Fuel stations on Malta: easy to find, with a daily rhythm
The main island is well served for fuel. Stations sit along most of the busier roads and around the edges of towns, so on Malta you are rarely more than a short drive from somewhere to fill up. Fuel is sold in litres and priced in euros. We do not quote fuel prices here because they change; the pump display when you stop is the figure that counts.
The service pattern is the part worth knowing. Many stations run attended service during the day, with someone filling the tank for you, then typically switch to unmanned self-service after hours, on Sundays and on public holidays, using automatic pay-at-pump machines. Most machines take banknotes and many also take cards, but keeping a few euro notes in the car means a late-night fill is never a problem. And whenever you fill up, keep the receipt; it matters under our fuel policy, as you will see below.
Filling up before the Gozo ferry
Gozo differs in one small way: fuel stations are scarcer there than on Malta. There are stations on the island, so you will not be stranded, but they are fewer and further between, and the same after-hours self-service pattern typically applies. The habit that removes all doubt is simple: fill up on Malta before you board the ferry at Cirkewwa, especially if you are crossing in the evening or planning a full day behind the wheel.
A full tank goes a long way on Gozo. The island is small and distances are short, so most day-trippers will not need to refuel until they are back on Malta. Our guide to taking a hire car to Gozo covers the ferry itself, and the Gozo car rental page covers driving on the island once you land.
Petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric: what you will be driving
Fuel type follows car size in our fleet, and it is always shown on the vehicle's page before you book, so you know what to put in before you reach a pump.
- Petrol powers the small city cars and most of the mid-size fleet, from the Toyota Aygo and Fiat 500 up to SUVs such as the Peugeot 3008 and the 7-seat Peugeot 5008.
- Diesel is for the big vehicles: the Citroën Berlingo and the 9-seat minivans, the Peugeot Traveller (manual) and the Ford Tourneo Custom (automatic).
- Hybrids such as the Opel Corsa Hybrid, the Opel Frontera MPV and the 7-seat Citroën C3 Aircross MPV are petrol cars with electric assistance, refuelled like any other petrol car.
- Electric covers the Hyundai Inster city SUV and the 8-seat Citroën ë-Dispatch MPV, both automatic, with charging guidance provided with the vehicle.
Whatever you drive, check the fuel grade before you pump. Damage from putting the wrong fuel in the tank is not covered by any protection package and remains the renter's responsibility in full, so take ten seconds to read the fuel flap before you lift a nozzle.
The like-for-like fuel policy, explained
Nova Drive applies a like-for-like fuel policy, and it works exactly as it sounds. At pick-up, the fuel level is recorded with you, so you see and agree the starting level. You then return the car at the same level. Collect it full, bring it back full; collect it at three-quarters, and three-quarters is all we ask.
If the car comes back below the recorded level, the shortfall is charged at the local pump price for the missing fuel plus a EUR 10 refuelling service fee. The fuel itself is billed at the pump price rather than a marked-up rate, and the fee covers the trip to the station. The easy way to avoid it is to fill up shortly before you return the car, and to keep your fuel receipts in case there is any query about the level.
Electric and hybrid vehicles follow the same principle: they must be returned with at least the charge level recorded at pick-up. Charging guidance is provided with the vehicle, so you will know how and where to top up during your trip.
Where fuel fits in the rest of your booking
A fuel policy you can read in one paragraph sits well with the rest of how we work: one all-in price shown before you book, payment at the desk on pickup, free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup, and a refundable deposit that is held on a credit card rather than charged. For the full picture of how hiring works, from the airport meet-and-greet to what your price includes, see our car rental in Malta guide.
If you would rather skip fuel stations altogether, our electric car rental page covers the EVs in the fleet and what charging on the islands involves. Either way, the fleet page shows each car's fuel type before you decide.