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Car Rental in Cyprus

Cyprus drives on the left on wide, well-built roads inherited from British rule, which makes it one of the gentlest places to try left-hand driving. Rentals are cheap, the motorways link every corner of the south in under two hours, and the one real complication is the Green Line: your rental insurance stops at the crossing to Northern Cyprus, where you buy a separate policy at the border.

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By Sophie5 min readPublished
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The rocky coastline near Pomos in western Cyprus, seen from the coast road
Photo: Gerda Arendt · CC0

In Brief

Is it worth renting a car in Cyprus?

Yes - buses between the main towns are decent, but the Troodos mountain villages, the Akamas peninsula and the quieter beaches all need a car, and rentals start around $22/day. Cyprus drives on the left, and rental cars carry red plates so locals give you room. The roads are wide and modern, distances are short, and the main thing to plan is the north: standard rental insurance is void across the Green Line, so you buy separate cover at the crossing - and some firms bar their cars from going at all.

Key takeaways

  • From about $22/day; among the cheaper rentals in the Mediterranean.
  • You drive on the left, UK-style; rental cars wear red plates.
  • Crossing to Northern Cyprus voids your insurance - buy a border policy or check your contract.
  • Fixed speed cameras are common on the motorways and in towns; limits are in km/h.

$22/day

economy class, before extras

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How much does car rental cost in Cyprus?

Rough daily prices by car type. Rates rise in peak season - book early for the best deal.

Car typePrice / dayGood to know
Small manual$22-40/dayCheapest option and fine for the whole south; easy parking in towns.
Small automatic$28-55/dayWidely available here, and worth it if left-hand driving is new to you.
Compact SUV$40-75/dayComfort for Troodos hairpins and the rough Akamas tracks - check insurance off tarmac.
Mid-size / estate$45-85/daySpace for families doing Paphos to the mountains and back.
Peak summer (any class)$45-80/day for small carsJuly-August roughly doubles the winter rates; book ahead.

Transmission: Unusually for Europe, automatics are common thanks to the UK-style market - but the cheapest cars are still manual.

Driving in Cyprus: what to know

  • Left side, UK-style roads

    Cyprus kept left-hand driving from British rule, along with roundabouts and familiar UK-style signage. The dangerous moments are the first junction of the day and pulling out of car parks - a reminder note on the dashboard genuinely helps. Automatics are easy to get here, which removes shifting with the left hand from the equation.

  • Crossing to Northern Cyprus

    Your rental insurance is void north of the Green Line. At crossings like Agios Dometios in Nicosia you can buy short-term third-party cover at the border booth, paid in cash, but check your contract first - some rental firms forbid taking the car across, and any damage in the north is then entirely on you.

  • Speed cameras are everywhere now

    Cyprus rolled out a large fixed and mobile camera network, on the motorways and at town junctions, and fines reach the rental company and then your card. Limits are 100km/h on motorways, 80 on open roads and 50 in towns, and enforcement of phone and seatbelt rules is strict.

  • Troodos villages are steep and narrow

    The mountain roads to Omodos, Kakopetria and the high monasteries are well surfaced but full of hairpins, and village lanes narrow to a single car with stone walls on both sides. Park at the village entrance and walk in, and in winter check conditions - the summit area gets real snow and occasionally requires chains.

  • Red plates buy you patience

    Rental cars in the south carry distinctive red number plates, so every driver around you knows you may be new to the left side. Locals generally give red plates extra room - take the courtesy, use your mirrors at roundabouts and don't be pushed into rushing.

  • The Akamas tracks are not really roads

    The tracks beyond Lara Bay and into the Akamas peninsula are rough dirt, and standard insurance excludes unpaved driving even for SUVs. Go as far as the tarmac takes you and walk or join a boat trip beyond, unless your contract explicitly covers it.

Best drives in Cyprus

The routes worth renting a car for - see our road trips guide for more.

  • Paphos → Akamas & Lara Bay

    Sea caves, the Aphrodite baths at Latchi and turtle beaches on the wild western tip - a relaxed day out.

  • The Troodos loop

    Limassol up through Omodos wine country to Mount Olympus and the painted churches, down via Kakopetria - a full day of hairpins.

  • Larnaca → Cape Greco → Protaras

    The southeast coast: salt lake flamingos in winter, then sea caves and clear-water coves along the cape.

  • Nicosia & the Green Line

    The divided capital, with an optional walk or drive across the buffer zone - sort the insurance before taking the car north.

Car rental in Cyprus: FAQ

The questions travelers ask most before renting a car here.

Small manual cars start around $22/day outside peak season, small automatics $28-55, and SUVs $40-75. July and August push small cars to $45-80/day, while winter rates drop sharply - Cyprus is a genuinely cheap place to rent for most of the year. Budget a little extra for full-coverage insurance and, if you plan to cross north, the border policy in cash.

Sometimes. Your southern rental insurance is void across the Green Line, so at the vehicle crossings you buy separate third-party cover from a booth at the border, typically cash only. But check your rental contract first: some companies permit the crossing with that insurance, others prohibit it outright, and driving north against the contract leaves you personally liable for everything.

It's about the easiest place to learn. Roads are wide and modern, signage follows the familiar UK pattern, automatics are widely available so there's no wrong-handed gear shifting, and the red plates on every rental tell locals to give you space. Concentrate at roundabouts and when pulling out from parking, and most drivers feel settled within a day.

For the beach strips of Paphos, Limassol or Ayia Napa alone, no - buses and taxis cover those. But the best of the island is inland and on the wild coasts: the Troodos villages and monasteries, Akamas, Cape Greco and the quiet coves between towns. Distances are short, so even a two or three day rental in the middle of a package week covers most of it.

April-June and September-November: warm swimming weather from May, comfortable driving temperatures, and rental prices well below the July-August peak, when it's also simply too hot at midday to enjoy inland drives. Winter is the cheapest and still mild on the coast - and the odd one out, since you can drive to snow in the Troodos and be back by the sea for lunch.

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