Car rentals
Take the wheel, or hand it over.
Rent a self-drive car or a car with a professional driver, in India and abroad, and compare deposits, kilometre limits, fuel and insurance before you pay.
Car rental search
Self-drive or chauffeur
Two ways to have a car. Very different trips.
Self-drive gives you privacy and your own timetable. A car with a driver gives you the view, the rest and someone who knows the road. Here is how the two compare in practice.
| Aspect | Self-drive | With a driver |
|---|---|---|
| Who drives | You, and any additional drivers named on the agreement | A professional driver provided by the operator |
| Documents | Licence for each driver, an IDP where required, and a deposit card | Photo ID for the lead traveller |
| Security deposit | Usually, refunded after the car is checked in | Usually none |
| How it is priced | Per day, with a kilometre limit or unlimited kilometres | Per day or a package of hours and kilometres, plus driver allowance |
| Fuel | Typically full-to-full: return it as you received it | Normally included in the daily or per-kilometre rate |
| Tolls and parking | Paid by you, along with any traffic fines during the rental | Billed at actuals, with receipts |
| Damage liability | You are liable up to the policy excess unless you buy cover that reduces it | Carried under the operator’s commercial vehicle insurance |
| Best for | Road trips at your own pace, privacy and routes you know | Unfamiliar or hill roads, heavy city traffic and long days when you would rather rest |
In India, licensed self-drive rental cars carry black number plates with yellow characters under the rent-a-cab scheme. A private white-plate car offered for self-drive hire is not licensed for it.
Requirements checklist
Ready to collect the keys?
Rental desks turn people away for a missing permit or the wrong kind of card more often than for anything else. Tick off what you already have.
Your ticks stay on this device only. Requirements vary by country and company; the rental terms on your booking are the final word.
At the counter
Ten careful minutes before you drive off.
Most deposit disputes are settled by what you did at pickup. These steps take a few minutes and protect the whole rental.
Heading abroad? Check what your travel insurance covers for rental-car excess, and confirm entry rules on our visa and documents page.
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Inspect and photograph
Every side, the wheels, windscreen and interior, plus the odometer and fuel gauge, before you drive away. Make sure existing damage is noted on the check-out sheet.
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Check the papers in the car
Registration and insurance, and in India the pollution certificate and any permit. Abroad, the rental agreement and the breakdown number.
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Confirm the terms at the desk
Fuel policy, kilometre limit, return time and any grace period, and the amount that will be held as a deposit.
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Get to know the car
Lights, wipers, spare tyre and jack, and the fuel type: petrol, diesel, CNG or electric. For an EV, the charging connector it uses.
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Return it as agreed
The same fuel or charge level, a fresh set of photos and a signed check-in sheet before you hand over the keys.
Rental FAQ
Renting a car, sorted out.
Can a visitor drive a rental car in India on a foreign licence?
Generally yes, with an International Driving Permit carried alongside the licence from your home country, for a limited period after arrival. Rental companies add their own rules on age and licence history, so check the conditions for the car you choose. Many visitors prefer a car with a driver for their first trip.
Do I need an International Driving Permit to rent a car abroad?
In many countries, yes, and rental desks can refuse a car without one even where local law is relaxed. Apply at your Regional Transport Office before you leave India; the permit is typically valid for one year and is used together with your Indian licence, never instead of it.
Why does a rental company hold a security deposit?
It covers fuel, tolls, fines or damage discovered after the rental. The amount is blocked on your card at pickup and released after the car is checked in, which can take several working days to show on your statement.
Is fuel included in a self-drive rental?
Usually not. Most self-drive rentals use a full-to-full policy: you collect the car with a full tank and return it full, or pay a refuelling charge. Some Indian rentals include fuel in the price for a set number of kilometres, and the booking says which.
What is a young-driver fee?
An extra daily charge many rental companies apply to drivers under 25, reflecting higher insurance costs. Some cars are not available to younger drivers at all. Enter the driver’s age in the search so the price and car list reflect it.
Can I take a rental car into another state or country?
Crossing state lines in India is usually allowed, though some states charge an entry tax or permit fee at the border; the rental terms say who pays it. Driving across national borders abroad needs the rental company’s written permission and often extra insurance.
Road-trip ready
Take the long way. We will plan the stops.
ATLAS builds the route around your rental: overnight stays a comfortable drive apart, and the sights worth pulling over for.