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Car hire on Reunion Island

Useful advice and information

Hiring a car on Reunion Island in the best possible conditions. Take the time to read the rental contract, rental terms and conditions, applicable costs, guarantees and insurance cover included or not in the rental price, as well as the extra optional insurance policies on offer.

Getting good deals from car-hire companies

Depending on where you plan on driving, in the island’s highlands, along the coast or right to the heart of the different regions, you’ll be driving along coastal roads, through valleys and cane sugar fields, near steep mountainsides, and along narrow roads, so be careful! Contact the car-hire companies, who have a wide range of equipment and different options available, to make your car-hire experience as stress-free as possible:

Book a baby car seat or booster seat

Pick your car up directly from your hotel

Drop your car back off in a different agency to the one you picked it up from

The possibility of hiring a car easily, whatever your arrival time at the airport

A car equipped with air-conditioning or not, this option is essential because temperatures are higher when you’re nearer the coast

Lower prices for long-term car hire

The size of the car boot

Security services

The price of car hire on Reunion Island

On Reunion Island, there are many car hire companies, some of which bear the Qualité Tourisme Ile de la Réunion label for top-quality tourism services, and some are members of the Syndicat de l’importation et du Commerce de La Réunion (SICR) (Union for Reunion Island Trade and Imports). They have agencies at the airport and in partner hotels. They offer good prices, and are often cheaper than those in mainland France. An economical or category ‘A’ vehicle will cost you around €20 to €35 per day, depending on the rental period, including insurance and often with unlimited mileage.

Insurance and Deductibles

We recommend you get good insurance cover as the risks on Reunion Island are not the same as in mainland France. Remember to check the insurance cover and excess (variable depending on the service providers). Generally, you will be provided with third-party insurance (property damage and personal injury). Whatever method of payment you choose to use and insurance cover you take out, you will have to provide a security deposit which is the same amount as the excess. In the event of an at-fault accident, theft, broken window or damage to the vehicle, the deposit shall be retained. Make sure you take all the necessary measures when reporting an incident. Read the clauses of the contract carefully!

The speed limit is 80 km/hr on some roads of Reunion Island

This law came into effect on the 1st July 2018. On Reunion Island, some sections of the national roads have applied this speed limit. A law came into effect on the 1st July 2018 to lower the speed limit to 80km/hr on two-way roads that are not separated by a central reservation, that previously had a speed limit of 90km/hr.

The road network

Generally speaking, the whole road network on Reunion Island is well maintained, and well signposted. The highway code is similar to that in mainland France. Come and explore the ultimate island in a hire car. Every road is unique and surprisingly beautiful:

In the busy regions, between Saint-Denis and Saint-Gilles, in Saint-Pierre and Saint-Benoît, there is often a lot of traffic during rush hour (7am-9am), (4pm-6pm). Don’t forget to take a bottle of water with you, even more so if you have fragile people with you (young children, elderly people, etc.). Be careful while driving in the highlands, roads can sometimes be very winding and narrow, do not cross any flooded areas. Make sure you find out about any closed roads before setting off to the airport: traffic news. When driving around Reunion Island, Google Maps and Waze really come in handy.

Watch out for speed cameras ! 

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