The minimum age and how long you must have held a licence
Two things decide whether you can be the driver: your age, and how long you have held your licence. With Nova Drive you can hire from age 21, and you need to have held a full driving licence for at least 2 years. Both conditions have to be met, so a 21-year-old who passed their test six months ago would not yet qualify, while a 21-year-old who has held a full licence since they were 18 would.
This pairing is common across car hire because insurers look at driving experience as much as age. A provisional or learner permit does not count; the licence needs to be a full one. If you are booking for a group, make sure whoever will actually drive meets both conditions, and remember that only named drivers on the agreement are covered to drive the car.
If you would like more than one person to share the driving, ask about adding an additional driver when you book so everyone is covered from the start. It is far easier to arrange in advance than to sort out at the desk.
The young-driver surcharge under 25
Drivers between 21 and 24 can hire, but a young-driver surcharge applies to anyone under 25. This is a standard part of car hire and reflects the higher risk insurers attach to younger, less experienced drivers. It is a per-day charge, so a longer hire carries more of it than a short one.
The important thing from our side is that there are no surprises. The surcharge, where it applies, is shown clearly before you book, folded into the price you see rather than sprung on you at the counter. You will know exactly what a booking costs for a driver under 25 before you commit, which makes it easy to compare and to budget.
If a slightly older person in your party also meets the age and licence conditions, it can be worth having them as the main driver to avoid the surcharge, with the younger driver added as an additional driver only if they genuinely need to drive. Whatever you decide, the figures are on the table up front. You can see how this fits alongside the deposit and cover on our affordable car rental page.
What to bring to the desk
Having the right documents ready keeps the handover quick. For the main driver, please bring the following:
- A full, valid driving licence, held for at least the 2-year minimum. Bring the physical licence, not just a photo of it, and if your licence has both a photocard and a paper counterpart, bring both parts.
- A passport or photo ID to confirm your identity and that it matches the booking.
- A payment card in the main driver's name for the refundable deposit. The card needs to be in the name of the person booking and driving, and to have enough available headroom to cover the hold.
The deposit is a temporary hold placed on the card at pickup, not a charge. It is released after the car is returned in good order, and the exact amount depends on the car class and is shown before you book. If you want the full picture of how the hold and the excess work, our deposit and excess explainer covers both in plain terms.
One small habit that helps: check that the name on your booking, your licence and your payment card all match before you travel. A mismatch, for example a booking made in a nickname or a partner's card, is the most common thing that slows a collection down.
When you need an International Driving Permit
Most visitors do not need anything beyond their national licence. EU and UK licences are accepted in Malta as issued, and if your licence is written in the Latin (Roman) alphabet it is generally straightforward to read and accept.
The case where an International Driving Permit (IDP) matters is when your licence is not in the Latin alphabet, for example a licence issued only in Arabic, Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese or another non-Latin script. In that situation the IDP acts as a recognised translation of your existing licence, presented alongside it rather than instead of it. An IDP is not a standalone document; you carry it together with your original national licence.
You arrange an IDP in your home country before you travel, usually through the national motoring authority or an authorised body, because you cannot obtain one after you arrive. Rules on which documents are accepted can change, so if you are unsure whether your particular licence needs an IDP, it is worth confirming the current requirement before you book, and our Malta car hire guide sets out the basics too. If in doubt, our Malta-based team is happy to talk it through.
Booking with the right driver from the start
Putting it together, the smoothest bookings are the ones where the driver details are right from the outset. Decide who will drive, check they are at least 21 and have held a full licence for two years or more, note whether the under-25 surcharge applies, and make sure the booking, licence and card names all match. Add any additional drivers, and arrange an IDP in advance if your licence is in a non-Latin script.
Because we are the operator and not a broker, the requirements you see are the requirements that apply, and the price, including any young-driver surcharge, is the price you pay. You collect at Malta International Airport with a meet-and-greet, and every booking comes with free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup, so you can reserve early and adjust if your plans or your driver change. If you would rather not change gear while you get used to driving on the left, an automatic car is the easier choice for many first-time visitors. Browse the fleet or get in touch when you are ready.