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Croatia car hire for coast and islands
Pick up at Split or Dubrovnik airport. Agree any island ferry before you book; the coast road through Neum counts as leaving Croatia.
Home / Croatia
Pick up at Split or Dubrovnik airport. Agree any island ferry before you book; the coast road through Neum counts as leaving Croatia.
Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Zadar or Pula: our search found cars at all five. Flying home from a different one? Set it as your return airport.
Taking the car to an island? The ferry must be agreed before the booking is complete. Heading to Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina? Pick a car that offers the cross-border option and get permission through the booking partner’s help desk.
When we searched on 23 October 2026, the cheapest Croatian weekly rates came with big deposits, so check both figures on each car, and whether a credit card is required.
You pay an advance online, and the emailed voucher names the Croatian company and its contact details. At the handover you show your licence (and the credit card, if your car asks for one) and pay the balance in euros, using one of the payment methods shown on that car.
Each place starts a different kind of trip. Drive times are on clear roads, rounded up from our route planner.
The airport is in Kaštela, 6 km from Trogir and 20 km from Split, so the Riva is about 30 minutes off and the ferry port about 35. The coast road from Trogir to Makarska is on HAK’s summer queue list, and the A1’s Split junction is being rebuilt until 18 December 2026 (HAC, read 23 October 2026). Brač is 50 minutes from Split port.
The airport is 22.5 km from the city, a drive it puts at 30 to 35 minutes, up to an hour in summer; from 1 March to 30 November, and on other dates the city names, the centre around the old town needs a pass. North, the A1 ends at Karamatići after Ploče, so the way up is the coast road over the Pelješac Bridge. South, the Karasovići crossing into Montenegro is about 25 minutes away; HAK counts it, with the Metković crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina, among the busiest crossings in summer.
Inland; the A2, A3 and A4 out of the city, and the A1 as far as Maslenica, are on the winter list from 15 November to 15 April; 12 of the 89 Zagreb cars offered a Winter Pack in our Croatia search of 23 October 2026 (7-day hires from 16 November). The ring road between Zagreb zapad, Lučko and Ivanja Reka is on HAK’s summer hotspot list. Split Airport is about 4 h 30 min away, Dubrovnik Airport about 7 h 45 min.
The airport says it is 8 km from the city, off the A1 at the Zadar 2 exit, and Split Airport lies roughly 1 h 45 min south. North of Zadar the A1 joins the winter list at Maslenica, and Rovanjska to the Sveti Rok tunnel is a summer queue spot. In our one-way check of 23 October 2026, 49 cars from Zadar Airport could be left at Split Airport.
Pula Airport tells drivers to come in on the Istrian Y, which is Bina-Istra’s toll road, so a HAC ENC device needs coding before it works there. HAK lists summer queues at the Učka tunnel approaches and the old border posts at Kaštel and Plovanija. No Istrian road is on the winter list, and the Brestova ferry reaches Cres in 20 minutes.
From HAC (Hrvatske autoceste, the state motorway company), HAK (the Croatian auto club) and the Road Traffic Safety Act, read 23 October 2026.
HAC’s A1 runs from Zagreb past Split to the Karamatići toll plaza after Ploče, where its section list ends; the last part of the way to Dubrovnik is the coast road over the Pelješac Bridge. On any motorway, keep to the right-hand lane unless it is queuing. Weaving between lanes, passing on the hard shoulder and hurrying the car in front with lights or horn are all against the law (art. 142).
Where a motorway has several junctions you take a ticket on joining and pay on leaving, by distance and vehicle category, in cash or by card (Diners, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, INA or MOL Group); an ENC device has its own lane. Reach the exit with no ticket, or one over 24 hours old and no proof of why, and HAC charges double the toll for its longest route. The government plans barrier-free tolling from 1 March 2027; how a hire car will be billed then is not clear to us, so ask the company if your dates run past it.
The Istrian Y, the A8 and A9 down to Pula, belongs to Bina-Istra rather than HAC, with its own toll points, one at the Učka tunnel; an ordinary car is Category I. A HAC ENC device works there only once coded at a Bina-Istra sales point (Učka tunnel, Umag or Pula toll, Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 19:00), and the two keep separate accounts. Whether your hire car carries an ENC device at all is a question for the company.
HAC runs 44 tunnels; the longest, Mala Kapela on the A1, is 5,821 m. Inside, the limit is 100 km/h and dipped beams go on, because HAC says LED daytime running lights are not enough; flashing your lights is banned, and so are stopping, U-turns and reversing (art. 146). In a queue inside: hazard lights on, at least 5 m to the car ahead, engine off with the key left in, and stay in the car.
In storm-force bura wind, HAC shuts motorway sections either to every vehicle except cars or to all vehicles, depending on wind speed and road surface. Follow the signed detour, which leads back onto the motorway, and the variable speed signs on stretches the wind reaches. HAK’s road-conditions line is 072 777 777, or +385 1 464 0800 from abroad.
HAK’s list of summer hotspots: the Zagreb ring road between Zagreb zapad, Lučko and Ivanja Reka; the A1 from Rovanjska (once called Maslenica) to the Sveti Rok tunnel; the coast road from Trogir through Split and Omiš to Makarska; and the approaches to Dubrovnik. The worst times are Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, Sunday afternoon and evening, and Monday from morning into the afternoon. Croatian Radio’s HR2 reads HAK traffic news hourly from 6.30 to 21.30, in English too from about 15 June to 15 September; Krk’s bridge has charged no toll since 15 June 2020, though summer queues for it can start back at Malinska or Njivice.
Closed towards Zagreb between the Bisko and Split junctions, with a signed detour, until 18 December 2026 while the Split junction is rebuilt. Between Gornja Ploča and Sveti Rok, both directions share the Dubrovnik-bound side and the Zagreb-bound side is closed, until 4 December 2026. HAC’s road-status page carries the current list; these dates will move.
What the Croatian rental terms, the road law and the winter tyre rules say.
The two airports are 264.6 km apart by road, about 4 h on clear roads over the Pelješac Bridge.
Of the 93 Split cars, 72 were collected at Split Airport (SPU); of the 89 Dubrovnik cars, 70 at Dubrovnik Airport (DBV), in our Croatia search of 23 October 2026 (7-day hires from 16 November). None of them charged for airport pickup.
The remaining cars were delivered to an address (10 in Split, none charging for delivery; 10 in Dubrovnik, every one charging for delivery inside the quoted total) or collected from a company office (11 and 9), whose address is on the voucher.
Search with your real landing time. We priced 03:00 pickups and returns for 8 cars per airport (quotes of 23 October 2026): 6 of 8 at Split Airport and all 7 counted at Dubrovnik Airport added an out-of-hours charge at pickup, return or both (the eighth Dubrovnik car is one of the overpriced listings left out). Any such charge shows in the total before you pay.
The airport is in Kaštela, towards Trogir: by its own figures, 20 km from Split and 6 km from Trogir. The rental desks belong to outside companies, not the airport, which warns of heavy summer traffic into Split. It lists 06:00 to 22:00 as its operating hours for flights; to collect the car, go by the time on your voucher.
Officially Ruđer Bošković Airport, 22.5 km from Dubrovnik; the airport says 30 to 35 minutes on average and up to an hour in summer. You arrive in terminal building B, where the Platanus shuttle and city buses 11, 27 and 38 run, handy if some of your group are not in the car.
Split Airport on Google Maps · Dubrovnik Airport on Google Maps
With no stops or traffic, rounded up from our route planner. Both airports warn of slower summer roads, so allow more then.
Near the Pile Gate, cars need a pass to enter the old town area (see parking below). Times into Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina follow in the next section.
Croatian hire cars can come with two cross-border options, which you tick when booking. How many cars offered each, in our cross-border search of 23 October 2026 (7-day hires from 16 November):
| EU neighbours option | 84 of the 93 Split cars | 80 of the 89 Dubrovnik cars |
|---|---|---|
| Non-EU neighbours option | 44 of the 93 Split cars | 63 of the 89 Dubrovnik cars |
Cars collected at the first airport and returned at the second, 7-day hires from 16 November priced on 23 October 2026.
Counted, but not looked at in detail: Zagreb, Zadar and Pula, pickup 16 November 2026 for seven days, checked 23 October 2026.
| Airport | Cars | Deposit | Credit card | Gearbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zagreb Airport (ZAG) | 89 listed, 86 collected at the airport | 30 with no deposit | 18 needing a credit card | 47 automatics |
| Zadar Airport (ZAD) | 59 listed, 59 collected at the airport | 23 with no deposit | 0 needing a credit card | 25 automatics |
| Pula Airport (PUY) | 35 listed, 35 collected at the airport | 23 with no deposit | 12 needing a credit card | 20 automatics |
Car counts for Split and Dubrovnik, pickup 16 November 2026 for seven days, checked 23 October 2026.
| Requirement | Split cars | Dubrovnik cars |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card required | 9 of 93 | 21 of 89 |
| No deposit at all | 30 of 93 | 23 of 89 |
| Deposit payable in cash | 11 of 93 | none of 89 |
| Balance payable in cash | 30 of 93 (card on all) | not counted |
Croatia’s rental terms leave it to you to check three things in the booking and voucher: how the balance is paid, how the deposit is held, and when it comes back. Some companies hold a deposit 30 to 45 days after return.
The original, not a photocopy or an app. Croatia’s rental terms require your details in Latin script, and it must still be valid on your return day.
A licence recognised only by the country that issued it? Then Croatia’s rental terms strongly recommend adding the permit. For UK drivers, the UK government says a UK photocard licence works in Croatia for up to one year.
A physical credit card with embossed details, in the main driver’s name, brought with you to pickup. A company that takes debit cards applies the same rules, and says so in the booking and voucher.
Set car by car, so two similar models can differ. The six cars we looked at on 23 October 2026 put the minimum age between 18 and 25.
Croatian companies call the number you booked with, so include the +country prefix, and have it switched on to take calls and messages on Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram, starting the day before pickup and until the car is back.
Only small ones, inside a carrier for the whole journey.
Croatian cars offer up to four levels of cover, and each car has its own choice.
A Croatian traffic fine or an unpaid motorway toll that reaches the company after the rental can be taken from your deposit, and a fine also carries the company’s admin charge. The steps the terms require after damage are in the section on Croatian road habits.
Sources: the Road Traffic Safety Act (articles in brackets), the Ministry of the Interior, Croatia’s rental terms, the European Commission and UK travel advice.
Articles of the Road Traffic Safety Act in brackets; the rest from HAC, HAK and the emergency-number rules (NN 95/2023), read 23 October 2026.
Paid by you, at the prices each operator or city published posted on 23 October 2026; expect changes.
Half the cars were cheaper and half dearer than these daily medians, for seven-day hires in three pickup weeks, priced 23 October 2026. Your own dates get their own price in the search.
| Pickup week | Split listings | Split median a day | Dubrovnik listings | Dubrovnik median a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week from 16 November 2026 | 93 | €45 | 89 | €44 |
| Week from 18 January 2027 | 93 | €57 | 86 | €62 |
| Week from 14 June 2027 | 34 | €57 | 9 | €45 |
Split listings per class, pickup 16 November 2026 for seven days, checked 23 October 2026; a single car can appear under two classes.
32 cars
Split listings
33 cars
Split listings
25 cars
Split listings
17 cars
Split listings
3 cars
Split listings
1 car
Split listingsGearboxes: 56 manual and 37 automatic among 93 Split cars, 46 automatic among 89 at Dubrovnik. If you need an automatic, filter for one: Split trailed 15 of 18 other places we searched on the share of automatics (Split count dated 23 October 2026, the others 22 or 23 October 2026; every search a 7-day hire from 16 November 2026; each country got a single week’s search, and Split’s count takes in town delivery as well as the airport while a few places were read as airport-only searches, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a strict ranking). The models listed most often in Split: Skoda Octavia (6), Volkswagen Golf (6), Opel Vivaro (5), Renault Captur (4), Opel Corsa (3), Volkswagen Polo (3), Volkswagen T-Cross (3), Opel Combo (3), Volkswagen Taigo (3). With the “Or similar” mark on 91 of the 93 Split listings, treat the model named as a sample of the class rather than the car you will get.
From the Split and Dubrovnik listings, our Croatia search of 23 October 2026 (7-day hires from 16 November).
| Up to 4 people | Any 5-seater, if the boot takes your bags. The model can be swapped for a similar one. |
|---|---|
| 5 to 9 people | Filter by seats: 17 Split and 17 Dubrovnik listings had seven, eight or nine seats, with 8 nine-seaters in Split. Split’s share of seven-seat-plus cars was higher than at 16 of 18 other destinations we compared (Split count dated 23 October 2026, the others 22 or 23 October 2026; every search a 7-day hire from 16 November 2026). |
| 10 or more | Two cars; the biggest we saw had 9 seats. |
| Children | Below 150 cm, a booster or child seat; book it with the car. |
| A second driver | An extra priced per car, offered on 37 of the 93 Split cars; check the age and licence years shown for each driver. |
| Long driving days | 14 of the 93 Split cars limited the kilometres per day; the listing says so. |
In our Croatia search of 23 October 2026 (7-day hires from 16 November), only 9 of the 93 Split cars and 21 of the 89 Dubrovnik cars needed one, and each listing says whether it does. If yours does, bring a physical card with embossed details in the main driver’s name. Some Croatian companies accept debit cards in its place; your booking and voucher tell you if yours does.
On some cars. In our Croatia search of 23 October 2026 (7-day hires from 16 November), 30 Split cars out of 93 and 23 Dubrovnik cars out of 89 had no deposit at all, and the rest show theirs on the listing. A company that does hold one may keep it for 30 to 45 days once the car is back, and can take later fines or unpaid tolls out of it.
Not if you take the Pelješac Bridge. That is also the quicker way we found from Split Airport to the Pile Gate, about 3 h 45 min with clear roads, and all of it in Croatia. The old coast road passes through Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the rental conditions treat that as leaving Croatia, which needs permission through the booking partner’s help desk.
Yes, if you arrange it first. Croatia’s rental terms let a car board an island ferry only after an arrangement with the booking partner’s customer support, made before the booking is complete; the search has no box for it. When you buy the Jadrolinija ferry ticket before you know the plate number, type RENTAL in the plate field.
Yes: put Dubrovnik in the return box when searching. For a week from 16 November, priced on 23 October 2026, we found 49 cars at Split Airport that could be returned at Dubrovnik Airport, every one with a drop-off charge of €125 to €200, typically €200, built into its price, and not one without. Between the two airports it is 264.6 km, about 4 h with clear roads.
Yes, as a round trip. Choose a car that carries a cross-border option, tick it at booking, and get permission through the booking partner’s help desk, which Croatia’s rental terms require. The non-EU option was on 44 of 93 Split cars and 63 of 89 Dubrovnik cars (read 23 October 2026, 7-day hires from 16 November). Returning the car in another country was not possible on any route we tried on 23 October 2026: Dubrovnik to Kotor, Tivat, Podgorica or Sarajevo, Split to Sarajevo, Zagreb to Ljubljana. Plan to bring the car back to Croatia.
Car drivers may have up to 0.5 g/kg. Young drivers as Croatian law defines them (under 24, holding a Croatian licence) and some professional drivers must have none at all (Road Traffic Safety Act, art. 2 and 199).
Between 15 November and 15 April, on roads marked as winter sections, whatever the weather. A car then needs four winter tyres, or four summer tyres with 4 mm of tread or more and snow chains for the driven wheels (HAK, the Croatian auto club, citing the government’s winter equipment decision, NN 121/2020). Snow or ice on any road at any time also means winter equipment (art. 193).
The motorways. Hrvatske autoceste’s network is priced by distance and vehicle class and paid in cash, by card or by ENC device at the toll booth; the Istrian Y down to Pula is Bina-Istra’s road, with its own toll points. Tolling without barriers is planned from 1 March 2027. You pay the tolls; any invoiced after the rental can come out of the deposit.
Check which Croatian cars are still free for your trip.