Tips for Car Rental in Crete

Getting a rental car in Crete is very easy – all you need to do is to search online or to pick up the phone. It is even possible for you to go to a car rental agency in Crete and leave a few minutes later with your rented car. Even if you make your reservation at the last minute, you are sure to find the car that you need, and maybe at the price that you want.

However, the car rental process does not stop with you contacting the agency and then swiping your credit card or having cash pass hands. You have to sign a contract with them, and it is very important that you pay close attention to the terms and conditions of the contract before signing your name on it.

The car rental company whose car you would be hiring in Crete should also take the time to explain to you these terms and conditions before taking your money. In this way, you will not have any unpleasant surprises if something happens to you on the roads of Crete, especially when you make insurance claims.

Here are some important requirements and conditions that you need to understand before renting a car in Crete.

Useful Tips

Age and Driving License

To be able to hire a car rental service in Crete and Greece, you need to be of a certain age. The minimum age is 21 years old, and there are some car rental agencies that refuse to hire their cars out to people over 70 years old. If a driver is younger than 25 years old, he or she may be asked to pay a young driver surcharge.

At any age, drivers are required to keep their seatbelt and those of their passengers on whenever they are on the go. If the driver is with a child four years old or younger, it is mandatory for him or her to get child seats for the car rental they will be using in Crete.

Aside from the age requirement, car rental services in Crete also have license requirements. Drivers seeking to get car rental services in Crete must have a valid license and they must have had that license for at least one year. If they are not residents of Greece or the European Union, they must have an international driving license or a European Driver’s Permit. The international driving license is also required if the license that the driver possesses is not written in .

Car Condition

Before you leave the car rental agency’s office in Crete with your rented vehicle, you should give the vehicle a good examination. Make sure that you have a serviceable spare tire in the trunk. Also, check the car for any scratches, bumps or any form of damage before taking it and make sure that these damages are listed on your service agreement with the car rental agency. If you do not make note of them and get them listed on the agreement, you will be made to pay for them when you return the car. Car rental service agreements in Crete often include a separate sheet for this list.

Insurance Coverage

How does the car rental agency in Crete that you hire handle insurance in case of theft, damage or accidents while you have their car? Click here to read more about Car rental insurance coverage in Crete

Fuel In or Gas In

When the car you rented is delivered to you or before you leave the car rental office in Crete with your rented vehicle, you should do two things. One is that you should check if the gas in or fuel in recorded by the agency is the same as the actual amount of petrol in the gauge of the car. The other is that you should ask the car rental agency their policy regarding fuel quantities inside the tank of the car.

Also, when you return the car to the agency, you should make sure that the fuel in the car’s tank is the same as the recorded fuel in or gas in. More often than not, car rental agencies in Crete do not refund their customers for any amount of fuel in excess of the fuel in or gas in amount. This is why it is important for you to be clear about the fuel quantity policy before you take the car.

Find the gas stations with the cheapest petrol prices in Crete

Mileage In

Most car rental companies in Crete hire out their cars with unlimited mileage, but there are still some that charge mileage costs for the cars they rent out. If the agency charges mileage costs, they would make note of the mileage on the car when you rent it from them and again when you return the car. If you can only drive a specific number of miles per day or per rental, you will be required to pay for mileage exceeding your limit.

Second Driver

If you are travelling with a group or if you plan to make long trips across Crete, it is always convenient to have another driver with you. But you have to make this clear with the car rental agency from which you would be hiring the car in Crete. In this case, you will have to sign an additional agreement which lists all the people who would be driving the car. There may be extra fees for this, but most car rental companies in Crete allow additional drivers for free.

Police Tickets

Any police tickets that you will get from violating the Greek traffic laws while you are using a rental car in Crete are completely your responsibility. But you should nonetheless call up the car rental agency you got the car from if you get a police ticket. Police tickets in Greece can cost you a lot, so you have to follow Greek traffic laws closely, such as sticking to speed limits, keeping your seatbelt on all the time, and parking only where it is allowed.

Delivery and Return

You will often find that car rental companies in Crete often advertise that they can pick up and drop off their cars to the airport, to any hotel or to any port in Crete free of charge. This is certainly true if the location you have specified is in the same locale as or is near the agency’s office.

However, if you are in a specific area and you want to get a rental car in another area in Crete – say, you are in Chania and the rental car company is located in Heraklion – you will have to pay an additional fee for getting the car delivered to you, unless you would be using the car for more than a week.

Late Car Return

When you take out a rental car in Crete, make sure that you return it on the day and time that you are supposed to return it. Otherwise, you will be charged additional fees equivalent to an extra day or two of renting the car. Also, return the car only on days that the agency’s office is open. If something happens to the car if you leave it there while they are closed, you will be held liable.

Cancellations

You do not have to worry about cancellations if you have to renege on your reservation for a car rental in Crete. When you call in for a cancellation, you actually help the agency manage their fleet in a better manner.

But you have to decide whether you will cancel your reservation or not early on. You can change your mind about the idea of getting a car rental in Crete, but once you have decided and called up the agency about it, there would be no turning back.

Also, you have to inform the agency right away if you decide not to go through with the car rental in Crete. If you call them too late or if you do not show up to pick up the car, you will be charged a fee through the credit card information you gave them when you first made the reservation for the car.

Pets in the rental car

You are actually allowed to have pets inside the rental car, as long as you take care of the proper precautions. Have your pet in a harness or in a pet carrier when you drive around with it in your rental car in Crete. Moreover, to prevent damage to the car’s interiors, you should line the area where you would be putting your pet with a blanket or a towel. This is to prevent stains and pet hair clinging to the upholstery. Vacuum the car and deodorize it thoroughly before returning the car to the agency, or else you will be charged a cleaning fee.