Zadar Airport car rental, based at the airport

2 · What actually happens

From your dates to your first drive.

01Search your own dates

Live prices for your dates, with the deposit and the mileage limit shown on each car before you choose.

A traveller with a suitcase walking through the airport — 02Land and collect
Most cars bookable at Zadar are based at the airport.

Two people shaking hands beside the rental paperwork — 03Licence, card, keys
Bring a valid national licence with its details in Latin script and, where the booking requires one, the physical embossed card in the main driver’s name.

A driver leaning on their hire car, ready to go — 04Drive out
Krka (Skradin) is 50 minutes from the airport and Plitvice Lakes 2 h 15. A ferry to the islands has to be arranged before booking.

3 · The airport itself

One terminal, with the cars based at the airport.

Zadar Airport (ZAD) has one passenger terminal and handled 1,620,417 passengers in 2025. Most cars offered for Zadar Airport car rental are based at the airport itself; the rest are at a rental office in town and can be delivered to the airport for a fee shown in the booking flow. The voucher states where to meet the supplier. Transmission is a field on each car, not a property of its class, and a search can be filtered to automatic cars for your dates with the seats, deposit and card requirement shown on each one.

IATA code: ZAD
Terminals: One
Where the cars are based: At the airport itself
Cars based in town instead: Delivered for a fee
Motorway: A1, tolled by distance
Currency: Euro

4 · What is within reach

Routed drive times from Zadar Airport, with the distance.

01Zadar old town11 km15 min

02Krka (Skradin)62 km50 min

03Sibenik75 km1 h 00

04Pag town59 km1 h 10

05Split144 km1 h 45

06Plitvice Lakes145 km2 h 15

5 · Before you book

What you can do with the car.

Take it out of the country, by arrangement

Permission to drive outside Croatia is arranged by email to the rental partner's customer support before the trip. Prices and conditions vary with the length of the trip abroad, the type of car and the rental company's policy. For one-way rentals from Zadar to another Croatian city, the fee is set per car and already included in the price shown for that car.

Read the insurance and deposit details

Standard insurance does not cover damage to wheels, undercarriage, windscreen or interior, and it is invalid for deliberate damage caused by intentional vandalism or neglect. Each car shows the deposit requirements for that car, and the booking flow and voucher state how the deposit is taken and returned.

Know what to do if there is damage

Notify the rental agent immediately and obtain a police report, unless otherwise agreed with the agent. Failing to do so cancels the insurance issued for the car and makes you fully responsible.

Take it to the islands, by prior arrangement

Ferry travel between the islands and the mainland is only possible with prior arrangement, requested by email from the rental partner's customer support before the booking is completed. The driving routes from Zadar include car ferry line 431, which takes 25 minutes from Gaženica port to Preko on Ugljan.

6 · What the car is for

Five drives from Zadar Airport.

Boardwalks over the terraced lakes at Plitvice

Plitvice Lakes2 h 15, 145 km

Krka50 minutes

Pag1 h 10 over the bridge

The islandsAgree the ferry first

The Zadar peninsula from the air at dusk

Zadar old town15 minutes, 11 km

7 · Tolls, not a vignette

Croatia charges the motorway by the journey.

01Take a ticket

On the A1 you take a ticket at the entry toll plaza. Croatia has no vignette.

02Keep it in the car

The ticket records your entry. On HAC motorways, arriving at the exit without it costs double the toll for the longest route on that motorway from your exit.

03Pay where you leave

The toll is paid at the exit by distance and vehicle class, in euro cash, by card or by ENC. Tolls, fuel, parking and fines are the renter's responsibility.

The motorwayA1 motorway

The routed drives from Zadar Airport are 1 h 45 to Split and 2 h 15 to Plitvice Lakes. Tolls on the A1 are the renter's cost, to add when comparing your rental and travel costs .

The state roadD8, Jadranska magistrala

A state road, not a motorway. In bora on 6 April 2025 it was closed between Karlobag and Sveta Marija Magdalena, along with the A1 between Sveti Rok and Posedarje and the Pag bridge.

8 · What you need to collect the car

Check the documents and requirements for your car before you travel.

01A licence in Latin script

Valid to the end of the rental, with the details in Latin script. No copies or electronic licences. An International Driving Permit is strongly recommended if yours is valid only at home.

02A physical embossed card

Where required, bring the specified physical embossed card in the main driver’s name.

03The age the car asks for

Set per car, not per class, and two similar models can differ. It is on the car before you book.

04A phone that reaches you

The phone number given at booking, with its country code, must be reachable the day before pick-up and throughout the rental.

9 · Six checks before paying

What to check on the car before paying.

Read the cancellation flag on the car

Free cancellation is set per car and shown on the car before you pay.

Read the transmission on the car, not the class

Transmission is a field on each car and is not inferred from the class name.

Compare the deposit, not just the day rate

The deposit is shown on each car, separately from the price. Refund timelines are stated during booking and in the voucher.

Settle the ferry question before you pay

Ferry travel between the islands and the mainland needs prior arrangement with customer support before the booking is completed.

Plan around the deposit release, not the return date

Some companies retain the deposit for 30 to 45 days after return. Allow for that period.

Bring the car back with the fuel you got

Return it lower and you pay the supplier's rate for the difference. Return it fuller and you are not refunded.

10 · Read before you drive

Zadar Airport arrivalsHow to prepare for collection and check your pickup details.→02

Driving in CroatiaLights, alcohol limit, tunnels and the bora.→03

Croatia toll roadsHow motorway tickets work and what to check before driving.→04

Zadar to Plitvice LakesThe drive, and which entrance to aim for.→05

Islands and ferriesWhat to agree before you book.→06

Crossing the borderWhat has to be agreed before you go.→

Questions

The things people ask before they book.

The deposit, the card requirement and free cancellation are shown on each car before payment.

Where is the car based?

Most cars bookable at Zadar are based at Zadar airport (ZAD). The rest are based at a rental office in town and can be delivered to the airport for a fee shown before you pay. The voucher states where to meet the supplier.

Is the motorway to Split and Plitvice tolled?

Yes. Croatia has no vignette. On the A1 you take a ticket at the entry toll plaza and pay at the exit, by distance and vehicle class. A barrier-free toll system is planned from 1 March 2027.

Can I take the car on a ferry to the islands?

Only with prior arrangement. The rental terms require ferry travel between the islands and the mainland to be arranged with the rental partner's customer support, by email, before the booking is completed.

Can I drive the car out of Croatia?

Only with permission, requested by email from the rental partner's customer support before the trip. Prices and conditions vary with the length of the trip abroad, the type of car and the rental company's policy.

What is the fuel rule?

Bring the car back with the same level you collected it with. Lower and you pay the difference at the supplier's rate; higher and you are not refunded.

Can I extend the rental once I am here?

To extend the rental period, you must inform the rental agent in advance.

What happens if there is an accident or damage?

Notify the rental agent immediately and get a police report, unless otherwise agreed with the agent. Failing to do so cancels the insurance issued for the car and makes you fully responsible. Standard insurance does not cover damage to wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior.

Can I bring a dog?

Only small pets may travel in rental cars, and they stay in their travel carriers at all times. A car returned so dirty that it hinders inspection is washed at the customer's expense.

Zadar Airport car rentalNo transfer, pick your car up direct from the airport.