Nine-seater hire in Malta
Two nine-seat vans, a pair of seven-seaters and an eight-seat electric. Here is what each actually holds, and what a big vehicle is like on Maltese roads.
You do not need a special licence
A nine-seat van carries eight passengers plus the driver, and that is within an ordinary category B licence — the one you already hold. The next category up is only needed above eight passengers, which means a ten-seat vehicle or larger. We do not hire anything in that class.
What does apply is the same as any other hire: minimum age 21, a full licence held for at least two years, maximum age 75, and every person who will drive named on the agreement. Drivers under 25 pay €8 a day.
Nine seats, two ways
Peugeot Traveller · €69 a day
Nine seats, five doors, manual, diesel. Room for five cases with all nine seats occupied. The narrower of the two, which matters more in Malta than the extra power does. Deposit €3,000, or €350 with Zero Risk Protection.
Ford Tourneo Custom · €75 a day
Nine seats, automatic, diesel. The same five cases, and the automatic gearbox is worth having if you are not used to a left-hand drive van in traffic. Deposit €5,000, or €400 with Zero Risk Protection.
Citroën ë-Dispatch · €75 a day
Eight seats, electric, automatic, and the biggest boot in the fleet at six cases. Around 330 km of range, which is more than the length of Malta several times over. Deposit €5,000, or €400 with cover.
Peugeot 5008 · €49 a day
Seven seats — five plus two — with four cases when the rear pair are folded down. The sensible answer for six people who are not travelling light, and far easier to park than a van.
Nine seats and nine people's luggage do not both fit
This is the thing group bookings get wrong. With every seat occupied, a nine-seat van has the space behind the last row and nothing else — five cases in the Traveller or the Tourneo, six in the ë-Dispatch. Nine people with a case each will not fit, whatever the booking form implies.
What works:
- Nine people, hand luggage: fine in either van.
- Nine people with hold bags: two cars. A nine-seater plus a small car costs less than you would guess, and gives the group two ways to move.
- Six or seven people with cases: fold the back row of the nine-seater flat and you have a genuinely large boot — often better than a seven-seater.
Tell us the group and the bags when you book and we will say plainly which way round works. We would rather do that than watch you repack on the pavement.
A van on Maltese roads
Malta's main roads are fine for a van. The village cores are not — Mdina, the older parts of Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua, and most of Gozo's inland villages were laid out for carts. A nine-seater will get through most of them, slowly, but you will spend the holiday folding mirrors.
- Park at the edge and walk in. That is what locals do with anything larger than a hatchback.
- Watch the height, not just the width. Some underground car parks in Sliema and St Julian's have barriers below two metres.
- On the Gozo ferry both vans are under 5.3 metres, so the standard €15.70 car fare applies rather than the longer-vehicle rate. How the crossing works.
Group hire, answered
Do I need a special licence for a nine-seater?
No. Nine seats means eight passengers plus the driver, which an ordinary category B licence covers. A higher category is only required above eight passengers — a ten-seat vehicle or larger — and we do not hire those.
How much luggage fits with all nine seats in use?
Five cases in the Peugeot Traveller and the Ford Tourneo Custom, six in the electric Citroën ë-Dispatch. Nine people with a case each will not fit; take a second car or fold the back row.
Is there an automatic nine-seater?
Yes — the Ford Tourneo Custom at €75 a day, and the eight-seat electric ë-Dispatch at the same rate. The Peugeot Traveller is manual.
Why is the deposit higher on the big vans?
The deposit tracks what the vehicle costs to repair. It is €3,000 on the Traveller and €5,000 on the Tourneo and the ë-Dispatch — but Zero Risk Protection at €12 a day brings that to €350 or €400 and removes the damage excess entirely.
Can a nine-seater go to Gozo?
Yes. Both vans are under 5.3 metres, so the ordinary car fare applies on the ferry, and your cover stays in force on the crossing and on Gozo.
Can two people be named to drive it?
Yes, and on a long drive with a group it is worth it. An additional driver is €5 a day and must be named on the agreement with their own licence shown at the desk.
Tell us the group and the bags.
We will tell you honestly whether one van does it, or whether two cars is the better trip.