Cars, bikes and scooters: buying, running and driving in Malta Living

Getting around is half of life on an island where everything is twenty minutes away and parking is the other twenty. Malta Living has the bus, eCabs and the ferries from the start, and once you have some money you can buy a car in a life sim that treats it like the real thing: it costs something every week, it waits where you left it, and after a few drinks it stays parked. Here's how cars, bikes and scooters work.

The Cars app

Open Cars on your phone. It has two tabs:

• Shop: everything for sale, two across, with chips for Bikes, Under €10k, Electric and more. Tap a car to see what a week costs to run before you buy.
• My garage: every car and bike you own in one row you swipe sideways, with the one you drive on top.

The cars range from a used Micra to a Porsche, with the Tesla, the electric BYD Seal (€44,990) and the Audi Q8 (€104,900) among them. Each one is drawn from the same 3D model you see at home, in its own colour: the Micra in mint, the Peugeot 206 in red, the Porsche in racing yellow. At home, up to three of your cars and bikes stand in your parking, with a +N sign for the rest, and friends who visit see the same ones.

A car you buy is the one you drive: tap any place on the map, then 🚘 Your car in Get around.

Bikes and scooters

Under the Bikes chip:

• City bike: €250, or €120 used. Free to ride; pedalling takes a little Energy.
• E-scooter: €480, 1c a km.
• E-bike: €1,100.
• 125cc motorbike: €2,900, 3c a km, as quick as a car.

Bikes never circle for parking and never pay Valletta's charge. They have their own small dramas too, from punctures to a near miss: bike incidents has those.

Out for Wolt: send a bike out from your garage and a courier rides it for you. Wolt pays every evening at 18:00, as a Bank line, now and then less a repair. You can have four out at once, and you can't ride one while it's working. It's one of the cheapest ways to make your money work, next to running a car as a cab.

Electric cars and charging

An electric car you own drives anywhere. A drive that starts at a charger costs 2c a km: the Msida Charging Point on the map, or your own home with a home charger. From anywhere else it's 5c a km. You can fit a home charger in a home you rent, but not in a hotel, a hostel or an Airbnb room. Buying an electric car? Tap its picture and tick Add a home charger.

What a car costs to keep

Every Saturday at 18:00 each car pays its week of insurance, road licence and service, one Bank line each. A week is about 3.5% of the car's price a year plus its road licence: a Micra is about €4 a week, a Porsche about €131. A new electric car pays no road licence; a pedal bike or an e-bike costs nothing; an e-scooter pays its insurance.

Can't pay? The car is parked with "Road licence due" until you pay it in Cars, or the next Saturday takes it with that week's. It's never taken from you. Want out? Every car in Cars has a Sell button with what you'd get, and a check before it's sold.

Driving into Valletta on a weekday between 08:00 and 14:00 costs the Controlled Vehicular Access charge, as it does on the island (electric cars and residents go free). Parking in Sliema, St Julian's and Valletta can mean circling a while. Real places and real prices covers the bus, eCabs and the ferries.

Your car stays where you left it

A drive moves only that car. Take the bus home from Paceville and your car is still in Paceville tomorrow: Cars shows where it's parked, and Back to your car opens a route to collect it.

Drinking and driving

From Tipsy your car stays parked and Get around picks an eCab. Its tile offers Drive tipsy, a Risky move: it asks first, then you drive and gain a star of heat. Police run checkpoints, mostly at night in Paceville and St Julian's. Blow into the breathalyser and you may drive on, get a €50 fine and points on your licence, or spend the night in the cell. Points clear after 7 days; at 12 you can't drive for 24 hours. Drunk or Wasted, the car never moves. The rest of a night out is in Paceville nights.

New to the game? Start with what Malta Living is, or play Malta Living free and take the bus first.

Questions people ask

What's the cheapest way to get around in Malta Living?

A used city bike at €120: it's free to ride. The bus is cheap from day one, and an e-scooter runs at 1c a km.

How do I charge an electric car in the game?

Start your drive from a charger: the Msida Charging Point, or your home once you've fitted a home charger. That's 2c a km; anywhere else is 5c.

What happens if I can't pay my car's upkeep?

The car is parked with "Road licence due" until you pay. It's never taken from you.

Can I drive after drinking?

From Tipsy only as a Risky move, with checkpoints, fines, licence points and the cell. Drunk or Wasted, never.