Which licence do you need to rent a quad in Zante?
A category B car licence covers the usual rental quad, as long as you are 18 or older. Greek licence law, Presidential Decree 51/2012, files quads as category B1 and says category B is also valid for B1; B1 itself is only issued in Greece when someone exchanges a foreign B1 licence.
Light quads are a different case. A quad of up to 50 cm³ and 425 kg, the L6e class, counts as a moped in the Highway Code, so it needs category AM, the moped licence, available from 16.
Scooters and motorcycles go by the engine: AM for a moped up to 50 cm³, A1 for a motorcycle up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW, then A2 and A. The table puts the categories side by side.
| Vehicle | Licence category | Minimum age | Helmet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scooter or moped up to 50 cm³ | AM | 16 | Compulsory for rider and passenger |
| Light quad (L6e), up to 50 cm³ and 425 kg | AM | 16 | Compulsory: the Code treats it as a moped |
| Quad or ATV (category B1) | B1, or a car licence B | 18 | Compulsory up to 400 kg unladen and 15 kW |
| Motorcycle up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW | A1 | 18 | Compulsory |
| Motorcycle up to 35 kW | A2 | 20 | Compulsory |
Does your own licence count in Greece?
Yes, if it shows the right category and you have reached the Greek minimum age for it. Article 98 of the Highway Code accepts valid licences from the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein for the matching category, and lets visitors ride with an international driving permit or a licence from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or Australia.
What counts is the category printed on the card. The decree's shortcuts from B to other categories come with conditions: B covers AM only after more than 6 years with B and from age 27, and covers A1 only inside Greece and under extra terms, such as more than 6 years with B, being 27 and carrying national code 121.
Riding something your categories don't cover is, for the same article, riding without a licence. The fines for that are a few sections below.
Is a helmet compulsory on a quad or a scooter?
Yes, for the rider and the passenger, and it has to be fastened. Article 16 of the Highway Code requires it on mopeds, motorcycles and three-wheel vehicles without a cabin, and the Code's definitions count light quads as mopeds and other quads up to 400 kg unladen and 15 kW as three-wheel vehicles.
A rider caught without a helmet pays €350 and loses their licence for 30 days; a passenger without one is fined €350. Repeat it within 5 years and the rider's fine becomes €1,000, with 180 days without a licence.
The rider also answers for the passenger. Article 37 makes the driver check that every passenger wears a helmet, and leaving that unchecked falls in the same category as riding bare-headed.
What is the alcohol limit for riding a scooter or a quad?
For riders of motorcycles and mopeds it is 0.20 g/l in the blood, or 0.10 mg/l in a breath test, against the general 0.50 g/l (0.25 mg/l). The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport's table of offences applies the same lower limit to anyone with a licence held for under 2 years and to taxi, bus and lorry drivers.
Above the limit, the penalty climbs with the reading, and the police immobilise the vehicle in every band. Refusing the test counts as a reading above 1.10 g/l.
| Blood alcohol | Fine | Licence withdrawn | On top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorcycle and moped riders: 0.20 g/l to 0.80 g/l | €350 | 30 days | Vehicle immobilised |
| 0.50 g/l to 0.80 g/l | €350 | 30 days | Vehicle immobilised |
| Over 0.80 g/l, up to 1.10 g/l | €700 | 90 days | Vehicle immobilised |
| Over 1.10 g/l | €1,200 | 180 days | At least 2 months in prison; registration documents withdrawn |
Phones, headphones and passengers: what else does the Code say?
Keep the phone in a mounted holder. Article 44 bans riders from using a phone that isn't fixed in a hands-free holder, from filming or streaming while riding and from wearing headphones connected to audio devices; each costs €350 and 30 days without a licence.
Ride in single file, with both hands on the handlebars: the same article bans riding two or more abreast. A passenger may only sit on a seat built into the vehicle behind or beside the rider, and Article 37 says they must be able to rest their feet on the footrests.
Children up to 5 may only ride as passengers in an approved restraint suited to their age, height and weight.
What happens if you ride without the right licence?
It sits in the Code's most serious category. Article 98 sets a €500 fine for mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quads, takes your licence on the spot for 1 year if you hold one, and withdraws the vehicle's registration documents for 30 days.
Riding while your licence is withdrawn under the Code is a criminal offence: up to 1 year in prison and a fine of at least €2,000.
How do you get back to Laganas or Argasi after a night out?
On foot or by taxi, with the quad parked until the morning. Between 00:00 and 05:00 Greek taxis charge tariff 2 for the whole trip; the full official fare, with the flag fall and the supplements, is in our guide from Zante airport to Laganas.
The clubs of the Laganas strip are a short walk apart, and Argasi has its own cluster on the road to Zante Town. How the strip moves hour by hour is in the Laganas strip at night, and door and closing times are on our questions page.
Keep the quad off the sand as well: motor vehicles are banned from the National Marine Park's turtle nesting beaches, as our article on Zante's turtles explains.
