Can You Take a Rental Car on a Ferry? Rules, Restrictions and What to Ask

Most rental companies allow you to take a rental car on a ferry — but the default assumption is that they don’t. You need to check before you book, get written authorisation before you travel, and understand exactly what your insurance covers once the car is on a car deck.

This guide covers the universal rules. For destination-specific details, see the individual posts on Greek islands, Croatia, Sicily, Sardinia, Malta to Gozo, Corsica, Canary Islands, and Spain to Morocco.

Why rental companies care about ferries

When your rental car boards a ferry, the vehicle leaves the company’s operating territory and enters a space the company cannot control. Risks on a car deck include:

• Water damage from rough seas or spray
• Damage from straps and tie-downs during loading
• Theft from unlocked vehicles on overnight crossings
• Entering a different country’s insurance jurisdiction
• The car being involved in an incident the company can’t investigate

For these reasons, most contracts require explicit permission for any ferry crossing — even a 20-minute strait crossing.

Written authorisation: what it is and how to get it

Written authorisation is a document (usually a letter or addendum to the rental contract) from the rental company confirming that you are permitted to cross by ferry on specific routes, during specific dates, and to specific destinations.

How to get it:

1. At booking: Some companies ask during the booking process whether you plan ferry crossings. Tick yes.
2. At pickup: Tell the desk agent you plan to take a ferry and ask them to note it on the contract or provide a letter. Get it in writing — verbal permission is useless if questioned at the port.
3. Before you travel: Call the company’s customer service if you forgot to ask at pickup. Email confirmation works as written authorisation.

What the authorisation should specify:

• The route (e.g. Split to Hvar, Piraeus to Heraklion)
• The dates or rental period
• The destination country (critical for cross-border crossings)

Insurance coverage on the car deck

Standard CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) may or may not extend to the car deck. Read your policy carefully.

Common scenarios:

Situation	Usually covered?
Damage from other vehicles shifting on deck	Depends on policy
Flood/water damage in extreme weather	Often excluded
Theft from the car during overnight crossing	Usually excluded
Fire on the car deck	Covered by ferry’s own insurance
Loading/unloading scrapes	Covered if photographed before boarding

Practical steps: Before boarding any ferry, photograph every panel of the car in good light. Do it again on arrival. This is your evidence if damage appears during transit.

For overnight crossings, take all valuables out of the car. The car deck is not monitored by staff throughout the voyage.

Car deck booking vs drive-on

On most routes, you need to book a car space on the ferry in advance — it is not the same as buying a passenger ticket.

• Car deck booking: you reserve a specific vehicle space, pay for the car separately from passengers
• Drive-on: some shorter routes allow you to queue and board without a reservation (Malta–Gozo Gozo Channel Company is one example)

In summer, popular routes book out weeks in advance. If you’re travelling July–August on Croatia’s islands, Greek islands, or Sardinia, book the car deck space at the same time as your flight.

What happens if the company refuses at the port

If you arrive at a ferry port with a rental car and either:

• Forgot to get written authorisation
• Have a contract that explicitly prohibits ferry crossings
• Are trying to cross to a country not covered by the contract

The ferry company will usually still let you board. But:

• You’re in breach of your rental contract. Any damage that occurs is not covered.
• Your CDW is voided for the duration of the crossing.
• The rental company can charge you for any damage, plus potentially for breach of contract.

Don’t try it. A €40 ferry ticket is not worth a €2,000 excess.

Cross-border ferry crossings

If your ferry crosses a national border (e.g. Spain to Morocco, Split to Ancona, Piraeus to Bari), you need:

1. Written authorisation for the destination country
2. Confirmation your insurance extends to that country (check the Green Card territory list)
3. Customs documentation if bringing the car into a non-EU country

Note: crossing Bosnia’s Neum corridor by road (old Croatian A1 route, now bypassed by Pelješac Bridge) also technically required border documentation. The new bridge eliminates this issue for Croatia–Split routes.

Quick checklist before boarding

• Written authorisation from rental company in hand (not just verbal)
• Insurance confirmed for destination country
• Car deck reservation made (not just passenger ticket)
• All panels photographed before boarding
• Valuables removed from car for overnight crossings
• Green Card covers destination (for non-EU crossings)

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Compare rental prices with free cancellation — most major companies allow ferry crossings when asked.

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