Tourists are warned against hiring quad bikes or scooters, after numerous accidents and deaths on the Greek islands.

The hiring of quad bikes and similar vehicles are not usually covered by travel insurance, with the cost of repatriating a seriously injured patient to their home country costing up to 36,000€.

Island Police Departments have stated in the past that in their view, holidaymakers should think twice before hiring quads, unless they are experienced at driving and controlling this type of vehicle.

From August 2018 to August 2022, 22 people were killed riding quads in the Dodecanese islands alone.

The first reported death in 2026 occurred on May 19, on the island of Corfu, when a British father lost his life, and his 14-year-old son was seriously injured. The accident occurred on the main northern provincial road in Corfu when a rented quad, driven by the 42-year-old father with his son as passenger, for unknown reasons veered off course, entered oncoming traffic, and crashed into a tree in a roadside olive grove.

For a number of years, ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, has been warning holidaymakers of the risks due to the large number of accidents each year involving quads.

An alternative are ‘Buggies’ (photo below), which compared to quads are safer as their centre of gravity is much lower (making them harder to turn over) and most models have a ‘roll cage’ and safety belts, as well as other extra safety features.

Many hire companies are now offering this alternative to the quad and at a similar, if not the same, hire price.