Some of the world's great journeys are best done behind the wheel. Iceland's Ring Road, New Zealand's South Island, the coastal drives of California and the lakes and villages of the Alps all reward the freedom a car gives, and more travellers from Gujarat are choosing self-drive holidays every year. The driving itself is rarely the problem. The problems happen at the rental counter, in the fine print, and at the moment you return the car — which is where this guide concentrates.
It covers what documents you need, how rental insurance and the excess really work, why a credit card matters, the checks that protect your deposit, and the adjustments Indian drivers need to make on unfamiliar roads. Rules and prices vary by country and by rental company, so treat this as a checklist of what to confirm rather than a list of fixed terms.
Documents: your licence, and whether you need an IDP
You will need your valid Indian driving licence, your passport, and in many countries an International Driving Permit as well. The IDP is not a licence in itself; it is an officially recognised translation of your Indian licence that must be carried alongside it. Some countries accept an English-language Indian licence on its own for short visits, while many — including a number in Europe — require the IDP, and rental companies sometimes insist on it even where the law is relaxed. Being refused a car at the counter because of a missing IDP is an expensive way to lose the first day of a road trip.
An IDP is obtained in India before you travel, through your Regional Transport Office, and our International Driving Permit guide explains the process and documents. Check the licence rules for every country you will drive in, not just the one where you collect the car, and check the rental company's own minimum requirements, which can be stricter than the law.
Age limits and the credit card question
Most rental companies set a minimum age, often somewhere in the early twenties, and charge a daily young-driver surcharge for drivers below a higher threshold. Some also set an upper age limit or require additional documentation for older drivers. If your party includes a young driver or an older parent who will share the driving, confirm the rules and costs before booking, and make sure every person who will drive is named on the agreement — an unnamed driver is usually uninsured.
The main driver will almost always need a credit card in their own name. Rental companies place a security deposit on the card, often a substantial amount, which is held for the duration and released after the car is returned. Many companies do not accept debit cards or prepaid forex cards for the deposit at all, or accept them only with extra conditions. This catches out travellers who have loaded all their travel money onto a forex card — our comparison of forex cards against cash and cards explains why carrying a credit card with enough available limit matters on a self-drive trip.
Insurance: the excess is the thing to understand
Rental insurance is where most confusion and most unexpected cost lives. The basic cover included with many rentals — often called a collision damage waiver — limits what you pay if the car is damaged, but it usually comes with an excess: a fixed amount you remain responsible for in the event of damage, which can be large. At the counter you will typically be offered extra cover to reduce that excess to a small amount or to zero, at an additional daily cost.
Whether to buy it is a judgement call, but understand what the basic cover leaves you exposed to before you decide. Common exclusions — tyres, windscreens, the underside of the car, and damage from driving on unpaved roads — matter a great deal in places like Iceland, where gravel roads are common. Some travel insurance policies and some credit cards offer cover for the rental excess, which can be cheaper than the counter's offer, so check your own policies first. Our travel insurance guide for Indian travellers explains what a policy typically does and does not include.
The checks that protect your deposit
Before driving away, walk around the car and photograph or video it from every angle, including the wheels, windscreen and interior, with the time visible. Make sure every existing scratch and dent is marked on the rental company's damage sheet, and do not accept a sheet that shows the car as spotless if it is not. On return, do the same again, ideally with a staff member present, and keep the check-in receipt. Disputes over damage are far easier to resolve with dated photographs than with memory.
Understand the fuel policy too. A full-to-full policy, where you collect the car full and return it full, is usually the fairest; alternatives that charge you for a full tank up front often cost more than the fuel you use. Keep the final fuel receipt near the return location. And read the agreement for charges that arrive after you leave — tolls, traffic fines, parking penalties and speed-camera tickets are commonly passed on with an administration fee added, sometimes weeks later. Our guide to common travel scams abroad covers the rental-counter upsells worth being wary of.
Driving on the other side, and other adjustments
India drives on the left, as do the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand and several others, so driving there feels familiar. Most of Europe, the United States, Canada and much of the rest of the world drive on the right, which needs genuine concentration at first, particularly at junctions, roundabouts and when pulling out of a car park onto an empty road, when instinct reasserts itself. Take the first hour slowly and let the most confident driver start.
In much of Europe, manual gearboxes are the default and automatics cost more and must be booked early; in the United States, automatics are standard. Expect tolls on motorways in several countries, and in Switzerland and Austria a motorway vignette — a prepaid sticker — is required, usually supplied with Swiss rental cars but worth checking. Many European cities have low-emission zones and very limited, expensive parking, which is why the sensible pattern is often to use trains between cities, as our guide to train travel in Europe explains, and rent a car only for the countryside.
Where self-drive is at its best
Some destinations are made for driving. Iceland's Ring Road and Golden Circle are the classic example, with our Iceland Ring Road and Golden Circle guide covering the route and the seasonal cautions. New Zealand's South Island is another, and our New Zealand travel guide sets out a driving itinerary. The American West, from the Pacific coast to the national parks, is built around the car, as our US West Coast itinerary shows.
Before any of these, check the specific conditions: winter road closures, gravel surfaces, long distances between fuel stations and whether your rental agreement permits the roads you plan to use. Some rental contracts prohibit certain mountain roads or unpaved tracks entirely, and damage there may not be covered by any insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rent a car abroad with my Indian driving licence? Often, but many countries and rental companies also require an International Driving Permit alongside it. Check the rules for every country you will drive in, and carry both documents.
Can I use a debit card or forex card for the deposit? Frequently not. Most rental companies require a credit card in the main driver's name for the security deposit. Confirm the company's policy before you travel and make sure the card has enough available limit.
Should I buy the extra insurance at the counter? It depends on your existing cover and the destination. Understand the excess on the basic cover first, check whether your travel insurance or credit card already covers it, and consider the risks of the roads you will drive.
Is it hard to drive on the right side of the road? It takes concentration at first, especially at junctions and roundabouts, but most drivers adjust within a day. Start on quiet roads, avoid driving into a major city on the first day, and let the most confident driver begin.
A well-planned self-drive trip gives you a kind of freedom no coach tour can match. When Explera Vacations arranges a self-drive holiday from Surat and across Gujarat, we check the licence and permit rules for each country on your route, book the right car and cover, and build the itinerary around realistic driving times. Tell us where you would like to drive through the contact page, or browse our holiday packages from Surat.
