The first question people ask about the Eletre is range. On an island 27 km long, it is close to the least interesting thing about the car. Here is what actually changes when the luxury car you hire happens to be electric.
The island is smaller than the battery
You can drive from one end of Malta to the other in under an hour. A day of proper sightseeing — north to Melliħa, across to Dingli, down to Marsaxlokk — does not trouble a car of this size. Most people hiring for three or four days plug in once, or not at all, and hand it back with charge to spare.
Where you actually charge
There are public charging points around the island, and a growing number of hotels have them for guests — if you are staying somewhere with parking, ask them before you arrive, because charging overnight where you sleep is far easier than planning a stop. We hand the car over charged, so the first day is a non-event either way.
- Ask your hotel about parking and charging when you book the room, not on arrival.
- Charge overnight rather than mid-trip — you will rarely need to stop.
- Taking it to Gozo? The ferry is 25 minutes and the island is smaller still.
What it is like on Maltese roads
Two things stand out. The first is the silence: Malta’s villages are dense and walled, and a quiet car changes how they feel to move through. The second is the torque — the Eletre is quick in a way that matters at junctions and roundabouts, where pulling out cleanly is worth more than a top speed you will never see here.
The thing to watch
It is a big car. Malta’s older streets were laid out for carts, and the Eletre is wide, low at the front and expensive at every corner. On the main routes it is effortless. In a tight village lane, fold the mirrors, take it slowly, and be willing to back out of something rather than squeeze through it.
Who it suits
Four adults with luggage, a few days on the island, and someone in the party who will enjoy the technology. If you want the roof off and the sun on you instead, the E-Class Cabriolet is the other conversation.