Renting a car in Rhodes: Where to pick up, best companies, and essential information

If you’re still on the fence about renting a car in Rhodes, I want to walk you through everything I’ve learned exploring this island over multiple trips. Where to actually pick up your car, which companies are worth your money, whether you even need a car at all, and the scams and upsells I’d rather you avoid.

Let’s get into it.

Where to Pick Up Your Rental Car: Airport or New Town

Most rental companies on Rhodes are concentrated in two spots: the international airport and the new town, just outside the historical centre of Rhodes, next to the port.

If you land at the airport, you’ll find several companies with a desk right there in the terminal, so you can pick up your car in minutes. Or you can go with an off-site company, which usually means a free shuttle van to their office nearby.

Off-site is typically 10 to 15% cheaper, but always double-check that the airport pickup surcharge is already included in your quote. I’ve seen people get hit with an extra €20 to €50 at the desk because that fee wasn’t built into the price they thought they’d locked in.

AT the same time, make sure the on-site operators don’t charge an airport fee.

Picking up in Rhodes New Town works well if you’re arriving by ferry, since most companies there are close to the port, or if you want to spend your first few days exploring the old town on foot (you really don’t need a car for that) before picking up a rental to cover the rest of the island.

My top tip: book as early as you can, especially if you’re travelling in July or August, which is peak season on Rhodes. Cars get scarce and expensive once you’re already on the island. Most companies these days offer free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup, so booking early costs you nothing if your plans change.

My Favourite Car Rental Companies in Rhodes

Important disclaimer: this guide has NOT been sponsored by any car rental mentioned in this guide. These are my genuine recommendations.

I always like to share the companies I’d actually book with myself, based on my own experience and on feedback from other travellers. On Rhodes, my picks are Autocandia, Exer, and Record Go Car Rental, all three of which have consistently given good service at fair prices.

In saying that, new companies pop up on Rhodes regularly, and deals shift throughout the year, which is exactly why I’ve relied on DiscoverCars for the last five years. Think of it as the Airbnb of car rentals: every supplier is rated from 5 to 10 stars by real customers who actually completed a rental, not like Google Maps where anyone can leave a review regardless of whether they ever rented a car.

I filter above 8, or even 9, stars and book from that shortlist of the most trusted operators. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before pickup, which means there’s real peace of mind in booking early.

My tip: ratings and lineups shift over time, so it’s always worth a quick check on the comparative website for your travel dates rather than assuming last year’s favourite is still the best deal.

Do You Actually Need a Car in Rhodes?

I’ve explored this island many times, and honestly, it depends on your plans. If you’re only visiting the old town, Lindos, and maybe Faliraki, public buses will get you between those major spots just fine.

But if you want to see more of the island, the quieter beaches in the south, the castle at Monolithos, the mountain villages, then a car is close to essential. It changes the entire trip. You stop where you want, when you want, and that’s the kind of thing you remember long after the holiday ends.

What Size Car Should You Get?

My general rule is: a smaller car size is better, especially if you’re planning to visit the small villages inland. If you’re heading to Lindos or the old town of Rhodes, always park just outside the centre and walk in.

It’s normally only a five to ten minute walk. The new town of Rhodes is a great spot to leave your car near the old town, with plenty of free street parking so you’re not paying €1 to €2 an hour along the walls.

A bigger car helps if you’re exploring the island’s interior, but the same rule applies everywhere: park outside the village, walk in.

Another quick thing on manual or automatic cars. As in most of Greece, automatics are hard to find, so book well in advance. Expect to pay €10 to €15 a day more.

Insurance in Rhodes: What You Actually Need

When you rent a car in Rhodes, similarly to renting a car in any place in Greece, you get free-of-charge mandatory third-party liability insurance and a collision damage waiver, which caps your out-of-pocket cost for damage somewhere between €700 and €3,000 depending on the car and company.

Here’s my honest tip for this island specifically: it’s not uncommon to scratch or bump a car here, whether that’s on an unsealed road, squeezing through a small village, or just parking in a tight spot. So I always take full insurance.

Check your credit card first, since some travel insurance built into credit cards covers that excess. Mine only covers part of it and still leaves me with a €700 deductible, which is why I book full insurance directly through DiscoverCars instead. It runs about €8 to €10 a day for genuine peace of mind.

My Tip: avoid buying full insurance at the rental counter. It’s one of the most common upselling moments in the whole process, and you’ll usually be quoted €20 to €50 a day for the same cover, more than the cost of the car rental itself some days. It’s not one of the real scams played by the Greek car rentals, but still no point to overpay for insurance you can get at €10

Driving in Rhodes: Roads, Rules, and What to Expect

The main roads connecting Rhodes Town, Lindos, and the airport are in good shape and well signposted, and the east coast road in particular is a genuinely nice drive. The west side and the mountain roads narrow up with rougher patches and sharper bends, so take it easier out there.

Traffic thins out fast once you leave the city, and locals tend to drive calmly compared to some other Greek islands. Keep an eye out for the odd goat wandering onto the road, and you’ll have a smooth trip across the island.

A few practical rules worth knowing before you drive, since these catch a lot of visitors out:

Fuel stations in Greece are full service, so someone will fill the car for you; just tell them “full tank” (or “gemisto” if you want to try the local word) and let them handle it.

Petrol prices sit close to the European average, which in practice means roughly 20 to 30% more than what you’d pay in Australia or the US.

Best Stops to Add to Your Rhodes Road Trip

Having a car opens up a side of Rhodes most visitors never see. Here’s roughly how far these are from Rhodes Town, so you can plan your day realistically.

Lindos is one of the island’s must-sees, a whitewashed village wrapped around a turquoise bay, crowned by its ancient acropolis.

The Temple of Athena Lindia up there has roots going back to the 9th century BC, with the temple ruins you see today largely dating to the 4th century BC, when the sanctuary held pan-Hellenic significance across the ancient Greek world. Parking is easy just outside the village, which makes it a genuinely stress-free stop.

From there, head west to Monolithos Castle, perched dramatically on a rock 236 metres above the sea. The Knights of St John built the fortress you see today around 1476, on top of an earlier Byzantine watchtower, to guard against pirate raids. It’s said to have never fallen by force, and the sunset views from up there are some of the best on the island.

For something quieter, drive inland to Embonas, a mountain village at around 700 metres on the slopes of Mount Attavyros, the island’s highest peak at 1,215 metres. It’s the centre of Rhodes’ wine industry, with vineyards that have been worked for generations, and it makes a great lunch stop, along olive groves and ancient ruins that make the whole drive worthwhile in its own right.

And if history is your thing, keep in mind that Rhodes’ old town, the walled medieval city you’ll walk through before or after your road trip, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1988, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe.

Having your own car means you can stop wherever catches your eye: a viewpoint, a family-run taverna in a village that isn’t on anyone’s list, or one of the quieter coves along the coast that you’d never reach on a bus timetable.