Mauritius car rental

Renting a car in Mauritius is the best way for tourists to explore the island on their own terms and make the most of the experience. Despite its relatively small size, Mauritius has many unique places that can be easily missed when traveling by public transport or with organized tours. 

Freedom of Movement. Renting a car allows you to explore the island at your own pace without depending on tour or bus schedules. You can visit remote places such as nature parks, waterfalls or small villages whenever it suits you.

Access to secluded locations. Many beautiful and interesting places in Mauritius, such as beaches, mountains and natural attractions, are off the tourist routes. Renting a car gives you access to places like Pont Naturel, Le Morne, and quiet corners of the south coast.

Itinerary flexibility. With a car, you can easily change plans as you travel. You can stop at any beach you fancy or take an unexpected turn to an interesting attraction.

We recommend renting a car from our partner aggregator Localrent. To rent a car from the documents you will need:

• Вriving license
• ID or passport
• Bank card

When booking a car, you will need to make an advance payment of 15-20% of the order, and the main amount will be paid after inspection of the car on the spot. The prices are starting from 22-25 €/day for a compact car.

On the island you can rent a car also in street rentals, the price there may be lower, but the condition of cars is often unpredictable. Also, when checking into a hotel, they often offer a list of excursions and car rentals or cab transfers. The cost of renting a car through the hotel starts from 50 €/day for an economy class, which is considered quite expensive.

Car choice

Your choice of car in Mauritius depends on your preferences and goals. The island is not characterized by large gradients, except for one big pass, so any small car is suitable for traveling. The question is only about comfort and taste - it is up to you to rent a sedan or a pickup truck. We recommend choosing a car with an automatic transmission, as the traffic on the island, although quiet, but left-hand drive, and with an automatic you will adapt faster to the peculiarities of the local roads.

If you are traveling as a couple and want to save money, you can consider inexpensive Malaysian cars, as well as small cars Nissan, Toyota or Suzuki. If you want something more luxurious, you can rent a convertible or roadster in Mauritius, but note that driving a convertible at midday is not a good idea due to the scorching sun.

If you are traveling as a family or company, it is better to choose a car with a large trunk, such as Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Proton X50, Toyota Urban Cruiser or Mitsubishi Xpander.

Chinese cars of all classes and sizes are also starting to appear on the island - the choice is yours.

Traffic rules peculiarities

The main feature of traffic in Mauritius is left-hand drive, and the steering wheel in cars is located on the right. It is quite easy to adapt to this: traffic on the island is small, the roads are in excellent condition, everywhere there are markings and necessary signs.

The main thing is to take your time and be especially attentive on turns and traffic circles.

If you will be driving a right-hand drive car for the first time, take a car with automatic transmission: selection of cars with automatic transmission.  

Tips

• Use hands-free
• The speed limit: 40 km/h in the city, 80 km/h in the countryside and 100 km/h on the highway
• Before getting the car, inspect it carefully and note any damage
• Check the air conditioning, it's important!
• A liter of gasoline on the island costs around 70 MUR or ~1.3 €