why is car hire so expensive in croatia
A/C is a must-have as summers here are really hot. My husband and I are planning a 10 day trip to Croatia in June and were trying to figure out our itinerary. You will then need to claim this cost with your insurer (in this case, your credit card company). I was surprised to find out that car rental companies charge extra for taking a car on a ferry. Croatian Auto Club (HAK) provides road assistance, should you need it. While Croatia is a small country, it's also pretty long. Holidaymakers face sky-high car hire prices this summer as rental firms struggle to meet renewed demand. The earlier you book your vehicle, the better rate you will have. We share here the best information about traveling to and in Croatia, including destination guides, travel tips, activities, accommodation, and the best places to eat and visit. The pandemic caused a complete collapse of demand for hire cars as overseas travel came to a standstill. A big portion of your traveling budget is going to go towards fuel if youre taking a road trip. Decide what's the purpose of your trip, and how many places would you like to see during your visit, and you'll have a better idea of whether you need to rent a car in Croatia. However, you will need to pay a cross-border fee. Zdravo, traveller (thats Hello in Croatian!). Be sure to adjust the wing mirrors, rearview mirror and the seat to your liking before leaving on your journey. The rates go up as the demand increases and as the inventory decreases. If something happens on the road (I am sure you will be just fine the roads are great and the drivers are polite! What kind of car insurance would we need to rent a car in Croatia? If you prefer an automatic transmission, you'll need to book your car well in advance, and you'll pay extra. We fly into and out of Zagreb. For more, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. Make sure you do have sufficient funds on your card, and extra money left for your trip. i would like to rent a car in split; what is the closest rental car pickup/dropoff location to the downtown area? As mentioned before, if youre under the age of 22, or over the age of 70, youll be eligible for additional fees (about 25 EUR per day surcharge). If I may suggest that you include a section about motorcycles and campervans rental in Croatia as well. Hi Lyla, Thanks for any information that may help. Ive booked a car through rentalcars, and Ive also decided to buy the Full Protection cover with them, though a friend warned me that at the car rental office (itll be with Alamo), that there they will try to sell me Ferry insurance as well. Choose your pick-up location, compare and find the car that best suits you and your budget. In certain instances, rental companies offer discounts if you hire at the last minute, but this is a risky move as prices might increase due to demand so I dont recommend it. We LOVE your website! It means you have greater flexibility if you want to rebook later. Here is a video of a fellow traveller that crossed there: You do NOT need to buy any additional insurance to cross that strip of land, but make sure your car has a green card a proof that your car has a minimum level of insurance required to be in Bosnia. If you don't want to take a chance, this extra insurance will cost you around 20 per rental. Here you can check the updated rates for all the highways in the country (in English!). If not, you can always download an. Frank, thanks for stopping by. Your on line travel guide is terrific. Here are 4 car types I recommend for different types of vacations: RECOMMENDED CAR TYPE: If youre going to be doing a lot of long-distance traveling between cities and seeing a lot of open roads, youll need something comfortable with room for plenty of luggage. I still dont understand why this happens, but it apparently happens all the time. Also try a quote to Split airport rater than the city centre as there tends to be more competition there. Whenever we rented a car, we always found better deals on these aggregators' websites than on car rental companies' websites. This shortage has had a flow on effect to the tourism industry, with many visitors cancelling their trips due to a lack of hire car availability. We figured as we had prepaid for the car this would be covered. Thanks so much!! This concerns me; heaven forbid I hurt someone in an accident and they want to sue!! With all this variability in mind, the average price to rent a car has typically been expected at between 50 to 100 dollars per day.1 However, recent events have caused an upswing in that average. great blog you and your wife is running here, I am also an expat living in Croatia where i run a few websites, i was wondering if you could contact me on E-mail. Croatia: 547: 549: 76: . Anyways, . In this post, youll find all you need to know about car rental in Croatia, from reasons to rent, recommended types of vehicles, car rental companies, and rates, to our best car rental tips and deals. I cant provide no other proof but a common sense. Location matters. Will I not be able to pick up the car even if I have enough money in my bank account on my debit card? Komarna is perfectly located to make day trips to Dubrovnik, the Peljesac peninsula, island Hvar, Brac, Korcula, and Mljet, and even a couple of sights in neighboring Bosnia, like Mostar and Kravica Waterfalls. The average cost over the course of the entire year is 29. Car theft is rare in Croatia I wouldn't worry about that. Their prices are competitive, and what's even better, you have all offers in one place, and you can easily compare them, and shop for the best car rental Croatia deal. Reviews online are mixed but reviews are mixed for every car rental company so was hoping to hear from someone personally. Looking to hook into many of your other recommendations on accommodation and preferred spots. If you worry about car rental companies trying to screw you, well, I understand you completely. Having a difficult time seeing if this is even possible. I dont have any personal experience renting with Sixt, but I dont think Sixt is worse (or better) than others. My son would need the car to get back to the airport in Zagreb. A credit card is mandatory when renting a car in Croatia. We want to rent a car in Croatia, but take that car into Montenegro, and then leave from Montenegro. I have read that these could be bought at the nearest gas station as you enter each country, but to be on the safer side(to avoid penalty fines) we would like to buy them before we enter each country if possible. Buses are ok if travelling to Dalmatia, but not on islands or in Istria. PRO TIP: If crossing through Bosnia or Montenegro, do not forget to switch off the internet on your mobile both countries are not part of the EU and the roaming charges are really high! Be sure to factor these costs into your budget! Also, if you are a US citizen, check Bonzah, they offer pretty good prices too! GET DETAILED INFO ABOUT DRIVING IN CROATIA HERE! A multilane motorway crosses the country from east to west, and south to north. Fifty-five percent of executives are very or extremely concerned about labour shortages, according to KPMG. There are many ferries in Croatia and, as you might use that option to get to one of the islands, I decided to write about this as well. It takes time for your car to get up to speed in snow or ice and it takes longer for the car to slow down. We are heading over in October.. to the lokva rogocznica area I believe, looking forward to getting out and about. If you, for example, hold a US driver's license, or any other for that matter, you can drive with a US driver's license in Croatia. PRO TIP: Many car rental companies will try to upsell you extra insurance saying that you need it to cross the border. Hi Mercedes, The company was the Gold Car, thanks for asking! Youll also experience less traffic than in the summer months (July and August) which makes a road trip a lot more pleasant! In June, it was about 88% more expensive to rent a car or truck than during the same time last year, contributing to the inflation hitting US consumer prices, according to newly . Queues at borders can be long, particularly in high season (July, August), from my experience I would count an hour between Croatia and Bosnia in Neum, and another hour at Croatia-Montenegro border. What Documents Do You Need to Rent a Car in Croatia 3. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I just want to be sure the if we do that, that Sixt in Croatia will allow me to extend the rental. Can we do it? Four- and six-lane motorways connect the country from North to South, West, and East. I am positive is has to do with the illiquidity of the lending market ie banks lending to companies. Otherwise,I will be missing this beautiful country. Punch your travel plans into the GPS. The question is which one will you be the most comfortable in? Sometimes you'll want to stay at one centrally-located place and make day trips to popular sights in the region. Last week of June our family (mum, dad & two teens) have a quick trip to Croatia from NZ for our sons sport. Frank, Some companies don't charge any extras for taking a car across the border to another EU member state, as well as to Switzerland and the UK. But, if you take extra insurance with a car hire company in Croatia then the amount authorized on your credit card is much lower, and usually amounts to the rental cost + 200 for any additional costs, like for example parking tickets, late drop-off, or if the fuel tank isn't full. What are my options? Luckily Croatia has plenty of ferry routes that can transport you and your car, so you can continue your road-trip! Rather, get up a little speed before the hill and keep a steady pace going up. In the UK and USA liability coverage is in the millions, however there is little or no PLI offered in Croatia. The majority of rental cars in Croatia are manual. They charge an extra insurance for taking a car on the ferry. Picking up the car, and getting on the road, Further reading: more Croatia car rentaland other traveltips, Ultimate Packing List For Vacation In Croatia, Croatia Travel Budget: How Much Money You'll Need In Croatia, Where To Have Local, Cheap And Delicious Meals In Croatia, How To Choose Your Destination In Croatia, A Complete Guide To Accommodation In Croatia, cross-border fee for EU countries, UK, and Switzerland: 20 , cross-border fee for Montenegro, Bosnia, and other non-EU countries: 50 , pickup and return out of working hours: 30 . So i wonder whether they charge the additional costs as well when i just use the Croatia Bosnia corridor in order to visit Dubrovnik? Currently, you can expect to pay around 10 kunas (US $1.40 USD) per liter. Were a Canadian-Croatian couple living in and exploring Croatia. Hello Another thing to consider is traffic and limited parking in the town centers. So, again, to have your car rental sitting in a parking lot makes no sense. While the basic insurance covers you for driving on the Croatian islands, it actually doesn't cover the possible damage that can occur on the ferry itself during the crossing. Also, Nova rent a car Croatia has been voted the best rental car company in Croatia to work for. The first time they absolutely claimed we had to pay for the green card (and we were going from Dubrovnik to both Bosnia and Montenegro so we bought it). We are travelling in may 2018: Hi Frank, Oh, and dont forget about Split and Plitvice! I will be coming from Venice. But do I still need the IDP if I plan to drive and stay (one night) in Bosnia? Compare the prices of the best car hire companies. There shouldnt be any problems if you choose a company that allows border crossing, such as RentalCars. and the rental car rates are not getting any lower, trust me! Report inappropriate content ratheniska ireland Level Contributor 146 posts 3. Car hire in Croatia starts from just 8.20 per day for a (economy) class car from Budget. If you are not used to manual ones, it will be worth your while to learn how to drive a manual or take someone along who can drive a manual car, as it will save you a pretty penny! Re: Car hire seems very expensive! Thanks for the notes. I wanted to rent a camper, but no automatic transmission and no AC for the whole unit. Be sure to ask the rental company whether the car you want to hire has a GPS. However, buying insurance from them isnt your only option. Thanks for sharing the info of traveling through Croatia. They pre-charge your card for an insane amount of money and, when you return it, they always find something wrong so they can keep some of the money they've pre-charged. Any car in Croatia need to be insured, and green card (needed for traveling to non-EU countries like Montenegro and Bosnia) comes with the basic car insurance. Is this easy to do? And if you purchase anything using these links, we earn a little commission with no extra costs for you. This time Im driving up the coast and back but of course will have to transit Bosnia I suspect they will claim we need to buy it but I plan to refuse. For drivers over the age of 25 the legal blood alcohol level limit is 0.05% as long as you dont get into an accident, Using a mobile phone while driving is illegal unless you have a hands-free device, Between the end of October and the end of March, dipped headlights should be used during daylight hours. The roads are in perfect condition and the views are breathtaking! Some companies also charge extra insurance for senior drivers above 70 years of age. If you are thinking of renting a car in one country and returning it in another, think twice because it actually might be more complicated than you would expect. We also have a couple of nationwide companies. There may be a fault that the company is not aware of. Parking in popular destinations in Croatia can be a real hustle, and it costs money. An RV or Camper Van is the perfect vehicle to rent in this situation. I am aware that Kosovo is a no-go by rental car, but I wasn`t aware that Albania and Macedonia could be an issue? Hiring a car in Croatia gives you the freedom to travel as you please and make impromptu stops along the way, without having to hassle with a tour guide! Home / Croatia Travel Tips / Car Rental in Croatia: All You Need to Know About Renting a Car in Croatia. I was advised that IDP is required. You only need an international driver license if your driver license is not written with Latin letters. If you dont want to pay the extra charges (it can get quite costly, actually) youll need to bring a baby seat with you, In my opinion, the GPS option is completely unnecessary as Google maps works great in the country and it is available offline if previously downloaded. AIR Awareness Outreach; AIR Business Lunch & Learn; AIR Community of Kindness; AIR Dogs: Paws For Minds AIR Hero AIR & NJAMHAA Conference If I were to rent a car, I want to confirm that my US State (Wisconsin) license will be enough. However, if you leave it too late you can miss out," he says. You can drive a rental car from Croatia to Bosnia, Montenegro, or any other European country. It is safe to rent a car in Croatia. ), you can call a road assistance number with English speaking operators 1987. Dear Frank, Expect to pay anywhere between 15 and 20 more a day for an automatic transmission. I suggest you look further inland, especially if you are renting a car. The A1 motorway connects Zagreb with Ploce to the south; The A6 motorway connects Zagreb with Rijeka to the west, The A8 motorway connects Rijeka with Kanfanar in Istria (this road is mostly a 4-lane motorway although there are still a few sections with a single-carriageway road), The A9 motorway connects Pula with the Slovenian border via Kanfanar, The A3 motorway connects the Slovenian border to the west with the Serbian border to the east via Zagreb. Take into consideration the fact that Croatia has many narrow village streets and tiny back roads that will be extremely difficult to navigate with a big car. Where to pick up your car. insist that the car rental company gives you this paper. This seems like a scam, though. The only way to reach Dubrovnik from Ploce is to drive along national road D8, also known as Jadranska magistrala (Adriatic coastal road). If you are asking in terms of car robberies and other theft-related things, you should not be worrying it is very safe there! Vetura is a regional car rental company based in Porec, and with offices in all major Istrian coastal towns. That was how much Hotwire told me it would cost to rent a car for a three-day weekend when I searched last month. This is really the question of hard negotiation with car rental companies, as they prefer (of course!) I have noted that you say drivers license of our country is sufficient to allow us to drive in Croatia. You can get international drivers licence in AAA office for about $30. So if you only plan on passing through Neum in order to reach Dubrovnik, you don't need to pay a cross-border fee. What I cant ascertain from the websites is if we can take the car into Italy and costs of going through the border. 4. It isn't common, but be prudent and mindful, and don't leave your stuff in sight. . and another question on if not driving car so easy to commute to one city to another city ? Check Rentalcars for deals: https://goo.gl/aozEKx. Besides, only traveling by car allows you to make as many stops as you want in order to discover all those beautiful places along the way. Huge difference! 3. any issue regarding crossing over into Slovenia with a car rented in Croatia? .