Driving in Puerto Rico & Car Rental Tips You Should Know

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Ask anyone who knows me, and they would tell you I do not like driving. I’m a nervous driver, I get stressed when I don’t know where I’m going, and don’t even get me started on parking.

With that said, I knew that going into my recent Puerto Rico trip, renting a car would be necessary to get around the island.

I pretty much went into my week-long trip without knowing at all what to expect — I had barely any experience renting a car, and I’d heard overall pretty negative things about what driving would actually be like in Puerto Rico.

But now that all is said and done, if you’re at all nervous about driving in Puerto Rico, from one anxious driver to another, I can confidently say: don’t be! It was (mostly) easy — but we’ll get into all the details shortly!

My husband and I did end up making a few mistakes when it came to the rental process that ended up costing us. But I’ll explain it all in this guide so you can avoid overspending like we did, plus everything else you need to know about driving in PR.

Check out rental car options.

A woman stands in front of a yellow and white building at Castillo San Felipe. This historic Spanish fort is in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. — *Old San Juan*

A woman in a short black dress walks along a sidewalk in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Colorful buildings are behind her. — *Old San Juan*

Table of Contents

Do you have to rent a car in Puerto Rico?

Long story, short — yes, do you need to rent a car in Puerto Rico.

Although lots of people who go to Puerto Rico just stay in San Juan, where you can easily Uber and walk around, I think this is a massive oversight!

Don’t get me wrong — I love San Juan, and there are so many great things to do there, especially if it’s your first visit. But there’s so much to see beyond San Juan, that does require a car to get to.

For example, just 30 minutes to an hour outside of San Juan is El Yunque, a tropical rainforest with waterfalls and lots of gorgeous hiking trails.

While you could definitely go with a tour, going to El Yunque on your own is super easy … as long as you have a car.

With a car, you can not only control your own pace and choose which sites to see, but it’s also way more cost-effective. My visit to El Yunque was totally free!

A small waterfall pours into a natural pool in El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. Stones are around the waterfall and there is a lot of greenery. — *El Yunque National Forest*

Plus, there are so many amazing spots across the island too, like gorgeous beach towns Rincón and Aguadilla — along with so much more than I could possibly fit into my week-long itinerary.

The truth is that public transportation just doesn’t really exist across the island. So while you could possibly book shuttles or private cars, this would end up being way pricier, and you’d lose a lot of flexibility as well.

By driving, my husband and I were able to make lots of extra stops on our two to three-hour road trip from San Juan to Rincón, allowing us to see even more cool areas, like the cute town Ponce, and the hidden beach La Jungla, which ended up being one of my favorite beaches that we visited.

So all of that is to say — renting a car is a must!

How to rent a car

My husband and I chose to not book a car ahead of time and just deal with it after arriving in Puerto Rico. While this all worked out okay, I think it would have ultimately been easier to do it ahead of time, when we could have more easily assessed all the options. We also would’ve saved ourselves some stress figuring everything out while on our vacation!

Requirements are the same as in the U.S., so:

you need to be 25 years or older
You need a valid driver’s license
You need a credit card

If you’re from outside of the U.S., you will need an International Driving Permit plus a valid license from your country of residence.

Browse rental options here.

A view of the beach near Faro Punta Higueras, a lighthouse in Rincon, Puerto Rico at sunset. Waves crash into the shore, and you can see a cliff as well as trees. — *Rincón*

Car rental locations in Puerto Rico

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan is where we picked up and dropped off our car, which made sense since this is where we flew in and out of (it was also an extra $100 to pick it up and drop it off at two different locations).

Upon further research, picking the car up outside of the airport would likely be cheaper, which makes sense considering airports up-charge everything.

You’ll find major car rental companies like Hertz and Enterprise (what we went with) as well as some local options throughout the island, with the most options available in the Metro area, a.k.a. the San Juan area.

Charlie Car Rental seems to be a popular local choice, along with Alamo.

Keep in mind that if you plan to visit the islands Culebra or Vieques, you won’t be able to bring your car on the ferry.

Average costs

We rented a car through Enterprise, and ended up paying $450 USD for seven days ($287.06 + an insurance fee).

Among the other car rental companies we checked out, and based on other traveler’s experiences I’ve come across in my research, $450 seems to be about average. (If you want a price breakdown of a week-long trip, head to this guide.)

However, we definitely could’ve cut down on costs.

At the time, since we hadn’t really researched ahead of time, it was overwhelming. The price points we were being given by various rental agencies at the airport felt shocking (my experience with renting cars is overall just super limited though, so if yours isn’t, you probably have a better idea of what to expect).

But basically, we’d first be told a way lower price, but then with the insurance and other added fees, it would end up being way higher.

A dog walks on the sand at Steps Beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico. Trees line the side of the beach, and the sand is a golden color. — Rincón

We were told that insurance is technically optional — but I personally wouldn’t risk foregoing it.

I now know that you can use your own personal car insurance — which in some cases, you can get through your credit card. (I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and apparently this is a benefit! I’m still upset I didn’t know that before).

Since Puerto Rico is technically a U.S. territory, if you’re from the U.S., your regular car insurance may also work, but you’ll have to review your individual policy to make sure.

Triple AAA also offers car rental discounts, which I unfortunately didn’t know about at the time, either, despite having a membership.

So all of this is to say, there are ways to lower the cost!

You get a choice to either return the car with a full tank, or return it empty and prepay for gas. We went for filling the car up ourselves, which did end up being the most cost-effective option.

You can also consider paying for highway tolls with cash, rather than using Autoexpreso, the automatic payment method that most car rentals will come with.

On top of paying $13 for the tolls, we ended up being charged an extra $20 just in service charges for the “convenience” of Enterprise paying for us, which was annoying. It definitely saved us some time when driving, but it’s something you could consider if you’re on a tighter budget.

All in all, although $450 sounds like kind of a jarring number to me, it was 100% worth it and necessary for our trip!

I’m ready to book my rental car!

A boardwalk leads through the forest towards a beach that is slightly visible in the background. It is La Jungla Beach in Puerto Rico. — *La Jungla Beach*

A woman in a bikini is completely in the shadows as she wades through the water surrounded by mangroves. She is at La Jungla Beach in Puerto Rico. — *La Jungla Beach*

Driving in Puerto Rico

Somewhat surprisingly, driving was generally pretty easy in Puerto Rico.

People overall seem to drive much slower in PR, which was an adjustment coming from California where everyone constantly speeds.

Driving in San Juan, however, is considered more challenging.

I think this just depends on your perception and personal experience, though.

Coming from the Los Angeles area, it was really nothing crazy. But if you’ve never driven in a city before, then I can definitely see it being more stressful.

Traffic is definitely worse than elsewhere on the island, and this was the one place we visited where parking was more of a pain. But it overall wasn’t a big deal.

As for beyond San Juan, just keep in mind that if you go to certain rural areas or somewhere really remote, your signal may be spotty. But we never had any issues with our GPS working throughout our trip, and we used both Google Maps and the Apple Maps app. Just to be on the safe side, you can download a map ahead of time, though.

I will say that some areas could have used a traffic light or more clear (or any) signage, and some points involved sharp turns and narrow roads.

But the only time I was actually stressed was getting to our hotel in Aguada, on the western side of the island. Located up in a mountain, the roads were super narrow, windy, dark, and two-way — but otherwise, I felt like things were pretty straightforward and felt safe.

Palm trees line the back of Playa Piñones in Loiza, Puerto Rico. The sand is reddish-colored, and there is a beach chair in the background. — *Playa Piñones in Loiza*

Some other notes on driving in Puerto Rico:

Distances are listed in kilometers, but speed limit signs are in miles-per-hour (mph).
Road signs are in Spanish.
Gas prices are listed in liters, and you will probably need to go inside to pay. During our trip, gas was 80 cents per liter, so we spent about $32 USD to fill up the car.
Many people say that the roads are bad and to look out for potholes — but to be honest, the roads aren’t great where I live, so I didn’t really notice anything here haha. Your opinion may be different!
Unlike in the U.S., the right lane is technically the “fast lane” that’s used for passing, while the left lane goes slower.
Be on the lookout for animals. At numerous points, dogs or other animals would suddenly cross the road, and we saw a number of iguanas that had sadly been hit.
Police cars always have their lights on. As long as there’s no siren, don’t worry, you’re not being pulled over.
Supposedly, between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m., red lights are treated as stop signs. I’m not sure if this is technically legal or just an unwritten rule due to risks of car thefts at this time, so do your own research on that!

Planning your Puerto Rico trip

I hope that some of your stress about driving in Puerto Rico has eased!

But take it from someone who never wants to drive — renting a car will really make your trip a million times better, and it’s something every first-time visitor should do.

Puerto Rico has so many amazing places to visit, and by renting a car, you have the freedom to easily explore it all.

If you want to reduce any potential stress and get everything sorted out before your trip, you can check out rental car options here.