Child car seats in Malta: the law, and hiring one

Malta's rule, in the words of the regulation that sets it: a child under three must always be carried in a child restraint system, a child of three to eleven must be restrained by one too, and a child under 150 cm in a car fitted with seat belts must use an integral or non-integral child restraint for their weight. Criminal liability for all of that sits with the driver — which, in a hire car, is you and not the desk that handed you the seat.

This guide quotes Transport Malta and the regulation it links to, then sets out what each of the 31 companies we track publishes about hiring a seat, as we read their pages on 22 September 2026 (WheeGo's on 23 September, from its DiscoverCars supplier listing, the only page publishing its Malta terms). It is a summary of those sources, not legal advice.

What the law requires

Transport Malta's child car seats page opens with the source: "The use of seat belts and child restraint systems are stipulated in the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) Regulations." It describes the rules as ones "which are harmonised across the EU", and the link it gives for the regulations is S.L. 65.12. That regulation — Legal Notice 200 of 2007, as amended by Legal Notices 408 of 2007, 259 of 2011 and 392 of 2014 — is the text below.

It works on three defined ages. A "young child" means a person who is under the age of three years. A "child" means a person who is three years of age or over but who is under the age of twelve years. An "adult" means a person who is twelve years of age or over.

Young children, under three. Regulation 6 says a young child "shall not travel in any M1, N1, N2 or N3 motor vehicle that is not fitted with a safety system", and that one travelling in a vehicle that is fitted with one "shall always be carried in a child restraint system that is suitable to the child's weight as set out in the First Schedule". It adds two absolutes: "A young child shall not be transported in a rearward-facing child restraint system fitted to a front seat protected by an airbag unless such airbag is deactivated", and "No adult seat belt shall be applied to a young child." Transport Malta's page adds that a young child "must be carried in a rear-ward facing position up to 15 months of age" — that instruction is on Transport Malta's page, not in the regulation's own words.

Children, three to eleven. Regulation 7(1) requires a child travelling "either as a front seat passenger or a rear seat passenger" to be "restrained using a child restraint system for the child's weight as provided for in the First Schedule". Regulation 7(4) states the height rule: "A child who is less than 150cm in height travelling in any M1, N1, N2 or N3 motor vehicle that is fitted with a safety system shall be restrained by an integral or non-integral child restraint system for the child's weight as provided for in the First Schedule."

The 135 cm concession. Regulation 7(3): "A child who is less than 150 cm in height but not less than 135 cm in height travelling in a motor vehicle may be restrained by a safety belt for adults if a child restraint is not available." Note what it does and does not say: it is a fallback for when no restraint is there, not a general permission.

Which seat. Regulation 7(5) covers cars without belts: "Where no safety systems are fitted in M1, N1, N2 and N3 vehicles, a child who is less than 150 cm in height shall occupy a seat other than a front seat." Regulation 8 orders the seating in every car: "A child shall first occupy a seat equipped with a child restraint system that is suitable for the child's weight as set out in the First Schedule and only after that occupy other seats not equipped with such restraint systems."

The First Schedule classifies restraints by mass, not age: Group 0 for children under 10 kg, Group 0+ under 13 kg, Group I between 9 and 18 kg, Group II between 15 and 25 kg, and Group III between 22 and 36 kg. Transport Malta reproduces the same table.

The regulation measures children in kilograms and centimetres. "How old is she?" is not the question the law asks.

Where Transport Malta's summary and the regulation differ

Transport Malta's page words the 135 cm rule as a front-seat rule: "A child whose height is between 150cm and 135cm must use a child restraint system if travelling as a front seat passenger. If no child restraint system is available, he or she may occupy a back seat and use an adult seat belt." Regulation 7(3) does not mention which seat; it allows an adult belt for a 135–150 cm child "if a child restraint is not available", full stop.

We are not going to guess which reading an enforcement officer applies. The safe course is the one both texts agree on: a child under 150 cm travels in a child restraint suitable for their weight, and the adult belt is a fallback only above 135 cm and only when no restraint is available.

Taxis, and the exemptions the regulation states

Regulation 7(6) is explicit: "Children referred to in subregulations (2) and (3) may not be restrained by a child restraint system while travelling in a taxi." Subregulation (2) is a child in an M2 or M3 vehicle that is not a route bus; subregulation (3) is the 135–150 cm child. A "taxi" in this regulation means "a motor vehicle fitted with a taximeter and registered and licensed to ply for hire as a taxi".

Regulation 10 lists the people the regulations do not apply to at all, and its last paragraph is "the driver of a licensed taxi or car for hire while carrying a passenger or passengers for hire". A "car for hire" is defined as a vehicle "licensed to be hired from a public service garage to be driven by the owner of such garage or by such other person as is authorised by him" — a car that comes with a driver, not a self-drive rental. Neither exemption covers a car you drive yourself.

One company in our roster publishes its own line on this: Mayjo on Gozo says "Baby Seat / Booster Seat can be supplied on request in Taxi / Minivan at no extra cost."

What each company publishes about child seats

Of the 31 companies we track, 18 say on the pages our records cite that they supply child seats: four publish a daily fee, seven say there is a charge without stating what it is, and seven describe a seat you can ask for without mentioning money at all. For 13 we found no statement on the pages we checked.

Company	What it publishes, in its own words
Autounion Malta	Published daily fee and cap: "Baby and Child Seats are available with an extra charge of 10,00€/day with max charge of 100,00€"
Budget Malta	Published daily fee and cap: "Child seat from 1 year to 4 years is EUR 9.00 per day, up to the maximum charge of EUR 90.00 per rental."
Drifter	Published daily fee: "Child seats: €5.00 daily"
Gozo Garage	Published daily fee: "CHILD SEATS at €5.00 each per day"
JS Car Hire	Daily fee, amount not published: "For an optional daily fee, we offer Baby Seats (mountable forward or rear facing), Child Seats, Booster Seats and GPS Navigation Systems."
Malta Car Hire .Mt	Daily charge, amount not published: "Child seats, new-born baby seats and child booster seats are available for hire at a daily charge."
Roscar Malta	A fee, amount not published: "Child seats and other extras can be added to your booking for an additional fee."
Dolmen Car Rental (Gozo)	A fee, amount not published: "Optional extras like child seats or GPS can be added for a small fee — just ask!"
WheeGo Malta	A fee, amount not published: "Baby seat (up to 1 year of age), Child seat (2-4 years of age), Booster seat (4-10 years of age), Hotel delivery charge. Prices for extras are shown on the booking page."
First Car Rental Malta	Listed among extras not included in the rate: "hire of baby seats"
MSG Malta Rent a Car	Listed among extras not included in the rate: "baby seat rentals"
Avis Malta	Four seat types offered, no fee published: "Yes, we offer baby, infant, child and full backed booster seats."
Aquarius Rent A Car	Age and weight asked when you request one: "When requesting it is essential the child’s age and weight is advised so the correct seat is supplied."
Car Rentals Ltd	Available on request: "Baby seats, roof racks, GPS and automatic transmission are available on request."
Enterprise Malta	Arranged on request: "You may also need GPS, a child seat or want to add another driver to the contract, let us know and we’ll arrange it for you."
Mayjo Car Rentals (Gozo)	Available on request: "can provide baby seats on request"
Percius Car Rentals	A booking-form option with no published terms: "Baby seat"
Sixt Malta	Listed as an add-on: "SIXT car rental in Malta offers add-ons for your travel such as an additional driver, GPS or child seats."

No statement found — on the pages in our records we found nothing about child seats for addCar Malta, Billy's Car Hire, CarQ Malta, Europcar Malta, Goldcar Malta, Green Motion Malta, Imperial Car Rental, OK Mobility Malta, Princess Car Hire, Sicily by Car Malta and Vai Drive; Carwiz Malta's site would not load for us, and Hertz Malta's Malta rental-terms page lists "Child Seats" and "Booster Seats" as topics in a menu whose text did not load. That means undocumented here, not refused — ask the company directly and get the answer in writing.

Two rows carry detail worth reading in full. Autounion prices its booster separately on the same terms: "Booster Seat is available with an extra charge of 10,00€/day with max charge of 100,00€". Budget publishes three bands at the same rate and cap — a baby seat "from 0 months to 1 year", a child seat "from 1 year to 4 years" and a "Child booster seat from 4 years to 12 years", each "EUR 9.00 per day, up to the maximum charge of EUR 90.00 per rental". Avis describes what its four seats are for, and its guidance is its own rather than Malta's: "All children must normally use a child car seat until they’re 12 years old or 135cm tall." Malta's regulation works to 150 cm, so read Avis's line as a global default and the regulation as the rule in Malta.

Can you book a seat in advance?

Some companies say yes in as many words. Budget: "In order to serve you better it is important to pre-book these child seats at reservation stage to ensure their availability at the time of pick-up." JS Car Hire: "These options must be ordered in advance at reservation stage." Aquarius asks for the detail rather than the date — the child's age and weight, "so the correct seat is supplied". Roscar says extras "can be added to your booking". Percius puts a "Baby seat" option on its own quote form.

Others promise nothing about availability. Drifter's extras list ends with the line "All optional extras subject to availability". Car Rentals Ltd, Mayjo and Enterprise say a seat is available "on request" or will be arranged, without saying when you have to ask.

For the 13 companies with no published statement, we do not know whether a seat can be reserved, and we are not going to assume. If a seat has to be waiting when you land, ask before you book and keep the reply.

The seat is fitted under your name, not the desk's

Regulation 12 of S.L. 65.12 assigns the blame: "in respect of regulations 3, 6, 7 and 8 criminal liability shall vest in the driver of the vehicle". Regulations 6, 7 and 8 are the child ones. Whoever clicked the seat into the car, the person answering for it is whoever is driving.

The companies that address it say the same thing in their own terms:

• Malta Car Hire .Mt: "Clients are advised that our staff do not fit baby seats in the car. Baby seats must be fitted by the renter."
• JS Car Hire: "Seats are pre-installed prior to delivery - it is the client's responsability to check that the seats are installed correctly."
• Avis Malta: "In some rental locations, we may arrange for a third party to fit the seat for you. But remember, it is always your responsibility to check the seat is fitted correctly before you drive away."
• Gozo Garage: "The client is responsible for the safe harnessing of the child and the seat to the vehicle."
• Aquarius: "The Baby Seat should be properly attached by the guardian."

Damage to the seat is usually yours too. Malta Car Hire .Mt lists "damage to child seats and baby seats" among the things "not covered by the vehicle’s insurance and is payable by the renter", and Mayjo's terms exclude "Damage on Baby Seats" from its collision damage waiver and "Baby / Booster Seats" from its theft waiver.

Transport Malta's own advice on fitting is on the same page as the law: use ISOFIX anchor points if the car has them, pull the harness tight enough that "you can just slip one finger between the harness and your child's chest", take a thick coat off before strapping the child in, keep the harness at shoulder height and untwisted, and keep a rear-facing seat out of the way of an active front airbag.

If you are bringing your own seat

Nothing in S.L. 65.12 requires you to hire the restraint from the rental company — it requires the restraint. What it does specify is approval: a "child restraint system" must, since 9 May 2008, conform "with UN-ECE Regulation 44/03 or Directive 77/541/EEC or UNECE Regulation 129 or any other subsequent adaptation thereto", and must be "installed in accordance with fitting information ... provided by the manufacturer of the child restraint system declaring in what manner and in which vehicle types the system may be safely used."

Transport Malta's tips add the practical corollaries: avoid a second-hand seat, because "you don't know if it's been damaged in an accident, or has pieces missing"; buy for the child's current height and weight and "avoid seats that claim to cover all ages in one"; and keep a baby in a rear-facing seat "until they are at least 15 months old".

Before you book a car with a child in it

• Measure the child. The regulation's thresholds are 150 cm and 135 cm, and its restraint groups are set in kilograms.
• If you want a seat from the rental company, ask for the fee and the availability in writing — 13 of the 31 companies we track publish neither.
• Ask who fits it. Several companies say plainly that they do not, and every one that mentions it puts the check on you.
• If a rear-facing seat is going in the front, confirm the car's passenger airbag can be deactivated before you take the keys.
• Bringing your own seat is allowed; check it carries a UN-ECE 44/03 or R129 approval and that its manufacturer approves it for the car you have booked.

Collecting at the airport? The Park East walk-through shows where the desks are, and our airport comparison lists who is there. Once you are driving, driving in Malta covers the left-hand traffic and the roundabouts, and our parking guide covers Valletta's charging zone.

Sources

The law: Transport Malta — Child Car Seats (the young child / child split, the restraint classification table, the 15-month rear-facing instruction, the 135–150 cm front-seat wording, and the fitting tips); Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) Regulations, S.L. 65.12 — the regulation Transport Malta's page links to — regulations 2 (definitions of adult, child, young child, child restraint system, taxi and car for hire), 6 (young children), 7 (children, the 150 cm and 135 cm rules, taxis), 8 (priority of seat occupation), 10 (exemptions), 12 (criminal liability) and the First Schedule (restraint groups). Both read 22 September 2026.

Rental company pages, all read 22 September 2026 — the pages our operator records cite: Autounion — Malta terms; Budget — Malta Airport terms; Drifter — terms; Gozo Garage — terms; JS Car Hire — terms; Malta Car Hire .Mt — terms; Roscar Malta; Dolmen Car Rental; First Car Rental — terms; MSG Malta — terms; Avis — Malta terms; Aquarius Rent A Car — terms; Car Rentals Ltd — terms; Enterprise — Malta locations; Mayjo — car hire Gozo and terms; Percius — rent a car; Sixt — car rental Malta; Hertz — Malta rental terms.