Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, provided you drive defensively. The main risks are speed, sudden overtaking, scooters and motorbikes, drivers cutting corners on bends, and narrow town and mountain roads. Keep your distance, avoid night driving on unlit rural roads, and don't try to match the local pace.

Greece, including Crete, drives on the right-hand side of the road and overtakes on the left.

No. A full UK photocard licence is recognised in Greece and no International Driving Permit is required. You would only need an IDP if you hold an older paper-only UK licence (in which case GOV.UK suggests upgrading to a photocard or carrying a 1968 IDP) or a licence from a country without a reciprocal agreement.

The national defaults are 130 km/h on motorways, 110 km/h on expressways, 90 km/h on open roads outside towns, 50 km/h on main urban arteries, and 30 km/h on other built-up streets. A posted sign always overrides these, and the part-upgraded BOAK has limits that change frequently — follow the signs.

The standard limit is 0.05% blood alcohol (0.50 g/L). For newly qualified drivers, professional drivers and motorcyclists it is 0.02% (0.20 g/L). Penalties are severe and your hire-car insurance is invalidated if you drive over the limit, so the safe approach is not to drink at all before driving.

No — as of 2026 there are no active toll roads on the island, although the mainland motorways are tolled. This could change in future once the new BOAK motorway sections open.

Among direct local operators, Rental Center Crete is the most frequently recommended, on a combination of true zero-excess cover, no card deposit and meet-and-greet at both airports, backed by a very high rating and large review count. Monza is the most established by review depth and island coverage. Among brokers, Zest Car Rental has the strongest reputation for UK and EU customers.

For low cost without hidden-fee risk, the direct locals AutoRentals-Crete and Anna Cars are the value picks: fleets can be older, but they keep to the Cretan norm of no mandatory card hold and inclusive cover. Judge 'cheap' by total friction cost - deposit, fuel policy, shuttle and insurance gaps - not the daily headline rate, which is often the least reliable number.

True zero-excess - where your liability is capped without first paying and reclaiming - is essentially the domain of direct local operators such as Rental Center Crete, AutoRentals-Crete and Go Rent a Car. International brokers structurally offer reimbursement at the desk, not desk-level zero-excess. Always confirm what the cover excludes (commonly tyres, glass, underbody and off-road use).

If your whole trip stays on Crete, a direct local firm is often cheaper and more transparent, and avoids a card hold. A broker makes sense when you want to shop many suppliers on price and you are willing to read each individual car's terms - in that case judge the car, not the broker brand. Brokers still hand you to a local supplier who sets the deposit and exclusions.

Airport pickup at HER or CHQ suits late arrivals, families and peak-season travel; a local firm's meet-and-greet usually beats queueing at an in-terminal desk. Port pickup at Heraklion is a normal, pre-arranged option for cruise and ferry passengers, since the ports have no standing desks. If you are staying a few days in town or in an eastern resort like Elounda, hotel delivery can be more convenient than collecting at the airport at all.

Generally no on both counts with a standard car. The unpaved Balos access track voids most insurance and some firms charge off-road fees detected by GPS; reach Balos by the Kissamos ferry or a 4x4 hired specifically for that route. Loading a hire car onto a ferry off Crete (for example to Santorini) voids the insurance almost everywhere and makes you liable for the full value of the car.