Yours Car Rental

Yours Car Rental is a car hire brand operating across south east Europe and beyond, with stations in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta and the United States. In Malta it works from Malta International Airport at Luqa, so you can collect a car as soon as you land and drop it off on the way home.

For UK visitors, an airport pick-up is the simplest way to start a self-drive holiday: the island is small, and a car opens up beaches, temples and villages that are slow to reach by bus. This page sets out what is included in a Yours Car Rental booking in Malta, what extras cost, who can drive and what to expect at pick-up and return. You will find the company in our directory of car hire companies in Malta.

What the rental price includes

Every Malta rental comes with third party liability insurance, which meets the legal minimum and covers claims from other people, including your passengers, for injury or damage to property. Theft protection and a standard collision damage waiver, known as CDW, are also built in. Both limit what you would pay if the car is damaged or stolen to a fixed sum called the excess, which is shown on your rental agreement.

On top of that, the price covers VAT, roadside assistance and unlimited mileage, so there is no need to count kilometres on day trips around Malta. The amount you pay depends on the details you give when booking, such as the length of the hire, your age and any extra drivers, and changing those details can change the price. Bookings are made for a car group of similar size and specification rather than a specific make, model or colour.

Excess, deposit and optional cover

The excess and the security deposit are the same figure, and they vary by car group. The smaller groups, coded MDMR and MBAR, carry an excess and deposit of 1,400 euros. Groups HDMR and HDAR are set at 1,600 euros, groups JFMR, JFAR and IFAR at 1,800 euros, and group IWAR at 2,000 euros. At pick-up, a deposit equal to the excess is blocked on your card, and only Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted for this. Cash deposits are not taken.

If you want to reduce or remove the excess, you can buy Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW) or Full Damage Waiver (FDW, a zero excess product) at the desk. With either of these, the amount held on your credit card drops to €100. Personal car insurance policies and separate excess cover bought online through a broker or other third party are not accepted in place of the company's own waivers.

It is worth knowing what the waivers do not cover. Damage to tyres, wheels, rims, glass, lights, the roof, the interior and the underside of the car is excluded, as are lost or damaged keys and anything carried inside the vehicle. Damage while the car is parked and unattended, damage from driving on beaches, unmade roads or flooded streets, and damage caused by the wrong fuel are also outside the cover. A police report is required for any new damage, and Maltese law obliges drivers to complete an accident report form after any incident.

Extras and other charges

Optional extras are added at pick-up and are not part of the basic rate. Baby seats, toddler seats, larger child seats and booster seats each cost €8 per day, capped at eight days' charge. A satellite navigation system is €10 per day, again with a cap of eight days. Each additional driver costs €8 per day, and drivers aged 21 to 24 pay a young driver fee of €18 per day, which still lets them drive any car group. If you need to pick up or drop off outside station hours, the out of hours fee is €35 per service.

Other charges apply only if something goes wrong. A car returned exceptionally dirty may incur a cleaning fee of €70, which can vary with the state of the car, damage claims carry an €85 administration fee, and any traffic fine paid through the company attracts a €45 administration fee on top of the fine itself. If you return a car with new damage that was not reported beforehand with an accident report, a €200 compensation fee is added. Fuel works on a full to full basis, so fill up before you return the car.

Who can rent and what to bring

Drivers must be between 21 and 70 years old and must have held a valid licence for at least two years. You will need a photo ID or passport and your driving licence. Holders of licences issued outside the European Union must bring an International Driving Permit together with their national licence, as the permit is not accepted on its own, so UK drivers should confirm what applies to them when booking. Anyone with an endorsement or conviction in the last five years for dangerous driving, drink driving or taking a vehicle without consent cannot rent or be added as a driver.

Bring a full printed copy of your booking voucher, whether you booked direct or through a broker, travel agent or airline, as you may not be able to collect the car without it. Rental balances and extras can be paid by Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card. Maltese law requires you to carry your rental agreement and driving licence whenever you drive.

Changes, cancellations and no-shows

If you need to change a booking, contact the company at least 24 hours before the hire is due to start so it can check whether the change is possible. If you booked through a broker or agent, prepaid or pay on arrival, you must make changes or cancel through that same channel.

Online cancellations are not possible in the two days before pick-up, and a prepaid amount is kept if you cancel inside that window. There is a 59 minute grace period on the pick-up time you gave; if you have not arrived or been in touch by then, the booking can be cancelled, a no-show fee charged and any prepayment retained. The same applies if you arrive without the documents required to collect the car.

Driving in Malta and taking the car to Gozo

You may take the car on the ferry to Gozo, but only with written notice in advance, and extra charges may apply. Gozo is the only crossing allowed, and the car cannot leave the country. Our Gozo guide has ideas for a day or two on the island, and the ferry leaves from Ċirkewwa, close to the boats for the Blue Lagoon on Comino.

On the main island, a car makes it easy to reach the old capital in our Mdina guide, sandy Golden Bay on the west coast, and the south coast, where the Blue Grotto boat trips and the Ħaġar Qim temples are a few minutes apart. Remember that roof racks, bike racks and tow bars cannot be fitted, and driving on beaches or rough tracks is not permitted.

If something does go wrong, a replacement for a damaged car is supplied once the accident report has been submitted, subject to availability and within up to 48 hours. In the event of an accident where you are not at fault or fault is disputed, the company's legal protection cover means it will pursue compensation on your behalf.

Collecting and returning your car

When you collect the car, staff go through a check-out form listing any existing damage. Look over the car carefully and make sure anything not already noted is added before you sign, and take a moment to find the lights, hazard warning lights, parking brake and fuel type before you drive off.

On return, there is a 59 minute grace period without charge. Allow 20 to 30 minutes to inspect the car with a member of staff, and remove all your belongings. Returning early does not bring a refund for unused days or extras, and if you return out of hours you remain responsible for the car until staff can check it in. Customer care aims to answer questions within 48 hours.

Flights to Luqa leave from most UK airports, and our guides to flights to Malta from the UK and to where to stay in Malta will help you plan the rest of the trip. To ask about availability, a car group or an extra, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Yours Car Rental.