Affordable car rental in Crete

Hi Pascale,

Which region of Crete are you looking to rent a car in?

Elenitsa

Hi there, No special deal to share; for my car rentals, I always use Carigami, a site that lets you compare different rental companies—especially the insurance details—and book. Everything’s included if you pick the right insurance level, so there’s nothing extra to pay at the rental counter when you arrive. I’ve booked through them twice in Crete for a good price with no issues at all. Just remember to bring a credit card (not debit) for the deposit, if required, at the rental desk.

Personally, I prefer going through local rental companies rather than a third party. You can compare on Carigami or others, but then it's better to book directly with the rental company. If there's a problem, you only have to deal with one person instead of several companies passing the buck.

Just a quick clarification based on my experience in Crete: the insurance offered by Carigami isn’t accepted by rental companies because it’s not the rental company’s insurance—it’s a third-party (intermediary) insurance. Rental agencies have no way to verify, manage, or integrate it into their contract.

Carigami sells "excess reimbursement" insurance, not vehicle insurance. The Carigami policy doesn’t directly cover the car. It reimburses you afterward if you have to pay an excess. The rental company, however, wants insurance that reduces or waives the excess immediately in *their* system. For them, your Carigami contract has no operational value.

Hi, I won’t debate the insurance topic since it’s not my area of expertise. But I’m pretty surprised by your feedback—I’ve used Carigami about ten times for car rentals, including twice in Crete (most recently six months ago), and none of the 10 rental companies had any issues with the provider’s insurance I had. I’ve never paid any extra fees when picking up the vehicle.