Car hire in Greece runs from a Fiat Panda for the village lanes to a compact SUV for the mountain roads. Most offers include basic cover, and booking stays simple: you normally need a passport or ID, a driving licence, a phone number and a payment card. The currency is the euro, so you can weigh the total cost against reviews, deposit rules and supplier terms before booking.
A car is useful in Heraklion for destinations such as the palace at Knossos, the Lasithi plateau windmills, the south-coast beach at Matala and the wine villages around Archanes, especially with several stops in a day or with luggage.
If your plans stay close to the hotel and the beach, compare driving with the coast road bus, hotel transfers and short taxi rides; summer traffic, paid parking and the ferry timetable can outweigh the benefit of a rental.
Car rental conditions
Bring your passport or national ID and a valid driving licence. Licences issued in the EU, the EEA and the UK are accepted directly; for other countries an International Driving Permit is expected alongside the national licence, and Greek desks do check for it.
The minimum age is usually 21 with at least one year of licence held, though island suppliers often set 23 or 25. Drivers under 25 normally pay a young-driver surcharge, and the premium and minivan classes set the threshold higher again.
A deposit is standard and is blocked on the main driver's credit card at handover. Many Greek local companies accept a debit card or sell a zero-excess tariff without a hold, but that is an offer-level rule rather than a national one.
Read the exclusions before you plan a beach day. Unsurfaced tracks — which is what the last kilometre to a good Greek beach usually is — are outside the cover on most tariffs, along with tyres, glass, mirrors and the underbody.
Car brands and categories
The catalog covers the main rental categories:
Economy
Comfort
SUV
Minivan
Premium
Convertible
Electric
Hybrid
Greek fleets are built mostly around Fiat Panda, Toyota Aygo, Hyundai i10 and i20, Suzuki Swift, Nissan Micra, Citroën C3 and Volkswagen Polo and similar models, and a manual gearbox is still the default — an automatic is scarce on the islands and books out early, so confirm the transmission on the offer card.
Compare the total price together with the deposit, insurance excess, mileage policy, fuel rule, accepted payment methods and the return conditions.
Local driving notes for Heraklion
In Heraklion, work out where the car will stand overnight and how you will reach the main stops of your route before you collect it — a village street fills up by evening and the nearest legal space can be a walk away.
Weigh the coast road bus, hotel transfers and short taxi rides against a rental when deciding whether you need the car for the whole stay or only for day trips.
Car rental essentials in Greece
Practical points on traffic, documents, payment, insurance, motorway tolls, ferries, parking, mountain roads and vehicle return.
Transmission:A manual is the default; island fleets carry only a handful of automatics.
Handover inspection:Photograph the bodywork, glass and wheels with the agent present before you drive off.
Paid parking:Blue-lined bays are paid in the cities; village streets are free and full by evening.
Car ferries:Taking a rental between islands needs the supplier's written consent and a booked crossing.
Mountain roads:Inland roads climb in long switchbacks with unguarded edges and livestock on the tarmac.
International Driving Permit:Greek desks check for it whenever the licence is not in the Latin alphabet.
Security deposit:A refundable card hold is standard, though local companies often waive it.
Driving licence:Bring the original valid licence accepted by the supplier for that class.
Passport or ID:A valid passport or national ID card is required at pickup.
Insurance excess:Check the excess amount and exactly what a full-cover package removes.
Unsurfaced roads:The last kilometre to a good beach is usually gravel, and gravel is outside the cover.
Accepted cards:Local suppliers take debit cards far more readily than the international desks.
Minimum age:From 21 on the mainland; island suppliers often set 23 or 25.
Motorway tolls:The A1, A2 and Attiki Odos take a toll at barriers every fifty kilometres or so.
Useful information for renters
Parking and roads
Greece drives on the right. The north-coast highway is the fast way between towns but the exits come without warning; the old parallel road is slower and passes through every village, which is usually the point. The long-distance motorways are tolled at barriers, so keep coins or a card within reach rather than in the boot.
Car pickup
A car can usually be collected:
at an airport desk or meeting point;
at a rental office in town;
at a hotel;
at an agreed delivery address.
Availability and delivery fees depend on the supplier.
Payment and currency
Greece uses the euro (EUR).
The booking currency may differ, while the deposit, fuel, parking, motorway tolls and any fines are normally settled in euro under the supplier's terms.
Popular routes
From Heraklion, common road trips include:
Knossos
Archanes
Matala
Lasithi plateau
Popular nearby areas include the palace at Knossos, the Lasithi plateau windmills, the south-coast beach at Matala and the wine villages around Archanes.
Prices and car availability
Prices and availability can change during the day.
Offers come from Greek rental companies and international brands.
Cost depends on season, rental length, vehicle class, insurance, deposit and payment conditions.
Today's minimum price starts at 3 €/day; 705 cars are currently shown.
from 3 €/day
705cars available
Lowest price today: from 3 €/day
Offers available: 705
Coverage: Athens, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini and the mainland
Prices updated daily
How to book a car
📍Select a pickup city or airport in Greece.
📅Set your rental dates and times.
⚙Filter offers by deposit, insurance, mileage and payment method.
🚗Compare prices and continue to booking with the partner.
RCForYou advantages
Wide choice of locations
Countries, cities, airports and popular resorts in Greece and beyond in one catalog.
Daily price updates
Price and availability data from local rental companies and major brands are refreshed automatically.
Flexible condition filters
Filter offers by deposit, insurance, mileage and payment options to find the right fit.
Transparent offer comparison
Compare rental conditions from different local companies in Greece in one place with no hidden fees.
Car rental overview in Greece
Greece is a country where the car decides how much of the trip you actually see. A Cretan beach, a Chalkidiki cove or a Zagori village is a bus timetable away from anyone without one, and on most islands the timetable runs twice a day. Pickup points here cover Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini, the Cyclades and the whole northern mainland.
Prices are quoted in euro and a manual gearbox is the default — automatics are scarce on the islands and book out first. Local Greek companies compete on deposit rules, so a no-deposit or debit-card tariff is easier to find here than in most of Europe.
Popular driving routes in Greece
On Crete the north-coast highway links Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos, with Knossos, the Lasithi plateau and the Samaria gorge as the day trips people plan the week around. On Rhodes one ring road takes in Lindos, the Valley of the Butterflies and the two-sea beach at Prasonisi.
From Athens the drives are Cape Sounion, Delphi and the Corinth canal; from Thessaloniki, Vergina, Mount Olympus and the three Chalkidiki peninsulas. Corfu is a single loop past Paleokastritsa and the Achilleion, and Zakynthos is a morning to Navagio and the Blue Caves.
Airport car rental in Greece
Heraklion, Chania, Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Corfu and Kos all hand cars over either at a terminal desk or at an off-airport office reached by shuttle — the voucher says which, and the shuttle is usually what explains a lower price.
Charters into the islands land late, so give the flight number when you book and check what an out-of-hours handover costs before you choose the cheapest line.
Frequently asked questions about car rental in Greece
Do I need an International Driving Permit in Greece?
With an EU, EEA or UK licence, no. With a licence in another alphabet, yes — and Greek desks check for it more consistently than most of Europe.
Can I take the car to another island?
Only with the supplier's written consent and a booked ferry crossing. A car picked up on one island is normally returned on that island.
Is the road to the beach covered by the insurance?
Usually not. The last kilometre to a good Greek beach is often gravel, and unsurfaced roads are excluded on most tariffs.
Is an automatic easy to find?
Not on the islands. Fleets there carry only a handful, and they go first — book weeks ahead for July and August.
What is the minimum age?
From 21 on the mainland, but island suppliers often set 23 or 25, with a young-driver surcharge below 25.
All cities and airports in Greece
RCForYou offers car rental in dozens of cities and airports across Greece. Use the search form above to choose your pickup point and return location.