Rent a car in Jordan: where to rent a car, what kind of license you need, the cost of rent and gasoline, roads and driving in Jordan.
When we were planning a trip to Jordan, the first question we asked after buying our tickets was: what about car rental and how about rules in this country?
It turned out to be nothing complicated, but there are some small nuances. I’ll tell you about them below, based on my personal experience of traveling around Jordan in a rental car.
Rent a car at the airport
You can rent a car in both airports – Amman and Aqaba, two major hubs where tourists arrive. We needed a car at the Aqaba airport, as there was no other way to get to the city except by taxi(10 JOD = $14).
But, strangely enough, renting a car at the Aqaba airport was more expensive than in the city center.
The fact is that the airport is small. More low-cost airlines Wizzair and Ryanair have started flying there, while before, it was mostly charter flights.
That’s why there is not a single rental office in the airport terminal. Cars are driven to the airport for independent tourists or a transfer costs a very inhumane amount of money – $50 to get and return a car at the airport. So we decided to take a taxi to hotel and get the car near our hotel the next morning.
Where we rented a car?
We were looking for a car through an aggregator Rentalcars.com – It does an excellent selecting international and local companies that are represented in Jordan. The main companies represented in Aqaba are Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, and Nu Car Rental. After reading reviews of car rental companies in Aqaba, we eventually chose the international Sixt:
- First, they had a car delivered to the hotel where the tourist was staying. The car was also taken from the hotel after we contacted the manager by phone. It’s convenient.
- Secondly, they had the most favorable price at that moment.
- Thirdly, we got an almost new car. And we ordered the most inexpensive Citroen C1 with a manual transmission. As a result, we were upgraded to a new Citroen C4sedan with an automatic transmission and a mileage of 7000 km – for free.
The rental price was $160 for a week’s travel with minimal insurance and unlimited mileage – $23 per day, a normal European price. Traditionally, the deposit on the card was blocked – it amounted to 300 JOD = $423. They promised to unblock it within 14 days – in the end, they unblocked it 4 days after the car was returned.
Please note that rental (commercial) cars have different license plates than private cars. They have a green sign on them, so the police can clearly identify tourists in a rental car. But no one stopped us during the trip.
Roads in Jordan
What about Jordan’s roads? They are not bad, in some places even very good, and tall roads are free. On our route, we drove partially along all three main highways – everywhere the road surface quality had normal asphalt – no pits even in the mountains.
We often drove on completely new asphalt. Only on the route along the Dead Sea we passed through areas where a landslide could happen/ It happened because the sea is drying up, ravines and karst voids are forming. But the road is constantly being repaired.
There are three main highways connecting Aqaba and the capital Amman:
- The Royal Highway – leads through Petra, through mountainous areas, a lot of serpentines, often two-lane at 80 km/h.
- The desert highway – past the Wadi Rum desert, four-lane, almost everywhere you can drive at 110 km/h.
- Dead Sea Highway – leads from Aqaba to the Dead Sea along the border with Israel.
There is one unpleasant nuance: there are wide speed bumps everywhere on Jordanian highways and roads. They are often marked with a corresponding sign. But unfortunately not everywhere – you need to be careful, especially in the dark time.
Gasoline and gas stations in Jordan
The cost of gasoline at Jordanian gas stations is almost the same everywhere – 0.85 JOD per liter of 90th gasoline. This is about $1.2 per liter. We paid for fuel with a credit card at JoPetrol stations, and the price was similar at other stations.
We were given a car with enough gasoline to last 100 kilometers. We fixed this in the contract (1/4 tank) and returned the car with the same amount (approximately). Such a trick (an incomplete tank) is usually in favor of the rental company – you will never fill the tank to a quarter and, of course, return the car with a little more gasoline.
Driving stile in Jordan
We didn’t notice any special driving etiquette – drivers here are unaggressive, but almost no one uses turn signals.
Often in cities, you may have to change lanes to make a left turn from the far right lane. On the highways, turn signals are not in favor either. Local drivers often drive under the “brick” sign, not only on narrow streets in the center, but also when they leave the highway. In general, you need to be a little more careful in cities.
Driving at night – keep in mind that many cars do not have rear lights. On the highways, this is especially dangerous when you quickly approach a car without dimensions. You also need to be careful at night when driving past trucks. They often change lanes without using turn signals.
Parking in cities is free everywhere. In fact, you can park your car wherever you want – even under a “no parking” sign.
Instead of conclusions:
Traveling by car in Jordan is comfortable and easy. Car rental prices are usual and low. For an independent trip deep into the Wadi Rum desert, you will need an SUV – this is completely different money, so we paid for a day trip.
Useful links for independent travelers:
Car rental – cheap car rental options on Rentalcars.com
Hotels – I traditionally book on Booking.com
What else to read:
- Road trip in Jordan – route, main sights and costs of the trip
- The best road trip in Morocco
- Wadi Rum Desert – a branch of Mars in Jordan
- 5 most picturesque routes in Morocco that you should definitely add to your itinerary
