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Car rental at Chania Airport

Compare local rental firms at Chania Airport (CHQ), with airport pickup and return, some cars without a credit card, night appointments and cover shown upfront.

Cheap car rental with Chania Airport collection

Prices include daytime airport pickup and return. These cars need a credit card, each shows its deposit, and dates, times and cover change the price.

Choosing a car for western Crete

Every class tile shows its lowest day rate for the week used above. The lowest prices all need a credit card and a deposit of at least €800, and half of all offers here cost more than €50 a day.

These class prices are for pickup at Chania Airport. Check each car’s seats, gearbox and equipment before you choose.

Where do you meet the company at Chania Airport?

A local company hands over the car. Your voucher gives the meeting point and the company’s phone number, so follow it rather than any rental sign in the terminal.

Airport pickup

Choose Chania Airport for pickup and return. A Chania town delivery booking does not include an airport handover.

Meeting point

Go to the meeting point on your voucher and ring the company’s number there if you cannot find it.

Booking phone

Have your booking phone on, with the international code, from the day before pickup to the end of hire.

Staying in town first? Chania delivery brings the car to your address later. Check your car before you leave and confirm the return directions.

Chania Airport guide: services, the car park and roads west and east

Terminal services, how the airport car park works, and what to expect on the roads once you drive off in your rental car.

Services at the airport

  • Cash machines in Arrivals, baggage reclaim and Schengen departures.
  • Vodafone shop Arrivals, open to all.
  • Free Wi-Fi on the Fraport-Free network.
  • First aid at the airport’s first aid spot.
  • Lost property handled by the police.

The airport car park

  • PAirport car park

The airport car park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year.

A single price list covers short and long stays, and prices can change.

  • Quick stop: The first 20 minutes are free.
  • Paying: Cash or credit card are both accepted.
  • Longer stays: Hourly, daily and weekly prices are on the airport’s list.

Getting the car and giving it back

  1. Meeting the company Use the meeting point and phone number on your voucher.
  2. Return Hand the car back at the place your voucher gives.
  3. Reduced mobility? Ask your airline 48 hours ahead, then go to the PRM point.
Phone battery low? Free charging stations are in the check-in hall and, after security, by the departure gates, handy once the car is back.

Driving out of Chania Airport

  1. Roadworks at night? Expect short closures and single-lane running under traffic lights.
  2. Lane in the middle? On rebuilt north-coast stretches it is for overtaking and swaps direction.
  3. Fire-risk red day? Cars are banned from named forests, gorges and trails.
Weather across Crete Rain in the north can leave the south dry, and the other way round. Check the forecast for where you are driving.

Can you collect without a credit card?

Some Chania Airport cars do not need a credit card, but all six featured cars do. No deposit and no credit card are separate; check both.

Credit requiredOn these six featured cars
Deposit variesRead the amount per vehicle
Methods varyConfirm balance and deposit separately
Bring the cardFollow the named-driver requirements

If a credit card is required, the main driver must show their own physical card with embossed details. Someone else’s card or a digital card is not accepted, and debit cards follow the same rules where the booking allows them.

Pay a 15% to 20% advance online and the rest to the company at pickup; any deposit is extra. No-deposit cars can still need a credit card, and cars without a credit card do not always take cash.

Keep Chania Airport and your times selected when you search.

How far can you drive from Chania Airport?

Drive times from Chania Airport on clear roads. Allow extra for pickup, stops and traffic.

Heading west, Kissamos is 51 km, about an hour; on the south coast, Plakias is 83.7 km, around one hour forty-five minutes. Chania town is about 25 minutes away, and car hire in Chania can bring the car to your address.

Staying in the east? Agios Nikolaos is 218.7 km, about four hours, so check whether another airport suits your stay better.

Handing the car back at Chania Airport

Your car return is arranged with the company, not through the airport car park. Get the directions before your last day.

Your company may want the car returned elsewhere, or have its own key and inspection steps. Get the instructions and leave time for the handback and your flight. Only leave the car unattended if the company agrees.

Fuel is separate from the hire price. Return the car with the same fuel level; a shortfall is charged by the company and extra fuel is not refunded.

Can a late flight collect a rental at Chania Airport?

Some cars allow night pickup for an extra fee, but not every company serves every flight. Enter your real times.

Charges at 01:00

Some cars add €40 for a 01:00 pickup and another €40 for a 01:00 return, with no time charge at 13:00. Check both ends of an overnight trip.

Reserve the actual hours

Enter your real pickup and return times before you choose a car. Night fees and availability depend on the car and the company.

Early flight return

For an early flight, agree a return time too. Ask how the company handles the car check and keys at that hour, then plan check-in around it.

Changes to flight arrival

If your flight changes, tell the company straight away. A night meeting does not mean they will wait indefinitely, so agree a new time.

Night fees can apply at each end, not once per booking. If your flights change, check the price for both times again and agree them with the company.

Can a Chania Airport car finish at Heraklion?

Chania Airport cars can be returned at Heraklion Airport or at a Rethymno address. Choose your drop-off before comparing, as it changes the price.

The white buildings of Heraklion spread down to a blue sea, with green shrubs in front and a clear blue sky
Chania Airport→Heraklion
161.1 km to Heraklion Airport, about 3 h

Car hire in Heraklion →

Plan the return arrangement

At Heraklion Airport, allow time for the drive, car check and flight.

Agree the return procedure

Agree the address and meeting point for a Rethymno return.

Chania Airport to Heraklion Airport is 161.1 km, around three hours on clear roads, plus time for the handback and your flight. One-way charges differ by car, so check the full price. Rethymno returns work like a town delivery.

Chania Airport rental prices through the year

The lowest daily price for a week’s hire with airport pickup and return, starting on day fifteen of each month, November 2026 to October 2027.

Change the dates and times to price your own trip.

The chart covers airport pickup only, not hotel delivery.

You pay for at least one day. A morning pickup and a return after lunch the next day counts as two days. Ask the company before you extend.

Extras, cover and one-way returns change the total. The chart does not hold a car or a price for you.

Passengers and equipment at collection

Some featured cars offer infant seats and boosters, and some also offer an extra driver. Check what your car offers before you book.

Arrange the restraints

Choose the right seat for each child before Chania Airport pickup. Confirm it with the company and check it before your first drive.

Confirm other drivers

Use the car’s extra-driver option if you share the driving. Each driver must be on the agreement before they take the wheel.

Travelling with a small pet

Only small pets may travel, and they must stay in a carrier for the whole trip. Leave room for the carrier.

Space for the journey

Check the boot space with child seats fitted and everyone seated, so the whole family fits before you leave the airport.

What changes when you upgrade the cover?

The cover name does not tell you the deposit or what you pay for damage. Upgrades work differently on each car, so compare the figures.

Minimum coverageIncluded as standard
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
  • Damage to your hire car (not included)
Basic coverage
  • Limited collision cover (CDW) (included)
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
  • Glass and tyre damage (not included)
Full Coverage
  • Limited driver liability (Super CDW) (included)
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
Full Coverage Plus
  • Full damage cover (included)
  • No driver liability for accident damage (included)

Deposits can fall. On some cars, Full Coverage lowers the deposit and removes what you pay for covered damage, but a smaller deposit remains.

Not every car offers it. Some cars offer only Basic cover, and what you pay for damage under Basic differs from car to car, even with the same deposit.

Upgrades may not change the figures. On some cars, Full Coverage keeps the same deposit and the same damage charge as Basic.

What is not covered. Standard cover excludes the windscreen, underside, interior and wheels. Deliberate vandalism, neglect and banned roads are not covered.

If something happens, tell the company straight away and get a police report unless they agree otherwise. If you skip this, your damage cover is invalid and you pay the full cost.

Licence and driver eligibility

Bring originals valid for the whole hire. An International Driving Permit is recommended, and you can be refused without the required documents.

Licence checks

Bring your original licence to Chania Airport; digital versions and photocopies are not accepted.

Eligibility before collection

Check the car’s age and driving-history rules for the main driver; similar cars may differ.

The company can refuse you if the driver does not meet these rules, or the card rules for the car.

Responsibilities on the island roads

Seat belts and child seats are required, and phones must be hands-free. Check the safety equipment with the company at pickup.

Road responsibilities

  • Cars must carry a first-aid kit, fire extinguisher and warning triangle. You pay fines, tolls, parking and fuel.

Return and rental conditions

  • Return the same fuel level as at pickup. If the car is too dirty to inspect, you pay for cleaning.

Ferries, Souda and permitted roads

Taking the car on a ferry needs agreement through customer support before you book. Hiring at Chania Airport does not cover ferries or border crossings.

The car cannot leave Greece, even with ferry permission. Arrange any sailing with support before you book; a ferry ticket is not approval.

Souda port is 15.1 kilometres from Chania Airport, about twenty-five minutes without traffic. Allow time for the drive and for ferry check-in.

Drive on paved public roads only. The gravel road to Balos is not allowed, even in an SUV, so plan another way to get there. Follow signs at roadworks and do not count on new motorway sections being open.

If the flight or rental plan changes

Standard bookings need seven days’ notice to cancel, or thirty days for luxury cars and convertibles. Cars with the cancellation option can be cancelled up to twenty-four hours before pickup.

Cancellation request

Email your cancellation with the voucher. Refunds take up to fourteen days, and 6% of the advance is kept for processing.

Refunds and changes

You lose the advance if you cancel or change late, or miss pickup without telling the company. To change a booking, cancel it and book again.

Chania Airport rental questions

Does airport opening mean every supplier serves a night flight?

No. The airport is open all day, but your pickup time depends on the company and car. Enter your real times and confirm the meeting point.

Does the public car park accept my rental return?

Only if your rental company tells you to return the car there. Airport parking and your car return are separate.

Does Full Coverage always remove the deposit?

Not always. On some cars it lowers the deposit and removes what you pay for covered damage, but a smaller deposit is still taken.

Does choosing a town return remove the meeting appointment?

No. A Rethymno address return still needs an agreed place and time with the company. Add the drop-off when you search. The same holds for a return in Heraklion town, about three hours east by road.

May an SUV use the gravel road towards Balos?

No. You may drive on paved public roads only, so the gravel road to Balos is not allowed, even in an SUV.

More options for renting on Crete

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