Crete car rental recommendations

In 2019 we rented from Dimitris at AutoRentals Crete (http://www.autorentals-crete.gr ) and they were very helpful, and the price was very good. We did the reverse - picked up in Iraklio (aka Heraklion) and returned it in Hania (aka Chania). We didn’t rent the car the same day we arrived at the airport, so they brought the car to our hotel (the Kastro) the day we were ready to depart Iraklio. Because it turned out that the streets in Iraklio were so complicated and intimidating, they agreed to lead us out of town with their company car, which we followed in our rental to get clear of Iraklio. Returning in Hania, with its own complicated grid of one-way streets, we parked the car three blocks from our hotel, and they collected it there.

We’ve never needed to do that with many car rentals anywhere else in Europe, but it was essential for our rental on Crete. Also be prepared for oncoming drivers to be coming at you in your lane around blind corners on any twisty mountain road. They get back into their lane in the nick of time, but it was disconcerting every time to have every other driver cut inside on curves!

We rented from the same company. They met us at the bus station in Chania and we returned the car at the airport in Heraklion. The pickup was easy and we had no trouble driving out of Chania. We had a bit more trouble returning the car because we had some difficulty finding them at the airport.

You don’t need a car in Chania so I would suggest getting one as you are leaving as we did. We did not drive in Heraklion. We stayed outside Heraklion, drove to Knossos, and decided to leave the car in the parking lot and take the bus to Heraklion to visit the archeological museum. That worked very well. We returned the car at the airport before our flight the next day which was easy driving.

We rented from them too. Pick up and return to Heraklion. Nice clean car with Apple CarPlay. Apple maps worked great while weere driving around. Would definitely rent from them again.

Our rental from a local company called "Auto Car" was horrid. Avoid them at all costs.

We had a disappointing experience with AutoRentalsCrete. While they did pick us up upon arrival in Chania, they gave us a car with NO gas. There was barely enough to get us to a gas station. After a transatlantic flight, looking for a gas station at 10 PM - not fun. We tried to contact the company and they were pretty rude, basically saying 'you did not tell us ahead of time you would want gas in the car'. Seriously! Then there is the simple fact that you can never calculate your driving so that you can give it back empty, so they got 40 Euros of free gas from us. Do NOT recommend.

We used Auto Rental Crete this past June. Pick up and drop off at Heraklion. Not a problem. The car was clean and relatively new with Apple Car Play. Did have to stop for gas on the way to Rethymno, but that was an hour drive so I wanted to make sure I had a full tank. I would not hesitate to use them again.

Traveladventures all the car rental companies in Crete provide you with a car without a full tank of gas. We have rented from several companies and they all do it that way. Autorentals Crete is one of the best and highly recommended rental agencies in Crete. On our first rental in Crete 20 many years ago we were shocked to find out the tank was not full but there was enough to get give us an hour travel time to gas up. On subsequent trips we always planned to have our tank of gas as close to empty as we possibly could.
This is just the way it is done.

I don’t call for our tank in 2018 was full or nearly empty when it was delivered to us, but I also don’t recall having to hunt for a gas station, either. I believe we must’ve had a pretty full tank, though, as I’m pretty sure we drove for several days without needing to fill up.

There are rental companies in many parts of Europe that offer both bring-it-back-full, and you-don’t-have-to-fill-it policies, but every time we’ve been given the option, it was clearly explained the ramifications of each, and the contract even had to be initialed that the details were understood. If the tank didn’t have to come back full, it’s been because the tank was full at pickup, and the customer pays for all the gas in it. Whether the customer chooses (or is able) to use all of it, or not, the rental company doesn’t lose gas. If the tankful isn’t paid for up front, and the car isn’t full when returned, the company charges an exorbitant amount to replace the missing gas. Either way, it’s not just, “Here’s the car, fuel is up to you.” Apparently that’s not universal, but I’ve not experienced an empty tank upon getting the car.