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Cyprus rents on the left, with red rental plates and free A1–A9 motorways. Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos and Ayia Napa are the four common pickup hubs; Northern Cyprus is a separate story.
Where to rent a car in Cyprus
Cyprus is a small island with surprisingly varied geography, where buses and shared taxis honestly only reach the main resorts and a few well-known beaches. Everything else — the mountain villages of Troodos, the wineries around Omodos, the wild bays of Akamas, the monasteries off the main roads — is out of reach without a car. So renting a car on Cyprus is not really about comfort. It is the condition that makes the trip make sense.
Cyprus has four traits that set it apart from other European destinations. Traffic drives on the left here — a legacy of British rule, with the steering wheel on the right. There are no toll roads and no vignette: the A1 to A9 motorway network covers the whole south of the island and is free for everyone. Northern Cyprus is its own story, with separate rules and separate insurance — worth planning for in advance. And, most visibly, every rental car carries red number plates.
When local drivers spot red plates in the mirror, they tend to leave more space without even thinking about it. They know the driver is most likely a tourist, still settling into traffic on the left.
Most trips are built around four points on the island. Car hire in Larnaca is the most common starting point — the main airport sits here, with the widest choice of suppliers. Rent a car in Limassol suits travellers heading into the mountains or along the south coast. Car rental in Paphos makes sense if you fly into the smaller PFO airport, especially for a holiday on the western side. Hire a car in Ayia Napa works for anyone basing themselves on the eastern coast.
A simple rule of thumb: if your trip is shorter than three days and you stay in one town, taxis can do the job. From three days and up, a car pays for itself in route freedom and in saving on group tours, which on Cyprus tend to cost more per day than the rental itself.
Pick up at the airport, in the city, or at your hotel
Driving on the left: what really catches new drivers out
Most renters adjust to right-hand drive and left-hand traffic within a couple of hours. The brain rewires faster than people expect. The tricky moments do not happen on the open road — they show up in three specific places: at roundabouts, when turning into a quiet empty street, and in the first few minutes after pickup, while your hands are still learning where everything sits.
Roundabouts on Cyprus run clockwise. Priority belongs to traffic already on the circle, and you enter from the right. An empty street is a separate trap: with no other cars to follow, it is easy to drift back into the right lane out of habit. For the first day or two, it helps to say it out loud — "left lane is mine".
The indicator and wiper stalks on a right-hand drive car are reversed. On day one, drivers regularly flick the wipers when they meant to signal a turn. It passes within a day or two — a little rite of passage every Cyprus visitor goes through.
The mountain roads in the Troodos are the next level. The surface is good, but the constant turns and long descents take getting used to. The biggest mistake is keeping your foot on the brake all the way down a long hill. The pads overheat and the car becomes harder to control. The right way is to drop a gear and let the engine do most of the slowing, with the brake only at the corner exits.
Toyota Vitz in Cyprus
Regarding the car rental, everything went unexpectedly comfortably and smoothly! There was some uncertainty in terms of the lack of a deposit and the quality of the vehicle itself, but when Jonny met me at the airport in a car, I was surprised. Everything got better: -service - price - quality
Toyota Yaris in Cyprus
I was satisfied, the car was delivered on time, in good condition. Liana is a very nice person, she explained everything to us. The only thing is, it's a pity that it was impossible to leave a deposit in cash, only by a card, and the return of this deposit, as Liana explained, takes up to 7 days, but thats the way it is) as I wrote above, in general I was satisfied, I recommend
Nissan Note in Cyprus
Everything was good!
Mazda Demio in Cyprus
Everything was great! Thank you 😁
Nissan Note in Cyprus
Everything is okay)
Honda Jazz in Cyprus
service was excellent and car was delivered as arranged. Dealing with paperwork was hassle free and the whole process was excellent. Only slight issue was the car had Japanese controls and this could not be changed to English. But apart from that, this was a faultless process. Thanks again
Honda Fit in Cyprus
Very well
Toyota Yaris in Cyprus
Thank you, everything went well. I'm happy with the car. Left-hand traffic is not familiar, but the experience is excellent. I am satisfied with the rental! Thanks for the service👌🤝😊
Nissan Note in Cyprus
It's ok Served super
Suzuki Alto in Cyprus
everything was great, I gave the site an excellent rating, good luck to you and thank you again
Nissan Note in Cyprus
Everything went well! Punctual and without any accidents! I drove the rented car for a whole month and I am satisfied with the price and quality of the rental! Thank you for this opportunity!
Nissan Note in Cyprus
Everything was correct and perfect! I recommend the localcarhires.com
Kia Stonic in Cyprus
everything went well. The car was given out quickly and taken back in. Car is clean new everything was super. Thank you
Northern Cyprus: separate rules, separate insurance
The border between the Republic of Cyprus and the northern (Turkish) part of the island is real, and not every supplier allows you to cross it in their car. Most companies forbid the trip outright: insurance taken out on the southern side does not work in the north. A few suppliers on Cyprus do allow the crossing, but it always needs to be agreed before booking, when picking the car. At the Agios Dometios (Metehan) checkpoint near Nicosia, you buy a separate Turkish third-party policy at the kiosk — it is cheap, but you will not be allowed in without it. It happens that a renter books with a supplier who does not allow Northern Cyprus, and ends up turned back at the border. Crossing rules need confirming before you sign the contract — not the day before the trip.
Northern Cyprus: separate rules, separate insurance
The border between the Republic of Cyprus and the northern (Turkish) part of the island is real, and not every supplier allows you to cross it in their car. Most companies forbid the trip outright: insurance taken out on the southern side does not work in the north. A few suppliers on Cyprus do allow the crossing, but it always needs to be agreed before booking, when picking the car. At the Agios Dometios (Metehan) checkpoint near Nicosia, you buy a separate Turkish third-party policy at the kiosk — it is cheap, but you will not be allowed in without it. It happens that a renter books with a supplier who does not allow Northern Cyprus, and ends up turned back at the border. Crossing rules need confirming before you sign the contract — not the day before the trip.
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No-deposit cars are a real option
A portion of our partners on Cyprus offer cars with no deposit at all. There is a filter on the site that narrows the listing to those cars only. It removes the most common worry travellers have — the chance of being charged for something at drop-off they did not expect.
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Met at the gate, no shuttle bus
At Larnaca and Paphos, your supplier meets you straight at arrivals with a flight-number sign. There is no rental desk to find, no shuttle bus to wait for and no queue. By the time other tourists are still being driven to the rental lot, you have signed the contract and you are on the road.
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Most European licences need no IDP
EU, EFTA, UK and Swiss licences are accepted on the plastic card alone — no International Driving Permit required. Licences from outside this group are accepted as long as they include Latin script. An IDP is needed only if your card is in a non-Latin alphabet, like Arabic, Chinese or Japanese.
Pricing, deposit, payment and insurance: how the money side works
Cyprus is a relatively affordable place to rent by European standards. In the off-season (November to March), economy cars start in the low twenties of euros per day. In the peak summer and over Easter, prices roughly double. Crossovers and automatics are the first to sell out, especially as summer approaches.
The island has historically had fewer SUVs than visitors expect. The fleet here leans towards compact and economy cars, which makes sense — distances are short, the mountain roads are narrow, and parking for a large car is harder. If your route includes plenty of mountain driving, a diesel saloon is sometimes the calmer choice; it pulls better on long climbs.
Demand for convertibles in summer outstrips supply by a wide margin. If a soft-top matters to you, book a month or two ahead. Most convertibles also carry a higher deposit — that comes from the insurer rather than the supplier, and there is not really a way around it.
Deposit: anywhere from zero to fifteen hundred
The deposit range on Cyprus is wider than in most of the region. The international chains (Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, Budget) hold five hundred to fifteen hundred euros on a credit card in the main driver's name. Local Cypriot suppliers usually take less — somewhere between one hundred and five hundred euros, often payable in cash or on a debit card.
Cash deposits are returned right after the inspection at drop-off. If the deposit was held on a card, the bank decides when to release it — anywhere from a few hours to two weeks — and we do not control that part of the process.
Two payment scenarios are common. The 15 to 20 percent online prepayment is settled by card on the booking page. The balance and the deposit on Cyprus are usually paid in euros — in cash or on a card at pickup. International chains will normally insist on a credit card for the full amount; local suppliers tend to be flexible.
We try to keep the prepayment step simple — most European cards work, and so do many cards issued outside the EU. The harder part to predict is which of your cards will work in shops and ATMs once you are on the island.
Insurance: where the excess hides
Third-party liability is included with every rental by law. Basic CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) usually comes with the car as well, but with an excess of 500 to 1,500 euros. The catch most renters miss: standard CDW on Cyprus typically does not cover the windscreen, the wheels with their rims, or the underside. The exact parts most likely to take damage.
Super CDW or Full Coverage drops the excess to zero and folds those exclusions back into the cover. The daily premium is small, especially when you add it online before pickup — at the airport desk the same option costs noticeably more. If your route includes the Troodos serpentines or the Akamas tracks, this is not the place to save money.
Renters often skip full cover to save a few euros, and then run into a small mishap in a car park. Recently, two visitors scuffed a wheel rim in Ayia Napa, and later something nudged the rear wing on a beach car park. With Full Coverage, they paid nothing extra.
Driving on the left tends to come with a habit of sitting closer to the kerb on the wrong side. On a fresh car that often ends in a scraped rim. Not a disaster, but without full cover it comes out of pocket.
The pace of Cyprus, and a word on routes
Cyprus rewards a slower tempo. If you drive at the speed of a city commute, the island does not really open up. Locals are usually happy to point you in the right direction — they will tell you which bakery opens at six and which mountain track leads to a quiet beach. Our blog has the routes that work in practice, and they come in handy when planning the trip.
Below — the average daily rental price in Cyprus by month.
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Средняя стоимость аренды авто на Кипре в сутки