Renting a car in Cyprus

It's worth stressing that the condition of rental cars on either side of the Line can be appalling, with bad brakes the most common fault; if at all possible, take the candidate car for a spin around the block before accepting. Most rental cars in the North -especially soft-top jeeps -have no radio-cassette/CD player; so many have been stolen that they are no longer fitted. Reputable chains in the South will furnish you with a list of their branches Republic-wide, to be contacted in the event of a breakdown. Rental cars in both South and North have distinctive red number plates beginning with a single "Z", and their drivers have historically been accorded every consideration by police -for example, a warning instead of a ticket for not buckling upthough speeding fines are now levied on one and all in the North. Visitors may cross the Attila Line from South to North with a rentai vehicle (but not at present from North to South), using one of however many legal checkpoints are open at time you read this. All rental companies in the South will tell you that this is forbidden, because Republic of Cyprus insurance is not valid in the North. However, there is nothing to stop you turning up at one of the checkpoints and buying supplemental third-party insurance from a dedicated booth (price negotiable -ie, what they think you're good for -at C£10-£12 for a minimum of 3 days, £C15 for up to a month). The reason southern hire companies don't like you to do this is the scandalous low level of coverage furnished by these policies: C£6000 at time of writing, though set to go up to about EUR30,000 now that EU accession negotiations for Turkey are about to start. There are also persistent, worrying reports that the companies involved don't payout in the event of an accident. So the final word is, strictly at your own risk.

In the South, numerous agencies, including most international and several local chains, offer primarily Aand B-group Japanese and European compacts both at airports and in towns. If you have a choice, prefer the Opel Corsa, Toyota Yaris or the Fiat Polo to grossly underpowered Suzukis or Subarus, the latter in particular with a sewing-machine engine and an apparent top speed of about 80kpm/50mph. With a bit more to spend, consider a four-door Toyota Corolla or a Peugeot 206. Summer rates start at C£17 a day, unlimited mileage and VAT included, a figure which should be kept in mind as a yardstick when pre-booking an Aor B-group vehicle from overseas. In or near high season you should reserve in advance -not difficult since so many flydrive packages are offered. You are virtually obliged to accept the additional daily fee of C£3-6 for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW); remember also that venturing onto dirt tracks with a non-4WD vehicle will usually void your insurance cover if you damage the undercarriage. During winter, rates for saloon cars drop to as little as C£12 per day, all inclusive (even the CDW). For most of the year, a three-day minimum rental period applies.

If you intend to do any backroad exploration of the TrOOdhos or Akamas areas, then some sort of 4WD vehicle is highly advisable. As a party of more than two, it's well worth considering the rental of a dieselpowered Mitsubishi or Shogun jeep, though daily rates for these are high (typical C£40). Otherwise, the lighter-weight Suzuki Vitara or Samurai jeeps can just about take two adults with their luggage, though their soft, tops makes security problematic.The minimum age for renting a car is generally 21; credit cards are the preferred method of payment in the South. An irritating quirk of Cypriot rentals, both South and .North, is that you may be asked to deposit an inflated sum (eg, C£25 for a 40-litre tank), in cash or with credit card, covering the cost of a full tank of petrol; the idea is to retum the car as empty as  possible, rather than full as in other countries. It is an iniquitous and potentially dangerous practice, with the company benefiting to the tune of several tanks of petrol per season since no sensible person finishes up driving on fumes. In the South, if you return the car to a staffed office, rather than leaving it in the airport parking lot upon departure (much more likely), the company is supposed to refund the value of the fuel remaining in the tank. You will also be liable to a charge of about C£10 for either one-way rentals (pick up one town, drop off in another) or "after-hours" service -defined as picking up cars at airports before 8am or after 9pm.

Because the North is unrecognized internationally, none of the overseas chains has been represented there in the past, leaving the field clear for local entrepreneurs. There are no car-rental booths at Ercan airport, so you'd be stranded unless you've pre-arranged to have a car meeting your flight arrival.

Left-hand-drive cars made in Turkey are invariably cheaper to rent than right-handdrive vehicles, though they're rarely offered these days. On-the-spot rates for a bottomend, left-hand-drive Renault 9 start at about £18 per day in high summer; expect to pay 33 percent less out of season, 15 percent more if booking through a package agent. Given the state of most roads off the main trunk routes, you'll probably prefer to splash out for a 4WD -the adequate Suzuki Vitara starts at about £19 a day in low season. Credit cards or foreign cash are preferred payment methods, though be aware that most companies slap a surcharge on the use of cards, and an equal number require full advance payment of the estimated rental price in cash. A CDW premium, usually about £3 per day, is payable, often in cash upon delivery of the car.