Car hire Crete: Heraklion and Chania airports compared

Car hire Crete comes down to two choices you make before you land: the airport, Heraklion or Chania, and the company whose rules you sign up to. The airports are about two hours apart by road, and the three companies Vrooem offers at both, Green Motion, Surprice and Let’s Drive, each hand over the keys in their own way: at a desk in the terminal, at a walk-in office beside the car park or after a short shuttle ride. This guide sets out their pickup routes, deposit cards, opening hours and island rules side by side.

Every rule comes from the companies’ own terms, station pages and pickup instructions, and from airport and government websites, checked on 30 September and 1 October 2026. Green Motion and Surprice branches are run by local franchisees, so the terms attached to your booking always have the final word.

Heraklion or Chania: choose by where you will sleep

Crete is long, and its main road, national road 90 (VOAK), runs from Chania through Heraklion to Sitia, according to Surprice. Fly into the airport nearest the region where you will spend most nights.

	Heraklion (HER)	Chania (CHQ)
Official name	Nikos Kazantzakis	Ioannis Daskalogiannis
Location	4 km east of the city centre, under 10 minutes by car	Akrotiri peninsula; Let’s Drive puts Chania’s Venetian harbour under 20 minutes away
Best base for	Knossos, Rethymno, central and eastern Crete	Chania old town, Kissamos, Balos, Elafonissi

Chania airport is run by Fraport Greece, and its terminal is open 24 hours a day.

Drive times from Heraklion, as published on Green Motion’s Heraklion station page, without stops:

From Heraklion to	Drive time
Knossos palace	about 15 minutes
Rethymno	about 1.5 hours
Chania	about 2 hours
Elafonissi beach	about 3.5 hours
Balos lagoon	a drive to Kissamos port, then the boat

Elafonissi and back from Heraklion is roughly seven hours at the wheel, so if the west is your goal, land at Chania. For a day-by-day week, see the Crete route in our guide to renting a car in Greece.

Car hire Crete: where each company hands over the keys

The routes below come from the instructions each company supplies with its cars, as shown on Vrooem on 30 September 2026.

Company	Heraklion (HER)	Chania (CHQ)
Green Motion	Desk inside the arrivals hall	Walk-in office in the outdoor car rental area, about 150 m from the arrivals exit
Surprice	Free shuttle from the car park entrance to an office less than 700 m away	Meet and greet in the arrivals hall, then a shuttle to the AirGreece car park
Let’s Drive	Shuttle from the bus stop with the wooden kiosk to an office 2 minutes away	Walk-in office in the car rental parking area, about 150 m from the terminal

At Heraklion, Green Motion is the only one of the three inside the terminal. For Surprice, cross the street outside arrivals and walk past the roundabout to the parking entrance. For Let’s Drive, turn right through the small gate and cross the main road to the kiosk; the shuttle also brings you back after the return. At Chania, two of the three offices are a short walk away: for Let’s Drive, turn left out of the main building and look left after about 150 metres.

How the three companies work on Crete

Green Motion: six branches and four packages

Green Motion’s locations page lists six Crete branches: Heraklion airport, port and downtown, Chania airport, Agios Nikolaos and Rethymno (Adelianos Kampos). Each car comes in four packages, from Basic, which is non-refundable, to Premium Plus, with zero excess, a low deposit and free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup. Our Green Motion guide explains each one.

In the Crete offers on Vrooem (search of 30 September 2026, seven days in November), two details changed with the package:

• Mileage: Basic included 1,050 km and Plus+ 1,750 km for the week; Premium and Premium Plus were unlimited.
• Fuel: Basic and Plus+ go back at the level you received; Premium and Premium Plus are full to full.

Travellers often mention friendly staff and clean, new cars.

Surprice: unlimited mileage and fixed prices for extras

Surprice’s car rental page names Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno and Agios Nikolaos on Crete. Its official terms for Heraklion airport include:

• Unlimited mileage, 24% local taxes and breakdown assistance with a replacement car within 48 hours.
• Cover: CDW and theft protection with an excess; SCDW lowers it and FDW takes it to zero. Extra Plus is an optional daily add-on for tyres, glass and mirrors.
• Extras per day: child seat or additional driver 6 euros, navigation 8 euros, snow chains 10 euros.
• Fuel: same level back, otherwise a 15 euro refuelling fee plus the missing fuel.

The exact model is not guaranteed and animals are not allowed. Travellers value its friendly service, a quick handover and staff who wait when a flight lands late. More in our Surprice guide.

Let’s Drive: a Greek company at the airports and ports

Let’s Drive (letsdrive.gr) is part of the Greek GELASAKIS group and a member of the Hellenic Car Rental Association. Its website lists Crete stations at Heraklion airport and port, at Chania airport and in Chania itself, and at Souda port.

Basic cover (CDW) carries an excess from 800 euros for the smallest cars to 1,700 euros for 7 to 9 seat minivans. MCDW lowers it to 400 to 800 euros for 10 to 15 euros a day, and SCDW takes it to zero for 15 to 20 euros a day, VAT included. The cars may only be driven on asphalt roads. Customers often praise kind staff and new, clean cars. The full table is in our Let’s Drive guide.

The deposit card: what each company asks for

All three block the deposit on a credit card, and Surprice and Let’s Drive want it in the main driver’s name.

Company	Card for the deposit	Amount	Released
Green Motion	Credit card; no debit card, no cash	Depends on car, driver and package: the higher the package, the lower the deposit	Usually 5 to 14 days after return
Surprice (Heraklion)	Visa or Mastercard credit card, valid at least one month after drop-off	Depends on the car and the cover you choose	Can take 15 to 25 working days
Let’s Drive	Visa or Mastercard credit card; no cash, debit, Diners or Amex	Equal to your cover’s excess, minimum 250 euros	After the rental, unless fines or uncovered damage apply

Surprice accepts debit cards and cash (up to 500 euros) for the rental itself, not for the deposit; if the deposit cannot be blocked, extra cover may become compulsory. Let’s Drive treats a customer without a valid credit card with enough limit as a no-show. Our guide to deposit and excess on a hire car explains how the two amounts relate.

Licence, passport and age at the desk

An EU licence is recognised in Greece. For UK drivers, GOV.UK says a photocard licence is enough to drive there, while an old paper licence may need replacing or a 1968 international driving permit. GOV.UK adds that hire companies often set stricter rules:

• Let’s Drive wants a licence issued at least one year before the rental, and asks non-EU citizens, UK and US travellers included, for an international driving licence as well.
• Surprice asks non-EU customers for an international driving permit, UK drivers for the photocard, and everyone for a physical passport or ID card; digital copies are refused. The licence must be at least one year old.
• Green Motion notes that non-EU travellers may need a permit, and asks for your licence, passport and a valid credit card at collection.

Company	Minimum age	Young driver fee	Senior driver fee
Let’s Drive	21	10 euros a day up to 23	10 euros a day, ages 74 to 78
Surprice	20, with surcharge	10 euros a day under 23; groups A to D only	10 euros a day from 73
Green Motion	21 in our 30 September search	see your booking terms	see your booking terms

See also our guides to documents for renting abroad and the young driver fee.

Ports, hotels and one-way trips between the airports

Arriving by ferry? Green Motion has a Heraklion port branch, and Let’s Drive runs stations at Heraklion port and at Souda port near Chania. Surprice’s Heraklion terms list hotel delivery at 2 euros per kilometre each way, or 15 euros each way within Heraklion city and to the port. The searches in this guide cover the two airports, so arrange any port or hotel handover with the company.

Landing at one airport and flying home from the other is a one-way hire. Surprice offers it on request for 150 euros between Heraklion and Chania in either direction. The Green Motion and Let’s Drive terms we read give no one-way price, so ask before you book.

Late landings and early returns

• Let’s Drive: both airport stations open every day from 08:00 to 22:00. A pickup or return between 22:00 and 08:00 costs 40 euros per rental, and a late return 20% of the daily rate per hour.
• Surprice: out-of-hours service costs 30 euros, national holidays included. Arriving more than 4 hours late without phoning counts as a no-show. Returns get a 2-hour grace period before an extra day is charged, and early returns are not refunded.
• Green Motion: according to the FAQ, branches in most cases monitor inbound flights and hold your car for up to 2 hours after the original pickup time. Beyond that, call the branch.

Driving in Crete: road rules and island habits

Crete drives on the right and, according to Green Motion, has no toll roads. The Greek rules, from the EU’s Your Europe portal (updated 10 January 2025):

• Speed limits for cars: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside them, 110 km/h on expressways, 130 km/h on motorways.
• Alcohol: 0.5 g/l, or 0.2 g/l for novice and professional drivers and for motorcyclists.
• Phones: hands-free only. Seat belts and child restraints are compulsory.
• In the car: a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

Green Motion adds some island habits. Locals often pull into the emergency lane on the right to let faster cars overtake: an unofficial local custom, not a traffic law. On mountain roads, bends can be sharp and visibility limited, and goats or sheep may cross. Headlights go on in tunnels and poor visibility.

Many rural petrol stations close early; most take cards, but some cash helps. At Heraklion, the EKO station about a minute’s drive from the terminal is a handy last stop before you return the car. In Heraklion’s city centre parking can be tight, but paid car parks and garages are available.

A Crete checklist for pickup and return

1. Make sure every mark is on the damage report before you sign, and film the wheels, tyres and windscreen.
2. Photograph the fuel gauge and the odometer: the first matters for same-level fuel rules, the second for Green Motion’s Basic and Plus+ allowance.
3. Check that the triangle, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher are in the car.
4. At return, have the car inspected with you and keep the final report. Our fuel policy guide explains how fuel is settled.

Booking car hire in Crete on Vrooem

At Heraklion and Chania airports, Vrooem offers Green Motion, Surprice and Let’s Drive. In our search of 30 September 2026, for 4 to 11 November, Heraklion showed 66 cars (26 Green Motion, 23 Surprice, 17 Let’s Drive) and Chania 61 (25 Green Motion, 18 Let’s Drive, 18 Surprice). There were 22 automatics at each airport, and all three companies had 7 or 9 seat people carriers at both. Torn between gearboxes for the mountain roads? Read automatic or manual.

For Green Motion, Vrooem shows all four packages before you pay, so you pick your excess at home rather than at the desk. Each booking also includes a free travel eSIM, so you have data on landing to call the shuttle or open your pickup route. Heading to the mainland afterwards? Our guide to car rental in Athens takes over from there.

Sources

Checked on 30 September and 1 October 2026: Green Motion Heraklion airport, Green Motion Chania airport, Green Motion locations, Green Motion rental packages, Green Motion FAQ, the Heraklion “Full rental terms” on the official Surprice booking site, Surprice car rental, Surprice Greece, Let’s Drive terms and conditions, about Let’s Drive, Let’s Drive stations, Let’s Drive Heraklion airport, Let’s Drive Chania airport, Chania airport, road rules in Greece and GOV.UK travel advice for Greece. Pickup routes: supplied by the rental companies, as shown on Vrooem on 30 September 2026.