Owning a Car in Malta – Buying Vs Renting – The complete guide to get you started.

I have owned a couple of cars in the past few years. I have always wondered the way forward on how to be more efficient – what type of fuel should the car use to be more efficient?  Being a small country with a high number of vehicles on the road, what assessment should you make prior to purchasing a vehicle? And if you’re a foreigner, what is the process you should take before you purchase or rent a car in Malta; or even obtaining a licence in Malta? 

We will be going through the process of owning a car in Malta, maintaining it and all of the above, within this blog. 

There are a few things that need to be taken into account before buying or renting a car. Following, you’ll find all the pointers to get you started! 

Buying vs Renting – Pros vs Cons 

• Buying 
• Renting in the Common Way 
• Renting through minute-by-minute rates 

Driving licence in Malta – For EU and Non-EU citizens 

• Short guide on how to get started
• Conclusion
• Summary 
• Our personal experience 

Buying vs Renting a car in Malta

As stated, I’ve got quite a good feel in this process. We will be going over the pros and cons of each. 

Pros vs Cons 

Buying a Car 

Pros  

• It’s yours, you own it, you can do whatever you want with the vehicle within the confinements of the law. 
• There are no established monthly fees. It’s a onetime payment. This might be interpreted differently to each situation as you might have bought the car with a loan. Still however, after you pay the loan, the car is still yours not the company’s. 
• You’ve got the option to choose whatever car within your budget you desire. 
• It is usually cheaper than renting a vehicle. (this will be further discussed in the blog.) – NOT ALWAYS THOUGH. 

Cons 

• A lot of maintenance cost – Servicing, repairing body scrapes that aren’t your fault, etc. 
• The stress of having your car parked outside – being scared that you won’t find your bumper after work or something. 
• If you want to sell the car, there is a whole process on how to do so. 
• The car usually devalues/depreciates. It’s rare that a car appreciates in value – normally in this situation the car would be esteemed as a classic vehicle.  
• Licence and insurance costs might fluctuate on the high side. 

For a full guide on how to buy a car in Malta – Click here. 

Renting a Car 

In recent times, there has been a new concept of renting a car which opens a totally new spectrum to renting a car. For this section, we will split the way of renting in two parts.  

Common Way – Mainstream Car rental companies like Hertz, Goldcar, Avis, etc.

Pros 

• Less worries as the vehicle is not yours.  
• Less maintenance hassles and costs. This might differ from one company to another as some companies offer different services and terms.  

Cons 

• It is not as private as it is not yours. 

• Monthly payment. 
• Not customisable. 
• Might be more costly. 
• Might have some hassle with documentation (but not that likely). 
• Fuel is on you. 

Renting a car per trip through Rental Apps – like Goto app

You’ll book a car with the app and you’ll go for it wherever it is parked. The car you book is not always the same one. 

Pros 

• Might be cheaper per month (personally it is cheaper). 
• No maintenance costs. 
• Parking spaces = less stress. 
• Environmentally friendly as they are mainly electric (differing from company to company). 
• No fuel costs. 

• No insurance and Licence costs. 

Cons 

• The car might not be always available. 
• You have to park in their established spaces – so you cannot park the car in front of your house, unless their parking area is in front of you. 
• It is a minute per minute use. (not always a bad thing). 
• No personal connection with the vehicle (for me it is a small difference). 

It depends which you choose. You need to make your homework on the regards. For myself I would consider the 3 of the following options accordingly. 

• If you’re a foreigner coming for a week with your family  

• I would rent a car the common way. 

• If you’re living in Malta for the long haul 

• I would analyse what is a must and what is not. 

Driving licence in Malta – For EU and Non-EU citizens

This might be a hectic process for some, but fear no more, we’ve got you covered. Firstly, let’s assume you have got a licence in your country. Following, you’ll find the minimum requirements: 

• Minimum 18 years 
• In possession of a driving permit in your country 

For EU citizens 

•  As you’re an EU citizen, you’re able to drive without any hassle with your own licence obtained back in your native EU country.  
• Your native licence should be valid. 
• You could obtain a Maltese driving licence after 185 days living in Malta. 
• You’ll find all the requirements in the following link. – Click Here

Non-EU citizens 

• You’re able to drive in Malta with your obtained native licence up to 12 months. These 12 months start from the day of issuing in Malta. 
• After these 12 months the licence expires and you are not able to use it anymore 
• Following the date of expiry (12 months in Malta) you have to start the lessons to obtain the driving licence.  
• All valid information it to be found within the following link. – Click Here

To obtain a licence in Malta click here 

To learn more regarding the driving licence points system – click here

Conclusion

For me personally, all of the above is the assessment that I usually take. However, I’ll guide you even more with some top tips. 

1. Do your Accounts. – Financial and daily amends. 
2. Do you really need a car daily 24/7?  
3. Check this blog for the pros and cons of renting vs buying options 
4. Most importantly is checking if you have got a valid licence and what is the process to obtain one. 

I think for myself, the most reasonable is to use the Goto app in Malta. For several reasons.  

• I don’t use the car 24/7 
• Too much maintenance and running costs. 
• It is good for the environment 
• Less hassle in general 

Not a commissioned, biased point of view, but an honest one. I really think this is the future of cars not only in Malta, but all over the world. I think that people will be more willing to use these kinds of services in the future rather than having their own car or using the conventional renting services. I think that a lot of things will be standardised and more people will start using them. As competition rises, prices will be bound to decrease. I see a future in this kind of service and an even bigger potential.