Rent a car in Albania

Standard is 21 with at least one year of driving experience. Premium classes raise the bar to 23–25. A young-driver fee of €3.50–10 a day, or a flat ~€50, applies under 25 — it is added at the desk and shown in the quote before you confirm. There is no upper age limit in Albania.

Yes. Most local TakeCars partners use the card only for the 15–20% online prepayment; the balance and the deposit are paid in cash in euros or lek on collection. EU and UK debit cards are widely accepted. A credit card is only mandatory at the global chains; the local market works fine without one.

Yes. EU and EEA licences are accepted as they are. UK, US, Canadian and Australian licences in Latin script are accepted by the vast majority of local suppliers. For first-time visits we recommend pairing the licence with an IDP — police checks sometimes ask for one, and it costs only a few pounds or euros to issue.

A passport with the entry stamp, a driving licence in Latin script and a bank card for the online prepayment. An IDP is recommended for non-EU visitors. If you add a second driver, bring their licence too — at local suppliers this is usually free, while international chains charge €3–7 per day.

No. The ferry company does not allow rental cars on board — this is the operator's rule, not the rental supplier's. Park the car in a paid lot in Sarandë (€5–10 a day) and travel as a foot passenger. The crossing costs €19–35 one way and takes 30–70 minutes depending on the vessel.

There is no fixed legal requirement; the rule is "by weather". Winter tyres (M+S) are strongly recommended from November to March if you plan to drive to Theth, Valbona, Korçë or the northern mountains. Studded tyres are banned year-round. In summer, cars run on summer or all-season tyres, which is enough for the coast.

95-octane petrol costs around €1.60–2.10 per litre, diesel slightly less at €1.50–1.80. LPG is widely available locally but rarely fitted to rental cars. Stations are dense along the coast and the Tirana — Durrës motorway, sparser in the mountains. Kosovo and North Macedonia are noticeably cheaper if you cross.

Yes. Almost every supplier uses the "full-to-full" rule: you receive the car with a full tank and return it the same way. Top up 5–10 km before the return office and keep the receipt. If you bring it back with less, the supplier will refuel at a marked-up rate plus a €15–30 service fee.

Fines are paid at any Posta Shqiptare branch, at a bank, or by card with the officer if a terminal is available. Pay within 15 days of the offence and a 50% discount applies. If a fine remains unpaid, the rental company will charge it to your card after return, plus a €10–30 admin fee.

Yes — one-way within Albania is offered by almost all our partners. Standard surcharge is €20–80 on Tirana ↔ Sarandë / Vlorë / Gjirokastër routes. International one-way to Podgorica, Dubrovnik or Pristina costs €300–600 and is offered by a small number of suppliers. The fee is shown in the quote before booking.

The vast majority of cars in the catalogue come with unlimited mileage — the local standard. A 150–250 km/day cap occasionally appears on long-term tariffs (30+ days) and on some luxury cars. If a limit applies, it is shown on the car's page; over-mileage costs €0.15–0.30 per kilometre.

At the airport you usually pay €3–8 a day more because of the airport surcharge. If you are staying one or two days in Tirana before driving on, picking the car up in town saves money. If you are heading straight out across the country, taking it at TIA saves you an hour and €15–20 on a taxi.

Yes, by law: children under three must be in a proper seat; under 12 or below 150 cm cannot sit in the front. The fine is €50–100. Our partners offer child seats at €5–10 a day or €30–50 for the whole rental — book one when you reserve the car, summer stocks run out fast.

No. Most contracts explicitly ban smoking, transporting pets without prior approval and food with strong smells. Breach of the clause carries a cleaning fee of €50–150. If you plan to travel with a dog, message the manager in advance — some partners accept pets with an additional cleaning deposit.

Yes. The minimum rental is 24 hours from collection. A late return of up to one hour is usually free; beyond that, the next day is charged. A handful of small local suppliers ask for a three-day minimum (more common in high season), but they make up less than a fifth of the catalogue.