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Car hire at Split Airport

Car rental at Split Airport from local companies. Each car shows its cover, deposit and card rules before you pay.

Cheap car rental at Split Airport

Full seven-day prices, collected and dropped back at the airport. Look under each car for its deposit and card rule.

Which car suits a trip along the Dalmatian coast?

Tiles show the cheapest car in each class for the same week as the deals; a typical car here costs about €48 a day, counting only cars with no airport fee. Not quoted marks a class with no car offered.

Vans with up to nine seats are offered here, and you can choose a manual or an automatic gearbox. A card marked “or similar” can be swapped for another car of the same size.

Where do you meet the car company at Split Airport?

Car hire firms here are independent of the airport. Who meets you, where, and how to ring them is all on the voucher.

Keep the voucher handy

Save the voucher on your phone and as a printout. It holds the meeting point and the number to call if you cannot find the company.

Answer the company

The phone number you gave must work from the day before pickup until the car goes back. Use the full country code.

Check before you drive

Go round the bodywork with the agent and get every scratch written down. Look at the fuel gauge and any child seat you ordered.

How the company meets you differs between suppliers, so follow the voucher rather than looking for a desk.

None of the cars on this page adds an airport fee for a midday handover.

Split Airport guide: parking, services and the road out

What you will find in the terminal, where to park or drop off, and what to expect on the drive towards Split.

Parking and drop-off

  • SouthHourly car park
  • NorthKiss & Fly

South Parking is for parking by the hour; North Parking holds the Kiss & Fly lane.

South Parking costs €2 an hour for the first four hours, then €0.50 an hour.

  • Kiss & Fly is free for five minutes, with the driver staying at the wheel.
  • Pay by cash, card or SMS; leave within 15 minutes of paying.
  • Disabled parking is in the South car park, nearest the entrance.

Services in the terminal

  • Cash machines on the ground floor of the north (main) terminal building.
  • Exchange office open 06:00 to 22:00.
  • SIM cards at the Tisak shop.
  • Business lounge second floor, departures.
  • Information desks ground floor and gates.

Driving away from Split Airport

  1. Into Split expect heavy traffic towards the city in the summer months.
  2. North on the A1 pay the toll at the plaza by cash or card.
  3. Lights on by day from 1 November to 31 March.
Winter roads From 15 November to 15 April, winter equipment is compulsory on marked winter roads. Ask the company if your route needs it.

Collecting and returning your car

  1. Landing late? Airport hours run to 22:00; ask where the company meets you.
  2. Running late? Call the company with your new arrival time.
  3. Going home return the car where the voucher says.
Need assistance? Help for passengers with reduced mobility is free. Ask your airline for it at least 48 hours before you travel.

Do you need a credit card for car rental at Split Airport?

Not always. Several cars here take a debit card for the deposit, and some ask for no deposit at all.

Where a car asks for a credit card, the lead driver brings the actual embossed card, in their own name. Debit only works if your booking and voucher list it. Plenty of cars in Croatia that need no credit card hold the deposit on a debit card instead.

A zero deposit can hold at every cover level or only after an upgrade. Even car hire in Croatia with no deposit can leave an excess on Basic cover.

How far is Split Airport from Split and Trogir?

Trogir is about ten minutes west and the centre of Split about half an hour east. Times assume clear roads, so add time in summer.

Palm trees along Split's waterfront promenade in front of pale stone buildings, with white clouds in a blue sky
Split Airport→Split
30 min · 24.1 km
Stone buildings and the cathedral bell tower on the Trogir waterfront, with green hills behind under a blue sky
Split Airport→Trogir
10 min · 5.5 km
The Cetina River running out of a steep grey gorge past the houses of Omis, under a clear blue sky
Split Airport→Omiš
55 min · 41.5 km
Old stone houses stacked up a hill above the water at Sibenik, glowing in golden evening light under a blue sky
Split Airport→Šibenik
1 h · 54.8 km
Wide white cascades pouring into a green pool, framed by lush trees and a blue sky with white clouds
Split Airport→Krka
1 h · 58.7 km
Boats in a calm harbour in front of stone waterfront buildings and a large hotel, with green trees and a blue sky
Split Airport→Makarska
1 h 30 min · 98 km

The Split time ends on the Riva waterfront. If you are staying in town first, some Split cars can be delivered in town instead, so you need not collect at the airport.

The Krka time ends at the Lozovac entrance to the national park. Makarska is reached along the A1 motorway.

Croatian road rules for the first drive

Traffic keeps to the right. Signs always set the limit, so watch for changes near towns.

Know the speed limits

Town streets are 50 km/h and open roads 90 km/h. Expressways allow 110 km/h and motorways 130 km/h, unless a sign says different.

Skip the drink

The limit for car drivers is 0.5 g/kg. Young drivers under 24 with a Croatian licence must have none at all; the safest choice is not to drink.

Phone hands-free only

You may only use a phone while driving through a hands-free device. Set the sat nav before you leave the car park.

Report any damage

In an emergency, call 112. After an accident, tell the company at once and get a police report, or your cover can be lost.

Stay on paved roads

Hire cars may only be driven on paved public roads, wherever you are heading from the airport.

Gravel tracks to remote coves and farm roads are outside the rental conditions, even in a large car.

Crossing a border from Split

Some cars offer a cross-border option for EU neighbours and another for non-EU neighbours, each with its own fee.

Leaving Croatia also needs permission from the help desk, arranged before you travel. The old coast road through Neum crosses Bosnia and Herzegovina, so it counts as leaving the country. A car hired here must come back to Croatia, as one-way hire abroad is not offered.

Can you return a Split Airport car at Dubrovnik Airport?

Yes, on cars that offer it, and Zadar Airport works too. Each car adds a drop-off charge, already inside the price shown.

Pick the return airport

Choose the other airport as the drop-off place when you search. A town address is a different return place with its own price.

Ask where to hand back

Check with the company where its staff will meet you at the other airport. Allow time for the inspection before check-in.

Agree any change first

If your plans change, get the new return agreed by the company. You cannot leave the car at a different airport on your own.

The fastest drive to Dubrovnik Airport runs over the Pelješac Bridge and stays inside Croatia. Heading north instead, Zadar Airport is the shorter one-way trip.

Split Airport prices through the year

Bars give the lowest daily rate for a week’s hire that starts and ends at the airport, mid-month. Your dates may differ.

N/A: no airport price was available yet for that month.

Summer and early autumn prices fill in as companies load their cars, so search again closer to the time.

Hire is charged in 24-hour days; a few extra hours count as another full day. Ask the company before your booking ends if you want to keep the car longer.

Travelling with family or a group from Split

Name every driver and book seats for every child before you fly, so the handover is quick.

Add a second driver

Some cars list a second driver as an extra, priced per car. Each driver must meet the car’s age and licence rules.

Book child seats

Children under 150 cm need a child seat or booster. Seats are extras on each car, so add them when you book.

Room for a group

Vans with up to nine seats can be booked here. Check the boot still takes your bags with every seat in use.

Bring a small pet

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

What does the cover include on Split Airport cars?

Each car shows its cover levels, deposit and excess before you pay. Compare all three, not only the price.

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)

Basic or Full Coverage first. Several deal cars begin on Basic (CDW) and carry an excess; others already include Full Coverage and leave none.

Upgrade to zero. Where a car starts on Basic, a paid level takes the excess to zero. Its price is shown on the car.

Deposit and excess differ. Some cars ask for no deposit at any level, yet still carry an excess on Basic until you upgrade.

Lower deposits. On some cars, Full Coverage also cuts the deposit, though it does not always remove it.

Standard cover leaves out the wheels, the underside, the windscreen and the interior. Deliberate damage or neglect cancels the cover. On Basic, the car hire excess is the most you pay towards damage the cover does include.

Licence and age checks before you fly

Bring your original licence, valid until the car goes back and printed in Latin letters. Copies and digital licences are refused.

International permit

Is your licence valid at home only? Then pack an International Driving Permit as well. It travels with the licence and never stands in for it.

Age and experience

Each car lists its own minimum age and years of driving. They differ even between similar models, so check every driver.

A UK photocard licence can be used in Croatia for up to a year. With an old paper UK licence, you may need a photocard or the right permit as well.

Handing the car back at Split Airport

Leave time before your flight for the fuel check and the inspection.

Fuel level

  • Match the fuel gauge you saw at pickup. Any fuel missing is billed at the company’s own price, and a fuller tank brings no refund.

Clean enough to inspect

  • Bring it back clean enough to inspect. When mud or sand hides the paintwork, a wash is added to your costs.

Fuel, parking, fines and motorway tolls are yours to pay. A deposit can stay blocked for 30 to 45 days with some firms, so that late fines or missed tolls can be taken from it.

If your plans change after you book

To change dates or the car, cancel and make a new booking.

Notice to cancel

A week’s notice is needed, or a month for luxury cars and convertibles; bookings with the short-notice option can go up to 24 hours before. Any later and the advance is lost.

Getting the advance back

Email support, voucher attached. Expect the advance on your account inside two weeks, minus 6% kept as a payment fee.

Split Airport car rental questions

Can I hire a car at Split Airport with no deposit?

Yes, some cars here have no deposit. That does not always mean no excess, so check the cover level as well before you book.

Can I collect a car at Split Airport late at night?

Some cars can be booked for a pickup or return in the small hours, often with an out-of-hours charge in the price. Enter your real times and confirm the meeting point with the company.

Are automatic cars available at Split Airport?

Yes, you can pick an automatic here. Read the gearbox line on the car you book; the photo alone proves nothing.

Can I take my hire car on the ferry to Hvar or Brač?

Only if it is arranged with support before you complete the booking. Without that, ferry trips to the islands are not allowed.

How long is the drive from Split Airport to Zadar?

Allow about 1 h 45 min to the centre of Zadar on clear roads, mostly on the A1 motorway. Tolls are yours to pay.

More Croatian airports and rental help

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