Car Hire in Malta vs Taxis and Buses: What Pays (2026)

A hire car pays off in Malta if you are taking it to Gozo, staying in the north around Mellieħa or Golden Bay, or renting a farmhouse away from the bus routes. For a stay in Valletta, Sliema or St Julian's it usually costs more than it saves. The fixed airport taxi is €17 to Valletta and €20 to Sliema, the Airport Direct bus is €3, and a car in those towns spends most of the week in a paid car park.

What the airport ride costs without a car

Taxis from Malta International Airport charge a fixed price per car, paid at the booth in the arrivals hall. The airport took its fare list offline after we checked it on 24 September 2026, so confirm the price at the booth. Airport Direct buses take cash or contactless cards on board. Taxi fares are per car and bus fares per person, one way.

Every other town on the island has its own fixed fare too; see the full list of Malta airport taxi fares.

When a hire car is worth it

• Day trips to Gozo. The Gozo Channel ferry from Ċirkewwa carries cars, and the car-and-driver ticket is €15.70 for a vehicle up to 5.3 metres, or €12.80 on night crossings from Mġarr after 20:00 between November and March. You drive on at Ċirkewwa without a ticket and pay at the Mġarr booths or online before you leave Gozo. A foot passenger pays €4.65, and the crossing takes about 25 minutes.
• Staying in the north. The airport taxi is €33 to Mellieħa and €30 to Golden Bay each way, before you count any trips to beaches or restaurants once you are there.
• Farmhouses and villas inland, where the nearest bus stop can be a long walk away.
• Several stops a day with children, a pushchair or diving gear.

When it costs more than it saves

Valletta, Sliema and St Julian's are close together, buses run often (a single ticket on day routes is €2 this winter, from 18 October 2026 to 12 June 2027), and Bolt, Uber and eCabs all operate on the island. Parking in these towns is hard to find.

Valletta also charges cars that enter the city through its Controlled Vehicular Access (CVA) cameras. The first 30 minutes are free, then it is €0.82 an hour up to €6.52, Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00. Entering after 14:00 on a weekday, or at any time at weekends and on public holidays, is free. The bill goes to the car's registered owner, which for a hire car is the rental company, so ask at the desk how they pass it on.

Driving in Malta

• Malta and Gozo drive on the left, as in the UK and Ireland.
• Speed limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h on open roads unless signs say otherwise.
• Licences issued in another EU country are valid. A licence issued outside Malta and the EU, including a UK licence, can be used for up to 12 months from your last entry into Malta.
• The legal minimum age to drive is 18. Rental companies set their own minimum age, so check the terms of each offer.
• Fuel prices in Malta have been fixed since 2020, according to Eurostat. The European Commission's oil bulletin of 12 October 2026 lists €1.34 a litre for unleaded and €1.21 for diesel.

Picking up the car at the airport

The rental offices are on Level 1 of the Park East car park, a separate building about three minutes' walk from the terminal. Follow the signs for rental cars from the arrivals hall.

Every company blocks a security deposit when you collect the car. DiscoverCars says the deposit has to be on a physical credit card in the main driver's name, and that its own Full Coverage does not remove it: the cover works by refund, so if the car is damaged the rental company charges you up to the excess and you claim the money back afterwards. The desk will usually offer its own excess cover as well; read what it includes before you sign.

A quick way to decide

Add up the rides you would take without a car: two airport taxis (for Mellieħa that is €33 each way), any taxis for evenings out, and the Gozo day trip as a foot passenger. Then set that against the hire price for your dates plus fuel, parking and the €15.70 car ferry. Staying in the north and going to Gozo, the taxi total grows quickly. Staying in Sliema and keeping to the harbour towns, it stays small.

If you would rather not drive from the airport at all, a pre-booked transfer meets you in arrivals. The airport to Gozo and airport to Valletta guides compare the fixed taxi fare with transfer prices.