Automatic car hire
Eight of our seventeen cars are automatic. On Maltese roads that is not a luxury — it is one less thing to think about.
Three new things at once
Malta drives on the left. If you have come from anywhere in continental Europe or North America, that alone is a re-wiring job — mirrors on the wrong side, roundabouts running clockwise, junctions where your instinct points you the wrong way.
Add a manual gearbox operated with the hand you have never used for it, on roads that are narrow, steep in places and busier than the island's size suggests, and you have given yourself three problems to solve simultaneously. An automatic removes one of them entirely, and it is the one that occupies your left hand and your attention at exactly the moments — junctions, hills, roundabouts — when you need both for the road.
This is not a small comfort. Malta's road network carries a lot of traffic for its size, and the stop-start of village streets means a great deal of gear-changing on a route that would be one long cruise elsewhere.
Every automatic we run
Real cars from our own fleet, with the daily rate and the deposit. Nothing here is a "or similar" placeholder for a class we do not hold.
| Car | Size | Fuel | Seats | Per day | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat 500 | Small | Petrol | 4 | €27 | €1,800 |
| Opel Corsa Hybrid | Medium | Hybrid | 5 | €34 | €2,100 |
| Peugeot 308 | Medium | Petrol | 5 | €38 | €2,300 |
| Opel Frontera MPV | Large | Hybrid | 5 | €45 | €2,300 |
| Hyundai Inster | Electric | Electric | 4 | €47 | €2,650 |
| Citroën C3 Aircross MPV | Large | Hybrid | 7 | €52 | €3,000 |
| Ford Tourneo Custom | Minivan | Diesel | 9 | €75 | €5,000 |
| Citroën ë-Dispatch MPV | Electric | Electric | 8 | €75 | €5,000 |
Zero Risk Protection at €12 a day removes the damage excess on any of them and brings the deposit down to €300, or €400 on the two largest. How deposits work.
Which automatic, honestly
- Two of you, mostly towns and coast — Fiat 500 automatic, €27. The cheapest automatic on the island as far as we know, and the easiest thing to park in Valletta, Sliema or a Gozo village. Four seats, two cases. If you are a couple, stop reading here.
- Two or three of you who want to be comfortable — Opel Corsa Hybrid, €34. Five seats, automatic, and the hybrid drivetrain suits stop-start village driving better than anything else in the fleet. Our quiet recommendation for most visitors.
- A family of four with real luggage — Opel Frontera MPV, €45. Three cases, five seats, hybrid and automatic. The 308 at €38 is the cheaper five-seater but takes only two cases.
- Six or seven people — Citroën C3 Aircross MPV, €52. The only seven-seat automatic. Three cases with all seven aboard, so read the luggage arithmetic before you assume.
- A group of eight or nine — Ford Tourneo Custom, €75. The only nine-seat automatic, and worth the €6 a day over the manual Traveller if nobody in the group wants to wrestle a van.
Automatic and electric are the same decision here
Both our electric cars are automatic, because electric cars have no gearbox to speak of. If you were leaning towards an automatic anyway, the Hyundai Inster at €47 is worth a look: it drives like the smoothest automatic you have had, and it is exempt from the Valletta charge. What running an electric car in Malta is actually like.
If you book a manual anyway
Nine of our cars are manual and they are cheaper — the Toyota Aygo starts at €22. That is a real saving over two weeks, and if you drive a manual at home on the left, take it.
If you drive a manual at home on the right, think about it properly. The gearstick is the same H-pattern and your feet do not change; what changes is the hand. Most people adapt within a day. The ones who struggle are those who are also nervous about the left-hand side, and for them the automatic is worth every cent of the difference.
Automatics, answered
How much more does an automatic cost?
Our cheapest automatic is the Fiat 500 at €27 a day against €22 for the manual Toyota Aygo — about €5 a day. On a week that is €35, which is less than most people expect.
Which is the cheapest automatic?
The Fiat 500 automatic at €27 a day. Four seats, two cases, petrol, and the easiest car in the fleet to park.
Do you have an automatic nine-seater?
Yes — the Ford Tourneo Custom at €75 a day, nine seats and five cases. The eight-seat electric Citroën ë-Dispatch is also automatic at the same rate.
Is an automatic easier on the left-hand side of the road?
It removes one of the three new things you are dealing with — the gearbox — and leaves you the road position and the roundabouts. Most people who are nervous about driving on the left find the automatic makes the first day considerably calmer.
Are your hybrids automatic?
Yes. The Opel Corsa Hybrid, the Opel Frontera MPV and the Citroën C3 Aircross MPV are all hybrid and all automatic.
Can I change to an automatic at the desk?
Only if one is free, which in summer is unlikely. Book the automatic when you book the dates. If your plans change, tell us early and we will do what we can.
Filter for automatic and see your dates.
The quote shows the rate, the deposit and the total before you commit to anything.