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Counterwise

HER · Report · November 2026

Heraklion Airport car hire report

Key numbers for the 30 car rental desks we rate at Heraklion International Airport "Nikos Kazantzakis" (HER), computed from our published data.

Data updated · reviewed by our editor on · Methodology

Desks rated
30
6,820 reviews analysed
Average score
5.9/10
median 5.7
Median starting deposit
€245
6 of 30 deposits known
No credit card needed
13%
4 of 30 desks, 10 not confirmed

Key findings

  • Counterwise rates 30 car rental desks at Heraklion International Airport "Nikos Kazantzakis" (HER): 3 Great (8 or more out of 10), 10 Mixed (6 to 7.9) and 17 Poor (below 6). The average Counterwise Score is 5.9/10.
  • The best-rated desk at Heraklion Airport is Gomega Car Rentals (8.9/10); the lowest-rated is ABBYCAR (3.4/10).
  • Where the deposit is known (6 of 30 desks), the typical starting deposit at Heraklion Airport is €245 (median), from €0 at Rental Center Crete up to €3,000 at Hertz.
  • 4 of 30 desks at Heraklion Airport (13%) do not require a credit card (debit cards accepted); the card rule is not confirmed yet for 10 desks.
  • 15 desks at Heraklion Airport are in or next to the terminal (average score 6.3) and 15 are off-site, reached by shuttle (average 5.5).
  • The most common traveller complaints at Heraklion Airport are pressure to buy insurance or extras (20 of 30 desks), damage charges after return (19 of 30 desks) and booking not honoured or price changed (17 of 30 desks).

Score distribution

How the 30 desks split across our score bands.

Best and worst desks

Lowest rated

  1. 30. ABBYCARMany recent reviews report charges of roughly €235 to €365 under an off-road clause enforced through GPS tracking, often after trips to a popular beach, and say it was not clearly explained at pickup. A few reviewers say they were warned clearly.3.4 · Poor
  2. 29. SurpriceMany recent reviews say the desk pressed them into buying extra insurance costing hundreds of euros, often after saying a broker or prepaid full cover was not valid. Some say the amount was raised to two or three times the rental price.3.6 · Poor
  3. 28. MONZA Rent a CarMany recent reviews say a debit, Amex, prepaid or third-party-name card was refused for the deposit at the counter and that the only way to get the car was to buy the desk's own cover. The extra amounts reported are roughly 125 to 650 euros, often on top of fully prepaid bookings.4.1 · Poor

Deposits and card rules

Deposits

Lowest starting deposit
€0 (Rental Center Crete)
Highest amount
€3,000 (Hertz)
Median starting deposit
€245
Deposit known
6 of 30 desks

Not confirmed yet for 24 desks: left out of these figures.

All deposits, lowest first →

Credit card or debit card

No credit card needed (debit accepted)
4 of 30 · 13%
Credit card required
16 of 30 · 53%
Not confirmed yet
10 of 30 · 33%

Debit cards accepted at: Rental Center Crete, Avance, Hertz, Enterprise.

Desks without a credit card →

In the terminal or by shuttle

In the terminal
5
avg score 6.2
Short walk
10
avg score 6.4
Shuttle
15
avg score 5.5

Desks reached without a shuttle average 6.3/10; shuttle desks average 5.5/10.

In-terminal vs shuttle, compared →

Most common traveller complaints

Number of desks whose published red flags mention each problem. A desk counts once per theme; one red flag can touch several themes.

  1. Pressure to buy insurance or extras20 of 30 · 67%

    Hard selling of the desk’s own cover, upgrades or extras, or cover added without clear consent. Desks: Sterling Rentals, Yours Car Rental, Beep It, Hertz, Enterprise, CarQ, Sixt, RightCars, EXER Rent a Car, Lets Drive, Centauro, Europcar, Carwiz, AutoDask Rentals, Green Motion, Street Rent a Car, Idea Mobility, Alma Car Hire, MONZA Rent a Car, Surprice.

  2. Damage charges after return19 of 30 · 63%

    Charges for scratches, chips or dents that travellers say were already there or tiny. Desks: Avance, Yours Car Rental, Beep It, Autocandia, Enterprise, Avis, CarQ, Royal Rentals, RightCars, EXER Rent a Car, Centauro, Europcar, Carwiz, AutoDask Rentals, Green Motion, Street Rent a Car, Alma Car Hire, MONZA Rent a Car, ABBYCAR.

  3. Booking not honoured or price changed17 of 30 · 57%

    Booked car not available, a smaller or different car, a higher price at the desk, or fees not clear at booking. Desks: Avance, Yours Car Rental, Hertz, Autocandia, Avis, CarQ, Royal Rentals, EXER Rent a Car, Goldcar, Centauro, AutoDask Rentals, Green Motion, Street Rent a Car, Idea Mobility, Alma Car Hire, MONZA Rent a Car, ABBYCAR.

  4. Car refused over card, licence or flight rules16 of 30 · 53%

    Pickups refused or made conditional because of card type, licence or permit, or a missing flight ticket or boarding pass. Desks: Sterling Rentals, Yours Car Rental, Beep It, CarQ, Royal Rentals, RightCars, EXER Rent a Car, Lets Drive, Centauro, Europcar, Carwiz, AutoDask Rentals, Green Motion, Street Rent a Car, Idea Mobility, MONZA Rent a Car.

  5. Car condition problems15 of 30 · 50%

    Dirty cars, warning lights, worn tyres or breakdowns. Desks: Avance, Sterling Rentals, Autocandia, Enterprise, CarQ, Sixt, Royal Rentals, RightCars, Lets Drive, Europcar, Carwiz, Street Rent a Car, Alma Car Hire, MONZA Rent a Car, Surprice.

  6. Closed desk or late-arrival problems14 of 30 · 47%

    Desk closed for late arrivals, bookings cancelled after a flight delay, or out-of-hours fees. Desks: Yours Car Rental, Beep It, Avis, Sixt, EXER Rent a Car, Lets Drive, Goldcar, Centauro, Carwiz, Green Motion, Idea Mobility, Alma Car Hire, MONZA Rent a Car, ABBYCAR.

  7. Long queues or waits11 of 30 · 37%

    Long waits at the desk, for the keys or for the shuttle. Desks: Yours Car Rental, Beep It, Avis, CarQ, Sixt, Lets Drive, Centauro, Europcar, AutoDask Rentals, Green Motion, ABBYCAR.

  8. Fuel charges or fuel policy9 of 30 · 30%

    Refuelling fees despite a full tank, part-empty tanks at pickup, or a different fuel policy at the desk. Desks: Hertz, Sixt, RightCars, Lets Drive, Goldcar, Centauro, Europcar, Green Motion, Surprice.

  9. Deposit or refund held back8 of 30 · 27%

    Deposits, holds or refunds released late, only in part, or not at all. Desks: Enterprise, Sixt, Goldcar, Centauro, Europcar, Carwiz, Green Motion, ABBYCAR.

  10. Desk, shuttle stop or return hard to find5 of 30 · 17%

    Poor signs or directions to the desk, the shuttle pickup point or the car return area. Desks: Yours Car Rental, Avis, Europcar, AutoDask Rentals, ABBYCAR.

  11. Hard-to-reach customer service4 of 30 · 13%

    Phone lines, emails or complaints unanswered for weeks after the rental. Desks: Hertz, RightCars, Goldcar, ABBYCAR.

  12. Other fees after the rental3 of 30 · 10%

    Cleaning, admin, traffic-fine handling or late-return fees charged after the car was returned. Desks: Avis, Centauro, Europcar.

  13. Rude or unhelpful staff3 of 30 · 10%

    Curt, dismissive or aggressive staff at the desk, at return or on the shuttle. Desks: Enterprise, Carwiz, Idea Mobility.

The data behind this report

  • 6,820 traveller reviews analysed across 30 desks.
  • 7,122 recent reviews read; 302 (4%) excluded by our cleaning step as unreliable (mostly solicited staff praise: 191; about another location: 64; duplicates: 37). How reviews are cleaned
  • Data collected on 13 November 2026; scores last updated 13 November 2026.
  • Summaries and red flags reviewed by our editor on 13 November 2026.
  • Complaint themes are counted with a fixed keyword list applied to each desk’s published red flags (no AI), so the same data always gives the same counts.
  • Unknown facts (“Not confirmed yet”) are left out of averages, medians and ranges, never guessed. Full methodology

How to cite this report

You are welcome to quote these figures. Please name Counterwise and link to this page. The numbers update with each data refresh, so mention the date.

Suggested citation

Counterwise (2026). Heraklion Airport car hire report, November 2026. Counterwise. https://counterwise.eu/airports/her/report (data updated 13 November 2026).

Permalink

https://counterwise.eu/airports/her/report

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