Car rental question

Posted by vaneliunas (Vancouver, BC, Canada) on 02/24/26 06:47 PM

In May, we would like to rent cars in the vicinities of:
Santorini - Firostefani
Naxos - Agios Georgios
Paros - near port
Athens - port of Piraeus (to drive to Nafplio)

I’ve browsed other posts on renting cars in Greece and one seasoned Greece traveller suggests zooming into your desired area with Google Maps and searching for rental cars. I agree that is a great way to see their locations and reviews. However, with all that I have found this way, they all require credit card to reserve and have limited cancellation policy. Would anyone have suggestions for reputable car rental companies in the cities/towns above that allow free cancellation?

I reached out to the host where we are staying in Firostefani and she said that, in May, advance reservation should not be required. However, I feel uncomfortable with the idea of not having cars reserved in advance.

Thank you!!

Posted by Nicksy

Ostend, Belgium

02/24/26 07:04 PM

38 posts

Your host in Firostefani is absolutely right. There is no need to make a reservation ahead. The same goes for Naxos and Paros. At that time of the year the car rental companies on the islands have a lot of their cars already there in advance for the high season. So they have a big number of cars available.

Posted by JoLui

France Southwest - Occitanie

02/24/26 09:38 PM

3576 posts

I'm probably the one who suggested zooming in on Google Maps and searching for "Rent a Car." I'm surprised you only found car rental companies that require a credit card and with which you can't cancel a rental.
Whether on Paros, Naxos, Athens or Santorini, I've never booked a car online by giving my credit card number or prepaid anything before pickup time.

On my last 5 or 6 trips, here are the rental companies I've booked and rented cars with without any advance payment, just through a reservation form. Payment is made on delivery in cash or by cardn some rental companies prefer cash, it's an option that allows you to ask for a small discount).

So, although I agree with Nicksy that you can rent once you arrive, just in case you want to save time and have a car ready for you upon arrival:

In Paros:

InParos Rent a Car

https://www.inparos.gr/

Acropolis Rent a Car

https://acropolisparos.com/

Paros Drive

https://parosdrive.com/

In Naxos:

Naxos New Car

https://new-car.gr/

Naxos Ride

https://naxosride.gr/

Athens:

Capital Rent a Car

https://capitalrent.gr/index.php/en/

In Santorini, I didn't book anything in advance; we just found a small, friendly, and inexpensive rental company in Karterados (no website): Auto Plan

https://maps.app.goo.gl/V2mRHdmWKEGMptFy5

Posted by BethFL

02/24/26 11:16 PM

3423 posts

I have had good experiences with Athens Car Rental. I have rented from them twice and have a third time reserved. They have automatics which isn't always the case.

In Naxos we shopped after we arrived. It was May.

Posted by vaneliunas OP

Vancouver, BC, Canada

02/25/26 05:13 PM

19 posts

Hi JoLui, yes I think it was you! Thanks for your car rental company suggestions, I will look into those. Perhaps I didn’t look closely enough 😁.

Thanks everyone for your input!!

Posted by blackdog

Austria

02/26/26 08:32 AM

7 posts

In May I'd take advantage that most of their fleet is already available to be rented, while it is still not really busy. This gives lot of options to negotiate prices. Get a quote, go to the next rental company and check reviews in between. Then choose the best offer.
Always worked for me and got me better prices than what was offered online.