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Malta car hire: airport or delivery

Collect at the airport or take delivery in a listed town. Malta keeps left; every car we read in October held a card deposit.

Booking a car in Malta in four steps

  1. Start with the airport

    In the count we ran on 22 October 2026 (Maltese hires from 16 November), the airport search listed both the cars collected at the terminal and the ones delivered in the towns, so it is the only search you need. Enter your dates first, because the list is short and shifts with them.

  2. Check which card it wants

    In that count the credit-card-only cars were all airport pickups, while every delivery car took a debit card. Compare the deposit, the youngest driver accepted and the cover levels too.

  3. Secure the car online

    You pay the advance by card on the site. The email that follows is your voucher: company name, telephone, and where it meets you or delivers.

  4. Collect the car, then keep left

    At the car park or at your door, show your licence and the deposit card, then pay the balance in a way that car’s listing accepts. Then drive off on the left.

Deposits and cards on Malta’s hire cars

What the 41 cars asked for, counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days.

Every car in the count wanted a deposit, and none would take it in cash. Each listing shows the amount up front, and the deposit filter narrows Malta’s short list further.

Credit card needed: 24 of the 41, every one an airport car. It must be embossed and belong to the lead driver.

Debit accepted: the remaining 17, all the delivery cars among them, carried the “No credit card” label. In the 6 Malta quotes pulled 22 October 2026 for Maltese hires out on 16 November, back 23 November, those cars held the deposit on either kind of card, never in cash.

The balance: handed to the company at pickup. All 41 took cards; 24 also listed cash, so check the listing if you plan to pay in cash.

The part you pay online

Booking a Maltese rental takes an advance of 15 to 20%. In the 6 Malta quotes pulled 22 October 2026 for Maltese hires out on 16 November, back 23 November, airport cars asked 20% and delivery cars 15%. Everything else is settled with the rental company when the car is handed over.

Car hire around Malta: the airport and the delivery towns

Delivery cars counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days; drive times from the terminal, routed 23 October 2026 on clear roads and rounded up.

Malta Airport

The airport points renters to the rental offices on Level 1 of the Park East car park, roughly a 3-minute walk from the terminal (checked 23 October 2026). Its 26 cars stayed an airport-only fleet in our count: none appeared in a town or one-way search.

Boats in the harbour in front of Valletta's domes and church towers, under a clear blue sky

Valletta

City Gate is about 15 min and 7.7 km from the terminal. Driving into its charging zone on weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00 can bring an access charge (S.L. 65.31), and Visit Malta’s 2021 page points drivers to the Floriana Park-and-Ride. 15 delivery cars listed Valletta; 15 of them also took a one-way from Luqa ending in Valletta.

A wooden sailing ship moored in calm blue water in front of the Sliema waterfront, under a blue sky

Sliema

About 15 min and 9.2 km from the airport, and about 35 min (24.1 km) to the Gozo ferry at Ċirkewwa. The one town we also tested as a starting point: 15 delivery cars took a one-way from Sliema back to the airport, with no drop-off charge listed.

St Julian's Bay with boats on blue water and historic buildings along the shore, under a clear blue sky

St Julian’s

About 15 min and 9.6 km from the terminal. It shared the town list of 15 delivery cars; 15 of them also took a one-way from Luqa ending in St Julian’s.

Buġibba

Heading north adds distance: Buġibba is about 25 min and 17.5 km from the airport. 15 delivery cars listed it, and 15 of them also took a one-way from Luqa ending in Buġibba.

Qawra

About 25 min and 18.3 km from the terminal by the routed drive. Qawra’s search showed 15 delivery cars, the same list as Valletta’s. We did not run a one-way search ending in Qawra.

Aerial view of the town around St Paul's Bay with buildings along the shore and blue sea

St Paul’s Bay

Routed at about 25 min and 18.3 km from the airport. A stay here draws on the shared town list too, 15 cars in our count. We did not run a one-way search ending in St Paul’s Bay.

The wooden houses of Popeye Village on a rocky shore above the sea, with palm trees and a blue sky with white clouds

Mellieħa

The furthest delivery town we read, about 30 min and 24.0 km from the airport. Only 6 of the 15 delivery cars listed it; 6 of them also took a one-way from Luqa ending in Mellieħa.

Driving in Malta: keep left, yield to the right

Rules quoted from Maltese law on legislation.mt with the regulation number, plus the EU’s Your Europe summary for Malta and Visit Malta where they are named; all read 23 October 2026.

Who goes first

  • Cars keep to the left and overtake on the right (S.L. 65.11 reg. 75). Visit Malta’s getting-around page (dated 2021) adds that the road signs are in English.
  • The rule that catches visitors out: where two roads of equal importance cross, the car on your right has priority, left-hand traffic or not (reg. 82(1)).
  • Pulling out of a minor road, you wait for traffic on the major one; at a T junction, the through road has priority over the road ending there (reg. 82(1) and (4)).
  • At a roundabout, cars already circling it go first and new arrivals wait (reg. 82(2)).
  • Red and amber lit together carry the same ban as red alone, the EU summary explains.

Narrow streets, bus lanes and sirens

  • Met head-on in a street too tight for two cars? The law makes whichever driver is nearer the wider part reverse to it (reg. 82(3)).
  • Priority vehicle lanes belong to buses and the other vehicles the regulation lists; nobody else may drive in one “other than in a case of emergency” (reg. 90(4)). The EU summary names self-drive cars among those excluded.
  • Where a road has several lanes your way, “slow moving traffic and heavy motor vehicles shall use the innermost lane except while overtaking” (reg. 90(1)), that is, the inner lane.
  • Siren or flashing lights behind you: move over to the left-hand side and stop until the vehicle is past (reg. 84).
  • No overtaking across a painted white line or studs, or round a corner or bend (reg. 88).
  • The horn is for warning of your approach where needed; sounding it needlessly is an offence (reg. 96).
  • If someone leading a horse or driving cattle signals you to halt, you halt (reg. 86).

Limits, phones and children

  • The law caps cars at 50 km/h within a town or village and 80 km/h beyond it, or less where a road has its own lower limit (reg. 127). The EU summary shows 80 km/h on motorways and expressways too, so Malta’s standard limits top out at 80 km/h unless signs say otherwise.
  • Over 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, or 22 µg per 100 ml of breath, is an offence (Cap. 65 art. 15B and 15I); the Minister responsible for the police may change those figures by regulation.
  • No hand-held phone or other mobile device while driving or stuck in traffic, and no earphone in the ear nearer the window (reg. 115).
  • The driver and everyone aged 12 or over belt up where a belt is fitted (S.L. 65.12 reg. 3 and 4). Under three: a suitable child restraint, never rear-facing in front of a live airbag (reg. 6). Three to under twelve: a restraint suited to the child’s weight; at 135 to 150 cm a child may use the adult belt only if no restraint is available (reg. 7).

If you have a bump

  • Malta’s clause 6, in plain words: the company must hear of it immediately and the police must make a report, except where the company has agreed something different. Skip one of the two and Malta’s clause cancels the cover, so the whole cost lands on you.
  • For an ambulance, the fire service or the police, the UK government’s Malta advice gives 112.
  • Maltese law obliges the rental company to provide a replacement of the same category or higher after a breakdown, accident or theft (S.L. 499.68 reg. 55).

Parking, Valletta’s charge zone and Mdina

From S.L. 65.11, 65.27 and 65.31 on legislation.mt, Visit Malta’s Valletta page (dated 2021) and the airport’s tariff, all read 23 October 2026.

Where the law says you may not park

  • Within 12 m either side of a bus stop, anywhere around a roundabout or traffic island, within 4 m of a pedestrian crossing, on the footpath unless signs allow it, and within 5 m of a corner, bend or splay (S.L. 65.11 reg. 79).
  • Bays reserved by permit are for cars showing that permit on the front (reg. 78(1)).
  • Parking charges and fines are yours to pay under clause 11 of the Malta terms. For street parking prices in Valletta, Sliema and the other towns we found no readable official page, so follow the signs and road markings.
  • The UK government’s Malta advice calls crime against tourists rare, but lists theft from parked cars among the incidents.

Valletta by car

  • Driving into Valletta’s charging zone between 08:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday, can bring an access charge (S.L. 65.31). Signs must stand at every entry and exit, and cameras may monitor access.
  • Being a rental car earns no exemption, though some vehicles are exempt whoever owns them, electric and hybrid cars among them. The law bills the owner or keeper, so ask the rental company how it would pass a charge on.
  • Visit Malta describes tight corners, one-way streets and limited parking inside the city, with some streets dropping steeply to the harbour, and points drivers to car parks outside and to the Park-and-Ride at Floriana, with shuttle buses to Castille Place.

Mdina

  • The walled city is shut to visitors’ cars: the law keeps vehicles out of every street and square inside Mdina, apart from listed exceptions such as residents’ and emergency vehicles (S.L. 65.27). Park outside the walls and walk in.

At the airport

  • The first 10 minutes in any car park on Malta International Airport’s tariff cost nothing; after that the time bands apply (tariff read 23 October 2026).
  • Where a hire car goes back is set by the voucher, not by the tariff.

Documents and age limits for a Maltese rental

Maltese law on legislation.mt, the rental terms and British travel advice for Malta, all checked 23 October 2026.

Your own licence, in the original

Rental companies in Malta want your original national licence, with Latin lettering, valid until you bring the car back; copies and phone versions are refused. Holding a licence that only its issuing country accepts? Malta’s terms strongly advise getting an International Driving Permit.

Licences from outside the EU

Malta lets a visitor drive on a non-EU, non-EEA licence for up to 12 months after their last arrival, in the vehicles it covers (S.L. 65.18 reg. 5); EU and EEA licences are recognised (reg. 6). The UK government tells British photocard holders they can drive in Malta on it.

A card to hold the deposit

A credit card, or debit where the car is marked as taking one; either way the physical card, embossed, with the lead driver named on it.

How old, and how long licensed

Limits are set per car, so two identical models may differ. In the 6 Malta quotes pulled 22 October 2026 for Maltese hires out on 16 November, back 23 November, the youngest driver allowed was 21 to 26 depending on the car, the upper limit 69 to 75, with 1 to 2 years since the licence was issued. Nobody under 21 could drive any of them.

A Maltese company that can reach you

Give a mobile number with its country code. From the day before pickup to the return, the Maltese company may call or message you on it (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram).

Malta set beside our other destinations

One hire, picked up 16 November 2026 and returned seven days later, run at 19 destinations in a single pass, Malta’s read 22 October 2026. Each line is worked out from those saved searches.

  • Cards: just 17 of Malta’s 41 cars did without a credit card (they took a debit card instead), fewer, as a share, than any other destination in the set; the middle destination stood at 99%.
  • Deposits: none of the 41 came without a deposit and none took one in cash, while 17 of the other 18 destinations listed some no-deposit cars and 17 some cash deposits.
  • Day rates: the middle day rate of Malta’s list, €22.50, was the lowest among the 15 euro-priced destinations in the set; the middle of their rates was €42.63.
  • Gearboxes: 17 of 41 were automatics, against 72% at the middle destination; 14 of the other 18 had a larger share.
  • Big cars: 3 of 41 seated seven or more, against 12% at the middle destination.

Read these with care. Malta’s is one of 4 searches in the set run on an airport (Malta’s also lists its 15 town delivery cars); the rest search a city. A 41-car list moves a long way with a handful of cars, and this is one November week. Maltese listings carry no four-wheel-drive tag, so we make no 4x4 comparison.

How many cars Malta has, and where

All nine places the booking partner lists in Malta, counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days. “Typical” is the day rate in the middle of the list.

In the searchCollected at the airportDelivered in the towns
Cars listed2615
Cheapest, per day€11.25€19
Typically, per day€18.12€30
Automatic152
Manual1113
Model years2023 to 20252017 to 2022
Credit card required240
With the 24-hour cancellation extra240
  • 41 cars for the whole island. The 26 airport cars start and end at the airport; not one turned up in a town search. The 15 delivery cars were all the towns had.
  • One shared town fleet. The delivery towns drew on the same cars, so their counts cannot be totalled (see the town cards below). None listed a delivery charge.
  • One week only. This is a single November week; your dates may show fewer cars, or none in the towns.
  • Automatic gearboxes: 15 of the 17 automatics were airport cars. Use the gearbox filter if a manual is not for you.
  • No car had a daily kilometre cap. Every Maltese listing was marked “or similar”: the photo shows a type, not a promised model.

Cover levels and what they leave out

Levels on offer across the 41 cars, counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days; deposit and liability figures from the 6 Malta quotes pulled 22 October 2026 for Maltese hires out on 16 November, back 23 November.

Levels on offer

Cover levelCars offering it
Cars listed41
Basic coverage41
Full Coverage14
Full Coverage Plus0
Theft Protection extra7

No Maltese car in this count sold Full Coverage Plus. Where Full Coverage was offered on the cars we quoted, it cost extra.

Deposit, liability and the gaps

  • The deposit is not the most you can pay. On basic cover, one car we quoted could charge you well over its deposit for damage; on another the limit was below it. On one delivery car, buying Full Coverage cut that liability to zero. Each car’s quote gives both numbers for each cover level.
  • Damage to wheels, underbody, windscreen or interior falls outside Malta’s standard cover.
  • The cover holds only when an insured event is reported immediately and backed by a police report, except where the company has agreed something different (see the driving section above).
  • Malta’s cover pays nothing for harm done deliberately, for vandalism or for neglect.

Paved roads, borders and the Gozo ferry

From the Malta rental terms and the search counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days; ferry facts from Gozo Channel (read 23 October 2026).

No unpaved tracks, no borders

Clause 8 of the Malta terms allows paved public roads and nothing else, without naming any road or area, so judge the surface of any lane to a cove or farmhouse before turning in. Taking the car out of Malta is not allowed, and no cross-border option is sold.

Gozo: ask before you queue

The terms say nothing about Gozo or the ferry, the search offers no Gozo pickup and the booking no ferry extra, so get the rental company’s answer first. If it agrees, Gozo Channel takes no reservations: cars queue at Ċirkewwa in order of arrival and drive on without a ticket, which is bought online or at the Mġarr booths and checked on the Gozo side. A ticket bought ahead gives no priority boarding. The operator’s schedule, valid to 8 November 2026, puts the crossing at about 25 minutes.

Only small pets may ride, kept in their travel carrier the whole time. A car brought back too dirty to check is cleaned at your expense.

Picking up at Malta airport: the Park East car park

The airport’s own guidance (checked 23 October 2026) and where our cars were handed over, counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days.

What the airport tells you

Malta International Airport sends renters with a booking to the rental offices on Level 1 (lower) of the Park East car park, a separate building roughly a 3-minute walk from the main terminal. Signs for “RENTAL CARS”, floor markings and lift signs lead there.

Who hands it over

26 of the 41 Maltese cars were airport pickups. Suppliers meet renters in different ways, so follow the meeting point printed on the voucher. The 15 delivery cars appear in the airport search too, but we cannot tell from our data whether any of them can meet you at the terminal; read the voucher before booking one to meet a flight.

  • Put your actual arrival time into the search. We priced 10 cars for a pickup and return in the small hours: 3 came out dearer for the week than in daytime (Maltese night quotes, taken 22 October 2026: start 16 November, back 23 November). Whatever your hours cost appears before payment.

Luqa on a map: Malta International Airport

Further drives: Mdina, Marsaxlokk, Golden Bay, Ċirkewwa

Times with no traffic or stops, from our Malta route check of 23 October 2026, rounded up; each runs to the named point or the town centre on the map. The towns themselves are in the cards above.

The tall stone walls of Mdina above a green lawn and a tall pine tree, under a blue sky with white clouds
Airport→Mdina (park outside the walls)
10.7 km: about 15 min if the Maltese roads are clear
Painted wooden fishing boats moored in Marsaxlokk harbour, with the village waterfront behind under a blue sky with white clouds
Airport→Marsaxlokk
6.5 km: about 15 min if the Maltese roads are clear
Turquoise water below pale limestone cliffs at Golden Bay, with green scrub in front and a cloudy sky
Airport→Golden Bay
19.7 km: about 30 min if the Maltese roads are clear
A brightly painted Gozo ferry crossing the blue channel past pale limestone cliffs
Airport→Ċirkewwa (Gozo ferry)
27.9 km: about 40 min if the Maltese roads are clear
Valletta→Ċirkewwa
27.7 km: about 40 min if the Maltese roads are clear

Mdina’s time ends outside the walls, where visitors’ cars must stay. The Ċirkewwa times stop at the terminal; whether a hire car may board is the rental company’s call. Add time for traffic and for finding a space.

Returning in a different Maltese town

Delivery cars that took a one-way booking, counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days.

Boats in the harbour in front of Valletta's domes and church towers, under a clear blue sky
Luqa→Valletta
15 delivery cars
Charge to leave it thereNone listed
A wooden sailing ship moored in calm blue water in front of the Sliema waterfront, under a blue sky
Luqa→Sliema
15 delivery cars
Charge to leave it thereNone listed
St Julian's Bay with boats on blue water and historic buildings along the shore, under a clear blue sky
Luqa→St Julian’s
15 delivery cars
Charge to leave it thereNone listed
The wooden houses of Popeye Village on a rocky shore above the sea, with palm trees and a blue sky with white clouds
Luqa→Mellieħa
6 delivery cars
Charge to leave it thereNone listed
Luqa→Buġibba
15 delivery cars
Charge to leave it thereNone listed
Sliema→Luqa
15 delivery cars
Charge to leave it thereNone listed
  • Only delivery cars took one-way bookings. None of the 26 airport cars showed up in a one-way search, so in this count an airport pickup meant an airport return.
  • Not one of these routes listed a drop-off charge that week. A one-way from Luqa starts as a delivery car, so the voucher says where it is handed over.
  • Gozo has neither pickup nor drop-off in the search.

Seats, child seats and a second driver

From the 41 cars we counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days.

  • Couples and families of four: five seats will do; 34 of the 41 cars had five seats. Compare the boot with your bags.
  • Five to nine: only 3 cars had seven seats or more, one of them with 9. Two cars may be the answer; the seat filter shows what is left for your dates.
  • Children: 25 cars listed a child seat and 28 a booster as extras. Pick a car offering the right one for the restraint rules in the driving section.
  • Sharing the driving: 17 of the 41 offered a second driver as a paid extra. Its price, and that car’s age and licence-year limits, show on the listing.

When plans change: cancelling or extending a Malta hire

Cancelling without penalty

Cancel at least a week before pickup and there is no penalty (30 days for luxury models and convertibles), and bookings with the 24-hour cancellation extra carry no penalty until a day ahead; whichever you use, the booking partner holds on to the 6% it charged for payment. That extra came with 24 of the 26 airport cars and none of the 15 delivery cars we counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days.

How to cancel

To cancel a Maltese booking, one email does it: “Cancel” as its subject, your voucher attached. Inside 14 days the advance is back with you, less the 6% charge for the payment service, which no cancellation gets back.

Past the deadline

A cancellation or change after those cut-offs, or not turning up at the agreed place and time, loses you the advance.

Other dates, another car

Changes are made by cancelling and rebooking; the released car goes back into the search for others.

If the car breaks down first

If your booked car is off the road through a breakdown or force majeure, the company owes you an equal or higher class for an unchanged price and terms.

Malta’s own rule

Maltese law adds that the company must explain its fees and conditions at hire, put them in the rental contract and give you a signed copy (S.L. 499.68 reg. 51).

Keeping it longer

Ask the company in good time, before your return. Maltese hires are billed per 24-hour day, so a short rental still costs one day.

Questions about hiring in Malta

Is there a no-deposit hire car in Malta?

Not among the cars we counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days: all 41 carried a deposit, and none took cash for it. A card holds it from pickup, and every listing states the sum before you book.

Will a debit card do instead of a credit card?

In our count, yes on every delivery car and on some airport cars. 24 of the 41 we counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days needed a credit card, all of them airport pickups. The other 17 carried the “No credit card” label; in the 6 Malta quotes pulled 22 October 2026 for Maltese hires out on 16 November, back 23 November, that meant a debit card could hold the deposit, while cash could not. Whichever card you bring, it must be embossed and belong to the main driver.

Does Malta drive on the left, and who gives way at junctions?

Left: traffic keeps to the left-hand side and passes on the right (S.L. 65.11 reg. 75). Where two roads of equal importance meet, though, the car on your right goes first (reg. 82(1)), and a car already on a roundabout has priority over one joining it (reg. 82(2)).

How many hire cars are there in Malta?

Fewer than you might expect. Searching all nine places the booking partner lists, we counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days, and found 41 cars: 26 at the airport and 15 for delivery in the towns. We read only that one week, so check your own dates before you book flights and rooms around them.

Can I have the car delivered to my hotel?

Some cars, yes. The same 15 cars could be brought to Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s, Buġibba, Qawra and St Paul’s Bay, and 6 of them to Mellieħa, with no delivery charge listed (counted on 22 October 2026, with pickup on 16 November for seven days). Airport cars were not offered in any town.

Can I take the hire car to Gozo?

Nothing in the rental terms covers Gozo or the ferry. The search has no Gozo pickup and no ferry extra, so put the question to the company that owns the car and get its answer first.

Do I pay to drive into Valletta?

On weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00, entering Valletta’s charging zone can trigger an access charge (S.L. 65.31). A rental car is not exempt, though the law exempts some vehicles, electric and hybrid cars included. The bill goes to the owner or keeper, so check with your Maltese hire firm how that bill reaches you.

What are Malta’s speed limits and drink-drive limits?

Cars: 50 km/h in a town or village, 80 km/h outside, lower where a road has its own limit (S.L. 65.11 reg. 127). Over 50 mg of alcohol in each 100 ml of blood, or over 22 µg in each 100 ml of breath, is an offence (Cap. 65 art. 15B and 15I), and the Minister responsible for the police may alter these figures by regulation.

Can a hire car use Malta’s bus lanes?

No. The regulations keep priority vehicle lanes for buses and the other vehicles they list, and bar everyone else except in an emergency (S.L. 65.11 reg. 90); the EU’s summary for Malta names self-drive cars as excluded.

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