Founded in 1966
John Refalo Snr opens Auto Rentals in St Julian's with three cars, hiring to the first wave of visitors arriving on the islands.
Our story
Sixty years,
one family.
Auto Rentals has been hiring out cars on these islands since 1966 — long enough to have watched the whole country change around us.
1966
It started with three cars.
John Refalo Snr was a car hire pioneer on an island that barely had a tourism industry yet. He started with a fleet of three and a conviction that people would rather deal with a person than a counter.
Within a generation Auto Rentals had become the go-to name for hire and leasing on the Maltese Islands, with a fleet of more than two hundred vehicles.
Today the company is run by John Refalo Jnr. He has added the speed and efficiency the job now demands, and kept everything his father built it on.
1966Established
The long version, briefly
Three generations.
Two hundred cars
Word of mouth does the work. The fleet grows past two hundred vehicles and Auto Rentals becomes the island's default for hire and leasing.
Still family-run
John Refalo Jnr runs the company from the same street. Same handshake, same phone number, considerably faster paperwork.
Why us
We go the extra mile.
It has earned us a reputation for personal service both locally and overseas. We want our clients to have the best price and the best experience, so that they come back to us again and again.
In a world that is fast becoming unfamiliar, it's nice to experience familiarity.
Our commitment
A first-rate,
flexible service.
We provide every client with a professional and personalised service that adds real value — not a script, not a queue, and not a list of charges you find out about at the desk.
- Met personally at the airport, whatever time you land
- Every car serviced, valeted and checked before handover
- Unlimited mileage and a free additional driver as standard
- A 24-hour number that reaches a person, not a menu
What they're saying
In their words.
“Great service and great staff with lots of patience — no problems with the car at all, and they were kind enough to drop me off at my destination after I gave the car back. Totally satisfied.”
Footballer
“Excellent service. Met at the airport by Beatrice. John Jr and Snr are gentlemen. Car was in excellent condition. Met at the airport to return the car. All was perfect. Would highly recommend.”
Business figure
“Highly recommended for car rentals. Prompt service, reliable and very helpful staff. They go out of their way to assist. Will get back to them for sure.”
Customer
“A genuine rental company. Made the whole experience really easy. Big thank you to John and Beatrice. Would highly recommend.”
Customer
Ready when you are
Come and meet us.
We're on Triq il-Qaliet in St Julian's, and we've been here a while. Drop in, call, or send your dates over.