Do you need a car?
Not always, and we would rather tell you now. If you are staying in Valletta, Sliema or St Julian's for a few days, buses and harbour ferries will do, and a car is a parking problem.
- Three days in Valletta or Sliema
- Skip the car
- A week with a day or two on Gozo
- Hire for those days
- Staying in Mellieħa, Marsaxlokk or a village
- Hire one
- Family with a pushchair and cases
- Hire one
Check your accommodation has parking before you book. That decides more than anything else.
Driving on the left
Malta drives on the left, as the UK does. Roundabouts run clockwise and you give way to traffic already on them. Most visitors settle in within a day. If you are used to the right, an automatic leaves you one less thing to think about.
- Open roads
- 80 km/h
- Built-up areas
- 50 km/h
- Petrol, held by government
- €1.34 a litre
- Diesel
- €1.21 a litre
Pump prices as of October 2026.
Parking
This is the hard part of driving here. The colour of the bay tells you most of it, but the sign beside it has the final word, because hours and residents' rules vary by town.
- White bays
- Generally open to all
- Yellow lines or bays
- Never
- Blue bays
- Residents, at set hours
- Green bays
- Check the sign
Transport Malta's public car parks are free. Attendants there may hope for a tip, but they are not entitled to one.
Valletta's access charge
Cameras at the city gates charge by the hour on weekday mornings. There is no booth and nothing to pay on the day.
- Rate after the free period
- €0.82 an hour
- Daily cap
- €6.52
- Enter after 14:00 on a weekday
- Free
- Weekends and public holidays
- Free
The bill goes to us as the registered keeper and can take months to arrive. We pass it on at cost, with no handling fee. Park on the ring road, outside the zone, and you avoid it.
Taking a car to Gozo
Yes, you can, and your cover comes with you, on the crossing too. Tell us when you book so it is on your agreement. The ferry runs from Ċirkewwa, at the northern tip of Malta, to Mġarr.
- Crossing
- About 25 minutes
- Car and driver, up to 5.3 m
- €15.70 return
- Car and driver, 5.3 to 5.5 m
- €20.70 return
- Each passenger
- €4.65
You pay on the Gozo side, at Mġarr, on the way back. There is no booking for the car ferry; boarding is first come, first served. Fares change, so check Gozo Channel before you travel.
On-the-spot fines
Since 2026, anyone without Maltese residence can be fined at the roadside for parking and many driving offences. This is new, and most rental firms do not mention it.
- You pay there and then, electronically. Cash is not taken.
- The officer must tell you the offence, the amount and what happens next.
- Paying does not stop you contesting the fine later.
- If you refuse, police may hold your travel documents.
- The minimum was reported at €50 from August 2026.
Legal Notice 182 of 2026. This is a summary, not legal advice.
If you have an accident
Stay calm. The only job is to do this in order.
- Stop, switch off, and do not move the car unless it is dangerous to leave it.
- If anyone is hurt, call 112.
- If nobody is hurt, a local warden attends. Police attend injuries and damage to public property.
- Photograph the cars, the plates and the road.
- Call us on +356 9905 6366. We will take it from there.