Car Rental Destination Guides

How Iceland rental insurance works, F-road rules, vehicle choice by season, and what to expect at Keflavik. Based on supplier terms and official road authority guidance.

Portugal is genuinely built for road trips — competitive market, good roads, manageable distances. The two things worth understanding before you book: the excess on the base CDW, and how the Via Verde toll system works.

Italy rewards a car for the right itinerary — Tuscany, Umbria, the Dolomites, Puglia. Cities are a different calculation. This covers the IDP requirement, how ZTL restricted zones work and how to avoid fines, and what the Italian rental market looks like before you book.

Ireland is one of Europe's best self-drive destinations — the west coast routes are only reachable by car. The two things to understand before you book: how the CDW excess works here, and that the fleet is predominantly manual transmission.

Croatia's roads are good, the driving is easy, and a car opens up the Adriatic coast and islands in a way nothing else does. The one thing worth understanding before you book: border crossings into Bosnia or Montenegro require a simple arrangement at pickup — not at the border.

Greece has a large and competitive rental market — more than 60 suppliers at Athens alone, with economy cars running well under $30/day in shoulder season. Two things worth understanding before you book: what standard CDW excludes on island roads, and the ferry rule — coverage is void the moment your car is on the water.

Morocco rewards self-drive travel between its cities and along the coast — the road network is better than most first-time visitors expect. The insurance system is the one thing worth understanding before you book: the excess is high, and what's included varies more by supplier here than in most destinations.

Spain has one of Europe's most competitive rental markets — strong local brands, low prices at the main tourist airports, and roads that connect everything worth seeing outside the cities. Two things to sort before you book: what the CDW excess actually means, and how the 2026 Low Emission Zones work for rental drivers.

France rewards road-trippers outside Paris — the Loire Valley, Provence, Burgundy, and the Riviera are all built around having a car. Two things to understand before you book: how the autoroute toll system works (pay by distance, not a vignette), and what the Crit'Air emissions sticker means for driving in Paris and major cities.

The UK outside London is one of the most driveable destinations in Europe — good roads, no motorway tolls, and a competitive rental market. Two things to sort before you book: the fleet is mostly manual, and Greater London runs its own charging system that operates independently of the rental agreement.

New Zealand is built for road trips — the South Island in particular has almost no viable public transport between the places worth visiting. Two things to sort before you book: the standard damage excess runs NZD $3,000–$5,000, and the Cook Strait ferry rules vary by supplier in ways that can restructure an inter-island itinerary.

Thailand rewards a car everywhere outside Bangkok — Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, and the north are all built around having one. Two things to sort before you fly: get a physical International Driving Permit, and check whether your credit card covers rental car excess in Southeast Asia.

The rental market is competitive and the roads are excellent. The thing worth understanding before you book is the toll system: a general motorway vignette covers most of the network, but the Tauern, Brenner, and Arlberg routes each charge a section toll on top.

South Korea splits cleanly by geography: Seoul needs no car, Jeju almost always does. The one thing to sort before you fly is the IDP — it must be obtained before departure and no rental counter will waive the requirement.

Vietnam rewards a private vehicle for intercity routes and highland loops that trains and shuttles can't match. The one thing to understand before you book: the rental market is split between self-drive and driver-with-car, and most agencies won't hand keys to foreign tourists without significant conditions attached.

Cyprus rewards self-drive travel — the Troodos Mountains, the Akamas Peninsula, and most of the best beaches require a car. Two things to sort before you book: the island drives on the left, and standard rental insurance becomes void the moment you cross north of the Green Line into Northern Cyprus.

Hawaii is four different rental decisions, one per island. Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai are built around having a car. Oahu depends on your itinerary. This covers what each island needs, what the real cost looks like after fees, and how to book without getting caught by the price swings that hit Maui and Kauai every peak season.

Costa Rica rewards renting if your trip moves between regions — the road network connects the volcanoes, the cloud forest, and both coasts better than any shuttle schedule. The one thing worth understanding before you book: a piece of the insurance is legally mandatory, no matter what coverage you already carry, and which airport you fly into shapes the whole trip.

Ecuador rewards self-drive travel — the Andes, the coast, and the cloud forest all open up with a car. Two things to sort before you book: the insurance structure works differently here, and Quito's plate-based driving restriction catches visitors who don't know about it.

Colombia rewards self-drive travel outside the cities — the Coffee Region, the Andes routes, and the Caribbean coast are all accessible in a standard rental. Two things to sort before you book: whether CDW is included in your rate or added at the counter, and how pico y placa plate-based restrictions work in Bogota, Medellin, and Cali.

The DR rewards independent driving — the Colonial Zone, the mountain towns, and the north coast are all worth the road trip. The one thing to sort before you arrive: Dominican suppliers handle collision coverage differently from anywhere else in the Caribbean, and credit card CDW is routinely refused at the counter.

Nevada has the third-highest rental car tax burden in the US, and LAS adds its own fee stack on top. Here's what a rental actually costs, when you need one, and when you don't.

Florida has more rental car suppliers than any other US state and the market is genuinely competitive. The things that catch visitors off guard are administrative: airport fee stacking, a cashless toll system that bills weeks later, and a counter insurance pitch under time pressure.

Cancun's roads are good and the rental market is large, but the online booking flow rarely shows the full cost before you fly. The one thing worth understanding before you book: several suppliers don't present the mandatory insurance decision online at all, and the base rate carries its own fee stack on top.

New York City has one of the most complicated rental markets in the US — three airports, a congestion pricing zone, and a fee stack that adds 25–40% above the displayed rate. The honest answer for most Manhattan-only visitors: skip the car. The article covers when a rental does make sense, which airport to use, and what the all-in cost actually looks like.