Hiring a Car on Gozo: Everything You Need to Know

Is It Worth Hiring a Car on Gozo?

For most visitors, yes. The island is small enough that you will never rack up serious mileage, and having your own transport opens up parts of Gozo that buses do not reach easily — remote bays, the quieter villages, the spots that do not appear on the standard day-trip circuit. If you are here for more than a couple of days and want to see the island properly, a hire car is hard to argue against.

For a short day trip from Malta, it is also worth considering as you can cover a lot of ground in a day. It is also worth weighing up if you are going to spend more of the day looking for parking than driving, and if a bus or taxi journey would be faster overall.

How Much Does It Cost?

Day rates typically start from around €25–40 for a small car in standard season. Prices vary depending on the time of year, the size of the vehicle, and how far in advance you book.

The per-day rate drops noticeably for longer rentals. If you are staying for a week, always compare the weekly rate against the daily equivalent, the saving is usually significant enough to make it worth checking before you confirm.

Top Tip: Book in advance during summer and around public holidays. Gozo is a small island with a finite number of hire cars, and availability runs out faster than you might expect.

Where to Pick Up Your Car

Most hire car companies are based around Mġarr Harbour, which makes practical sense, it is where the ferry arrives. If you are coming over from Malta, you can collect your car and be on your way shortly after disembarking.

Some companies also have offices in Victoria or one of the other villages, a handful of which offer delivery to the harbour, or directly to your accommodation. The latter is worth considering if you are arriving late or staying somewhere off the beaten track.

Age and Licence Requirements

Requirements vary between companies, but as a general guide:

Minimum age: Most providers require drivers to be at least 21. Some apply a young driver surcharge for anyone under 25.

Licence held for: You will typically need to have held a full licence for at least one year, often two.

International Driving Permit: Generally, you don’t need an IDP to hire a car in Malta and Gozo if your home driver’s license is already printed in English and was issued by an EU/EEA member state, the UK, or the USA. Policies will vary between rental car companies, so check with your hire company before you travel. An IDP is straightforward to obtain and worth sorting in advance rather than discovering you need one at the desk.

Driving on Gozo: What to Expect

Driving on Gozo is definitely an experience, and some might say not for the faint-hearted. What follows is a few tips to help you navigate your first few trips, once you’re used to the standard of driving here, most of it will be second nature. That said, keep your eyes on stalks and don’t be tempted to drink and drive.

Malta and Gozo drive on the left: If you are used to driving on the right, give yourself a few minutes to settle in to the car before you tackle anything complicated.

Actually, the true answer to “What do they drive on the right or left in Malta and Gozo” is yes. Sometimes it’s to avoid potholes, sometimes it’s to drive on shady side, or to over take in inadvisable locations.

Be aware of the speed limits: 50 km/h in urban areas and 80 km/h on rural roads. In practice, Gozo’s village roads and narrower rural lanes make the upper limit largely academic — the roads themselves tend to dictate your speed long before the signs do.

Road quality varies: Do not be lulled into a false sense of security by the road up from the harbour towards Victoria. The main roads between towns are generally fine. Village roads are a different matter, narrow, uneven in places, patchworked with potholes and not always forgiving if you meet another vehicle coming the other way.

Your GPS will not always be your friend: Navigation apps find the shortest route, not the easiest one. On Gozo, those are very often not the same thing. The road between Xlendi and Kerċem is a good example. The direct route takes you up a steep, narrow lane with two hairpin bends and a couple of sharper corners that most drivers would rather avoid. Going the longer way through Fontana and Victoria adds a few minutes and removes a considerable amount of stress. We recommend checking the suggested route on a map before you set off. If you can, use Google street view to get a real feel of what lies ahead.

Parking is Free but can be restricted: Parking is the biggest drawback when it comes to hiring a car to get around Gozo.

In most villages, parking is straightforward enough, find a space, pull up, get out, get on with your day. Victoria is the exception, and the bay markings there (and elsewhere on the island) are worth understanding before you arrive.

Bays are colour-coded:

• White bays are free for anyone, open 24 hours unless a sign says otherwise. These are your default option.
  
• Yellow bays are no parking, full stop. Reserved for loading zones, emergency vehicles or garage access. Do not stop in one, even briefly.
  
• Blue bays are time-restricted and open to everyone, but only during specific daytime hours and usually with a 60 to 120 minute limit. To use one, you need to display a parking disc on your dashboard set to your arrival time. Most rental cars have one in the glovebox — if yours does not, a piece of paper with your arrival time written clearly will do the job.

There are also Green bays but you won’t encounter these on Gozo. However, if you’re hiring a car and driving in Valletta during your trip, green bays are resident-only and restricted around the clock.

A few things to avoid wherever you park:

• Within five metres of a junction or corner
• In front of a garage door or active driveway
• On double yellow lines
• On pavements or pedestrian walkways
• Facing against the flow of traffic

Parking enforcement is active on Gozo. Fines start at around €23–€50, and if your vehicle is blocking a garage or causing an obstruction, it will be towed. Towing and storage fees run to €100–€150 on top of the fine — an expensive addition to any holiday.

Top Tip: In Victoria, it is usually easier to park on the outskirts of the capital and walk in rather than trying to find a space near the centre. The Citadel area in particular has very limited parking and the streets leading up to it are not designed for manoeuvring a hire car.

Villages roads can be tight. Most of the village streets were laid out long before cars existed. Take it slowly, and do not be surprised if reversing to let someone past is occasionally part of the journey.

Road signs aren’t always obeyed: This is not to say you should ignore road signs, just don’t be surprised if a car or truck pops out the wrong way from a one way road.

Indicators are for pastizzi stops: Indeed, they are occasionally known as pastizzi lights. You’ll probably notice quite quickly that most drivers don’t use their indicators. The exception seems to be when a car stops in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. Then the hazards will be deployed as if they are the ultimate get out for parking in an inconvenient place for other people.

Roundabouts are anyone’s best guess: While this is an almost direct quote from a recently qualified driver when I lived in the UK, it is pretty accurate for the general approach to roundabouts on Gozo. In theory, you should give way to vehicles that are already on the roundabout that are to your right, be aware that other drivers might not respect that rule.

Be wary of parking under trees: Especially around sunset or overnight. There aren’t that many trees on Gozo, so the ones that exist attract flocks of birds to roost in them overnight. You can imagine what state your car might be in after a few hours.

Your car will get hot in summer: This seems self-evident but it is worth warning you about. The real feel temperatures in July and August can easily get into the 40s, which will make your car into an oven. If possible, use a shade on the inside of the windscreen and cover the steering wheel. Use a towel or a spare t-shirt, otherwise it will be burning hot when you try to touch it.

Booking Your Car

You can search and compare hire car options for Gozo through the booking tool below.

Booking ahead is advisable, particularly between July and September and around Maltese public holidays. Walk-in availability at Mġarr is not guaranteed, especially in summer.

What to Do If You Have an Accident

Hopefully you will not need this section, but it is worth reading before you set off.

The procedure depends on the type of accident:

If anyone is injured, or if government property is damaged (a streetlight, guardrail or road sign), call 112 immediately for the police and ambulance. Do not move either vehicle until the authorities arrive as the positions need to be recorded officially. Switch on your hazard lights and turn off the engine while you wait.

If it is a minor rear-end collision between two vehicles with no injuries, you do not need to call the police. Take clear photos of both vehicles from multiple angles, including number plates and any damage, then move the cars off the road. You will need to complete a Front-to-Rear form (also called a Statement of Facts, or the Knock-for-Knock form) with the other driver. You should find one in your hire car’s glovebox. Both drivers sign it, each keeps a copy, and both submit it to their insurer.

For anything else, a side impact, more than two vehicles involved, or a collision with a parked car where nobody is hurt, call LESA (the Local Enforcement System Agency) on (+356) 2132 0202. Do not move the vehicles until a warden arrives to sketch the scene and file an official report.

A few general points regardless of the type of accident:

• Contact your hire company as soon as the situation is stable. They will advise on their specific claims process.

• Do not admit liability or sign anything accepting blame at the scene. State the facts and let the insurers determine fault.

• Exchange names, phone numbers, licence numbers and insurance details with the other driver.

FAQ

Getting Around the Rest of Gozo

Car hire is one option, but not the only one. If you would rather leave the driving to someone else, Gozo has app-based taxis, White Taxis at the harbour, and a bus network that covers most of the island cheaply and reliably. You can find everything you need in the guides below.

• Getting Around Gozo by Bus: Routes, Fares and the Tallinja App
• Taxis on Gozo: Bolt, Uber, White Taxis and What to Know
• Full guide: Getting to and Around Gozo