Reliable Car rental agencies in Heraklion, Crete

It's pretty much like renting a car in the U.S. The biggest issue we've encountered in general in Europe is that sometimes finding the rental agency or exact parking spots for dropoff can be difficult, either due to traffic or lack of signs. We went with Hertz in Heraklio. The city center location is at 4, 25TH August Street and is a few buildings shy of being across the street from the Koules fortress, which provides some idea how centrally located it is. Our hotel, the Lato, was 2 blocks away from Hertz so walking distance even with luggage. I believe there was a small fee at most to drop off in a different location (Chania airport for us), so you could probably pick up/drop off in town or at the airport; whatever combination is more convenient for you. We spent 1 1/2 days in Heraklio and didn't need a car (city bus to Knossos), so just picked it up when we were ready to leave the city. Heraklio has a sufficiently large and dense city center that parking could be an issue if not provided by the hotel. We left town on a Monday morning and didn't find traffic that bad but it might be best to structure your time to minimize driving in the city. We have driven in Italy and Spain so already had our expectations 'tempered'.

We had trouble getting the car's GPS switched back to English, and the Hertz staff couldn't figure it out either, so we just used the GPS on our phone. We hadn't rented a car with GPS, it just came that way, which I think is now common with rental cars. Depending on where you drive in Crete you may not have a signal on your phone, so have a digital map and nav app on your phone, and/or a paper map as backup. Although DH is comfortable with a manual we decided to rent an automatic. We did a lot of driving and we wanted it to be easier on the driver.

We tend to get super CDW when we rent in Europe so there aren't damage payment issues during or after the vacation. It wasn't possible get zero liability, super CDW in Crete and Greece from Hertz. I think the lowest liability available was several hundred dollars. Would be interested to see if others had the same experience with other companies. Our rental car was newish but had a few small scratches. We always look for and take pictures of any preexisting damage when we pick up a car, and ensure it is noted on the rental paperwork. We haven't had an issue getting stuck with preexisting damage. There are probably are less expensive rental companies in Heraklio but we just didn't want to stress about the car rental.

Also when renting a car, DO have a paper map ... a GPS can lead you astray; for example, each prefecture (county?) such as Chania, Heraklion, etc may have towns with identical names, i.e. Episcopi ... so a paper map is a corrective.

Very good advice to consider. Thank you Lia and Janet. I have downloaded the “Here” app; it is supposed to provide downloaded maps without a cell signal. Will be trialing it before leaving. But will definately have some paper copies too.

Plan to pick up and return car at airport, so will depend on agencies there. Will head out of town immediately, for 3 nights, then return car when we get back to Heraklion. Don’t see a need for it in Heraklion.
As for auto vs manual transmission, we had a manual in Portugal and, after some narrow, mountainous road experiences, decided that auto is the way to go in Crete, lol. (Got some great stories, but can do without the blood-pressure spikes!)
Will review my coverage for liability on damage waiver before we leave, thank you for the reminder.

I've used Here for several trips and like it. It's generally as good as Google maps, although it may not have as many Points Of Interest available by name. Interestingly in Crete and Greece some sights don't have a street address, so you're just navigating to it by name. You can always use Google Maps for a second opinion if Here is failing to find something. Or if all else fails, navigate to the nearest city, where you will probably start to see signs for the sight. We only had to do that once in 2 weeks of travel.

Experienced travelers to Crete tend to use locally owned car rental companies. Since they are not part of big chains they get their business through good service and word of mouth.
I have experience with Athenscars Crete and Autorentals. Other companies with good reputations are Anna cars and Best cars. Go to Trip Adviser and search for reliable car rental companies Crete. You will see that these companies have a lot of support.

This year we are renting again from Autorentals. We are arriving Chania by bus and they are picking us up at the bus station and taking us to the airport where their rental depot is located. Last year we had 24 hours of travel before we arrived in Heraklion. I didn't want to drive jet lagged so they delivered the car to our hotel in Sissi a village half an hour from Heraklion. Local companies work hard for your business.

Insurance
These companies all include full insurance with no deductible as part of the price. Just a couple of things to remember though. The insurance is nullified if you are driving on a gravel road. Any damage to underside of the car or the tires will be charged to you.
Secondly the insurance covers the vehicles and does not include third party liability. We have a special rider on our home insurance that covers us for personal liability. Your gold credit card does not provide this coverage.
Lastly the insurance covers the vehicles, yours and the other persons vehicle. Your insurance comes into play if you are at fault. If the other guy is at fault then his insurance has to pay. I have heard of Greek drivers telling tourists"well you are insured" and just driving off. Thats when they discover if they you are not at fault the insurance that is included doesn't cover.

Our rental guy told us to get pictures of the accident scene, the other guys license plate damage to both cars and if possible the other guys license. This is all good stuff to know.

The other thing that is outside the norm is these companies operate on a very casual basis. They don't have offices at the airport but rather in a compound nearby.. They meet you at the airport and transfer you to their compound where the paperwork is done. This is what I described earlier with pickup at Chania bus station. Last year I did my paperwork with Autorentals at their depot at the airport then took a taxi to the hotel where the car was waiting.

Drop off can be very casual as well. Several times we have rented in Chania and dropped the car off at the Heraklion port. They just tell you to park in a certain area, pay for an hour parking, lock the key in the car and head off. They will collect the car later. It sounds odd but it works well for these companies. On several occasions we have had early morning flights and arrive before the staff arrive. We just dropped off the car and the security guard drove us the kilometer to the airport. No fuss no bother.

Oh yes glad to hear your have your IDP. You do know though that you still need your own license. I have heard stories about people leaving their license at home because they have the IDP. Bad thinking.

Thank you Stanbr for the referrals. We have reserved with Autorentals Crete. We liked their all-in pricing, selection, and follow-up details. Never would have found them without your advice, and probably would have overpaid at a big-name desk at airport!

Cheers, eh!

Rob

Just returned, so I thought I would close the loop.
We rented from Autorentals, and the experience was a thoroughly positive one. We recommend Dimitris and his staff to anyone needing a car rental on Crete!

Hey kickinbutkus. Glad you had a good experience with Athenscarscrete.
We just dropped off our two week rental at Heraklion airport. Had a great little Skoda. Two weeks with a clutch and not one single stall.