had a delivery charge folded into what they cost. The motorway contract includes a junction linking the new road with the airport.
Halfway along the island, with each airport roughly 1 h 30 min off.
Cars come to you here: all 175 in the Rethymno search were delivered, and 159 of them carried a delivery charge in the total. The Rethymno to Geropotamos stretch of the north road is one of the three high-risk sections the ministry reported finished in August 2026, and Petres to Atsipopoulo was due by the end of that month, completion not confirmed.
Heraklion airport is roughly 1 h 15 min away and Chania airport about 4 h, so for the east, Heraklion is the airport to fly into.
All 145 cars in the Agios Nikolaos search came by delivery. A 14.5 km dual carriageway from Neapoli to Agios Nikolaos is under construction; the ministry has not confirmed when it opens.
Heraklion airport is about 30 minutes (26.3 km) away along the north road; Chania airport, by contrast, is a 3 h 15 min drive.
160 cars could be delivered here; 151 of them had no deposit.
A little further east than Hersonissos by road: Heraklion airport about 35 minutes (34.2 km), Chania airport roughly 3 h 30 min.
Of the 185 cars in the Malia search, 19 were listed at a company’s rental office rather than delivered; the voucher says where that office is.
Heraklion airport to Elounda: about 1 h 15 min (66.8 km); Plaka, opposite Spinalonga, takes about as long.
All 86 cars in the Elounda search were delivered, and every one of them had no deposit.
Heraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ) airports are 160.7 km apart, about 3 hours by road. Counts are for week-long hires from 16 November 2026, from our island search on 22 October 2026.
106 of the 314 cars in the Heraklion search were handed over at Heraklion Airport itself, and 152 of the 257 Chania-search cars at Chania Airport. The rest were delivered to an address or picked up at a company office.
Crete’s companies share one pool of cars: 241 cars turned up in both the Heraklion and Chania searches, and 76 could start at either airport. A town result lists cars that will be brought there, not cars parked there.
On 80 of the 152 Chania Airport pickups, a delivery charge was already included in the price. Compare Chania cars on the total, not the day rate.
The booking partner lists a Heraklion Port and a Souda Port place, yet not one of the Heraklion or Chania cars sat on either for that November week. A separate Souda search found 14 cars, all handed over at Souda Port.
Enter the time you actually land. On 22 October 2026 we asked for prices on 40 Heraklion Airport cars with both ends of the hire at 03:00 on that November rental: 36 added a charge for the night pickup, the night return or both, and 3 of the remaining 4 simply cost more at night. Both show before you pay.
Chania airport (officially “Ioannis Daskalogiannis”) is run by Fraport Greece, which gives the terminal’s hours as midnight to 23:59 each day; buses for Chania and Rethymno stop opposite Departures, with drivers selling tickets. The website of Heraklion airport (officially “Nikos Kazantzakis”) was down for maintenance on 22 October 2026, so we give nothing on its terminal. A replacement Heraklion airport is under construction at Kastelli, and the ministry says it will connect directly to the new north-coast motorway (May 2026).
Map of the Heraklion Airport pickup point · Map of the Chania Airport pickup point
Heraklion and Chania listings for a week’s hire beginning 16 November 2026; our island search ran 22 October 2026.
On Crete a zero deposit does not mean no card: 221 of 314 Heraklion cars held no deposit, yet 106 still wanted a credit card, 51 of them among the zero-deposit cars.
Against the 18 other destinations SabreCar searched for that same week (read 22 October 2026), Crete leans one way on deposits and the other on cards: only 4 had a bigger share of no-deposit cars, but 17 had a bigger share of cars needing no credit card, and 16 had a bigger share of cars that would take a deposit in cash. One November search per place, some airport-only and some citywide, so read these as rough positions.
The part you pay online, 15 to 20%, is a share of the Crete rental price, and the company collects the balance when you take the keys. Crete’s terms ask you to double-check the payment, deposit and refund methods both in the booking and on your voucher.
Where a credit card is demanded, bring the physical card itself, bearing raised numbers and the name of the main driver. Some Crete companies will accept a debit card instead, which both the listing and the voucher will mention.
Heraklion, Chania or a delivery town such as Rethymno. The two airports are about 3 hours apart; when your flight home leaves from the far one, make that the return place.
On Crete a car with no deposit can still want a credit card. The listing shows both, plus how any deposit is held.
A crossing has to be agreed with customer support before checkout. Then pay the advance; after that, the voucher arriving by email carries the firm’s name, a number to ring and the meeting spot, and the balance is paid on the day.
How many cars of each class the Heraklion search held for a hire starting 16 November 2026 (class counts taken on 22 October 2026). We print no prices here: on Crete the lowest day rates can come with high deposits.
179 cars
in Heraklion
59 cars
in Heraklion
62 cars
in Heraklion
23 cars
in Heraklion
14 cars
in Heraklion
17 cars
in HeraklionBecause a Crete listing can belong to two classes, the tiles add up to more than 314. Economy is the biggest class here, 179 of 314 cars, a bigger slice than at any of the 17 other places we compared (comparison read 22 October 2026). Automatics run the other way: 114 of 314, and 17 of 18 other places had a larger automatic share (read 22 October 2026), so anyone who needs an automatic should filter for it first. One November search per place, some airport-only and some citywide, so read these as rough positions. Listed most often: Opel Corsa (15), Fiat Panda (15), Kia Picanto (12), Fiat Tipo (12), Volkswagen Polo (10), Toyota Yaris (10).
Median day rate for a 7-day hire starting in each of three sample weeks, from searches run 22 October 2026. Half of the cars came in below the median and half above.
| Hire starting | Heraklion cars | Heraklion median a day | Chania cars | Chania median a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 November 2026 | 314 | €43 | 257 | €50 |
| 18 January 2027 | 228 | €40 | 194 | €50 |
| 14 June 2027 | 47 | €57 | 45 | €75 |
From Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport releases and Region of Crete notices, read 23 October 2026. Ministry dates and targets are its own statements, printed with the month they were made.
From the Region of Crete’s civil-protection and fire-risk notices (read 23 October 2026) and UK government travel advice.
Where a hire car may be driven under the Crete terms, which match the Greece terms.
Routed with no traffic and no stops, then rounded up; roadworks on the north road can add single-lane stretches under lights.
Cars collected at a Crete airport on 16 November 2026 for a week; one-way quotes taken 22 October 2026.
Based on the Crete rental terms and the booking partner’s search of 22 October 2026.
The terms forbid driving a hire car into another country, whatever you add at checkout.
The extras for Greek rentals include neither a cross-border nor a ferry option.
On a hire beginning 16 November 2026, 15 cars from Heraklion Airport and 15 from Chania Airport could be booked to end at Athens airport, and the drop-off charge on each was €290, inside the total. The trip still means a ferry, so agree the crossing first, and we cannot say whether that charge includes the boat.
A Heraklion to Thessaloniki search found no cars.
Ferry operators, routes, crossing times and fares are outside what we measured.
Clause 10 of the Crete rental terms says any crossing to the mainland or another island must be agreed in advance with customer support at the booking partner, before the booking is completed.
Sources: the Crete rental terms; Your Europe, the EU site carrying information from the Greek authorities; the Greek National Tourism Organisation; UK travel advice.
As the airport and the two municipalities published it; Chania prices read 22 October 2026, Heraklion read 23 October 2026. You pay all parking.
Full Coverage Plus sits above Minimum, Basic and Full Coverage, and appeared on 139 of 314 Heraklion cars and 92 of 257 in Chania (island counts of 22 October 2026, hire from 16 November 2026).
On some Crete cars a higher level lowers the deposit; on others it stays the same. The deposit appears on every car before you pay.
Damage to the windscreen, wheels, interior or undercarriage is outside standard cover. On Crete that is one more reason the dirt road to Balos is no place for a hire car, on top of the paved-roads clause. Deliberate damage, vandalism and neglect are never insured.
Of the 40 Heraklion Airport cars we priced for that November week (22 October 2026), 13 listed Theft Protection and 1 Personal Accident Insurance.
Convertibles need longerCrete lists open-top cars more than the typical place we compared: 17 of 314 in the Heraklion search, with only 3 of 17 other places showing a larger share (read 22 October 2026). Those fall under the 30-day rule.
The 24-hour extra23 of the 40 Heraklion Airport cars we priced for that November week offered it (22 October 2026). Email the booking partner with the subject “Cancel” and the voucher attached; bookings cannot be edited, so cancel and rebook to change.
“Or similar” cars171 of 314 Heraklion listings were marked “or similar” in our Heraklion search of 22 October 2026, for a hire from 16 November 2026, so the company may hand over a comparable model instead; a filter shows guaranteed models only. Where breakdown or force majeure makes the booked car unavailable, the company must substitute a car no lower in class, at the price and terms agreed.
Keeping the car longerEach day of hire is a 24-hour block, and a few extra hours count as a further day; tell the company ahead of time to extend.
It depends on the listing. Our Crete search of 22 October 2026, for seven days of hire from 16 November 2026, found 208 of 314 Heraklion cars and 172 of 257 Chania cars asking for none, against 106 and 85 that did. Each car states it, a filter can hide the card-only ones, and where a card is demanded it has to be the physical one with raised digits in the lead driver’s name.
Yes. In our Crete search of 22 October 2026 (hire from 16 November 2026), 221 of 314 Heraklion cars and 171 of 257 Chania cars had no deposit at all. Among deposit-holding cars, cash payment was possible on only 20 Heraklion and 19 Chania listings, so look at how it is taken.
The Crete terms advise one for every driver, alongside the national licence, and note that some companies may refuse to rent without it. Your original licence has to stay valid until the hire ends; photocopied or digital licences will not do. Per the UK government, UK photocard holders may drive in Greece on that licence.
Heraklion (HER) and Chania (CHQ), about 3 hours apart by road. Counted 22 October 2026, hire starting 16 November 2026 and lasting a week: 106 of 314 Heraklion-search cars were handed over at HER and 152 of 257 Chania-search cars at CHQ. Some Chania prices already include a delivery charge, and the handover spot for each car is printed on its voucher.
Yes, by setting Chania as the return place. 70 cars picked up at HER could finish at CHQ on a hire starting 16 November 2026 (Crete quotes of 22 October 2026), with a median drop-off charge of €100 included in the total; 8 charged nothing for it.
Only when customer support at the booking partner has approved it before you finish booking, as clause 10 of the terms requires. Driving the car into another country is ruled out in every case.
Not within the terms as we read them. They confine hire cars to paved public roads, the Municipality of Kissamos describes the access as a few kilometres of poor dirt road, and map data shows the final 7.6 km unpaved, which is why we list no drive time there.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport says the Chania to Heraklion section of the new north-coast road, still under construction, will be tolled once it is built; it has announced no prices. The renter pays any toll (clause 12), as with fuel and parking.
Motorways have a 130 km/h limit, country roads 90 km/h and towns 30 km/h, with 50 on certain town roads that have several lanes. Signs can set other limits. Those figures come from the EU’s Your Europe site, provided by the Greek authorities, and from the Greek National Tourism Organisation.
Live availability at Heraklion and Chania for the days you fly.