How car hire is sold
Through us or through a comparison site?
Most car hire in Malta is sold through intermediaries, this site included. What differs is whose terms apply and whose cover you buy.
What changes, line by line
| Through a broker | Through MaltaBest | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you pay | The booking site, usually up front | MaltaBest, in full by card when you book, on Stripe's secure page |
| Whose terms apply | The supplying operator's, not the site's | The rental agreement signed at the desk, with its excess, deposit and cover shown before you book |
| Excess cover | Often a separate policy sold at checkout; you pay damage first and claim it back | Part of the rental agreement, so it cuts the excess itself: €1,800 to €4,000 by class on Essential, no excess on Zero Excess Protection (a €300 deposit is still held) |
| Changing a booking | Through the site, subject to its rules and the operator's | Through us, by email or phone, subject to availability; bookings are non-refundable |
| If something goes wrong | The site for the booking, the operator for the car | Our booking team for the booking; the desk at Park East for the car |
Where the two come apart
Almost every complaint about car hire is a version of the same story: the price agreed online wasn't the price at the counter, or the cover bought online didn't cover the thing that happened. Both come from the same gap: what was sold online didn't match the rental agreement signed at the counter.
The excess is where it bites hardest. A broker's excess policy usually works by reimbursement: the operator still holds the full amount on your card and still charges you for damage, and you claim it back afterwards with paperwork. Cover that is part of the rental agreement reduces the liability itself: there's nothing to claim back because nothing was taken.
None of which makes brokers illegitimate. It means the excess, the deposit and the cover are worth checking before you book, wherever you book.
How car hire is sold: common questions
- What's the difference between a broker and a rental company?
- A broker sells you a booking; a rental company gives you a car. The broker takes the payment and passes the reservation to whichever operator supplied the rate. That operator's terms — not the broker's — govern the excess, the fuel policy and what happens at the desk.
- Is booking through an intermediary a bad idea?
- Not inherently, and plenty of rentals booked that way go perfectly well. Whichever way you book, check the excess, the deposit and the cover before you confirm, so nothing at the counter comes as a surprise.
- How can I tell which one I'm dealing with?
- Read who the contract is with. If the confirmation names one company and the desk belongs to another, you booked through an intermediary. Excess-insurance policies sold at checkout by the booking site rather than the operator are another reliable sign.
- What is MaltaBest?
- MaltaBest is an intermediary booking platform for car hire in Malta and Gozo. Before you confirm, the booking shows the daily rate, the cover, the excess, the deposit and the pickup point, and the rental is then paid in full by card on Stripe's secure page.
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