Car hire prices at Karpathos Airport

At Karpathos Airport, a Compact car like a Ford Focus averages around £30 a day when booked about a month ahead of October 2026, alongside an Economy at £24 and a Mini at £21. An Intermediate car such as a Nissan Qashqai is about £42 across the month. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Compact rate to £25. Across the year, prices reach their highest in August 2027 at £82 a day for an Intermediate, compared to £17 in March 2027 for a Mini. Use our price checker to see rates for your exact dates.

For October 2026 at Karpathos Airport, when you book barely moves the price, shifting rates by less than £1 a day on average. A Compact car costs £30 a day booked a month before your trip, compared to £25 in the final 2 weeks. Across the year, booking 9 months ahead averages £34 a day, exactly the same as booking a month or 2 weeks out. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for on our sites, 48% of people book within 2 weeks of travel.

Thrifty and Auto-Union are the cheapest companies at Karpathos Airport for a Compact car, both averaging £31 a day over the last 12 months, with Auto-Union priced from 1,010 prices. Both providers operate counters inside the terminal, though Auto-Union requires a credit card while Thrifty accepts debit cards. Auto-Union scores 86/100 from 389 customer reviews with an 18-minute average desk wait. For comparison, Europcar averages £45 a day over the same period but does not yet have enough reviews for a score.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Thrifty is the best-reviewed company at Karpathos Airport, scoring 89/100 from 228 customer reviews with an average desk wait of 23 minutes. Thrifty is also among the cheapest suppliers on the island, averaging £31 a day for a Compact car. Budget and Hertz follow closely on reviews, each scoring 88/100, though Budget averages £34 a day and Hertz averages £34. Europcar has an average desk wait of 15 minutes, but does not yet have enough reviews for a score.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At Karpathos Airport, card deposits range from £200 with Europcar up to £856 with Thrifty, and 2 of the 6 counters accept a debit card. Another 2 desks take a debit card for some cars only, while 2 require a credit card in the driver's name. The deposit and card rule for each vehicle appear beside the quote in the price checker, so filter for debit cards before comparing. Any optional extras charged at the desk are listed under each vehicle with their prices.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

Karpathos Airport counters enforce strict payment card rules that can leave you facing unexpected deposit holds on arrival. Two desks refuse debit cards outright, and 2 others allow them only for select vehicles, meaning an unexpected £856 hold on your credit card if you book with Thrifty. Narrow roads and tight island corners also punish large vehicles, making a small car the easier steer. All 6 counters operate inside the airport terminal, so you will not need to wait for a shuttle bus.

Only 93% of prices at Karpathos Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

Only 28% of cars offered at Karpathos Airport are automatic, costing £8 more a day than a manual Compact car. For up to 5 people, pick a Compact car like a Ford Focus, priced at £30 a day for October 2026. It seats 5 but holds 3 bags, so a full car leaves luggage on laps. An Economy Opel Corsa holds 2 bags at £24 a day, while an Intermediate Nissan Qashqai takes 4 bags. Electric and hybrid cars are barely 1% of cars offered, so you will drive petrol.