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Jordan is one of those countries that speaks to the imagination of many people. The vast and otherworldly desert of Wadi Rum and the rose colored city of Petra make the perfect base to plan an epic road trip through Jordan! There’s nothing more fun than discovering a new country at your own pace and the best way to do that is by renting a car!
In contrary to what many people assume Jordan is actually a really safe country to be driving through yourself. Me and my friend Kate rented a car in Jordan and by doing so we created memories that will last a lifetime.
During your drives you’ll come across desert landscapes, the dead sea and incredible canyons. I can guarantee you that you’ll want to stop alongside the road on numerous occasions to take in the views.
Together with Kate I spent an amazing week driving around in Jordan and after reading this article you’ll be fully prepared to go on an amazing road trip yourself!
Tips For Driving And Renting A Car In Jordan
Why you should rent a car in Jordan
If you’ve followed any of my previous travels then you know that I an absolute sucker for a good road trip. Renting a car gives you the freedom to go anywhere you want, whenever you want. You don’t need to depend on the schedules of public transportation and you can avoid booking expensive tours.
The best way to get the most out of your time in Jordan is by rent a car. You can explore the highlights of the country but you can also drive to more remote areas and discover true hidden gems such as Wadi Mujib!
If you don’t have your own car you’ll need to rely on taxi’s and busses. Your trip will most likely end up being a lot more expensive and you’ll have zero flexibility!
Renting a car in Jordan is actually not that uncommon and in my opinion it’s the best way to get the most out of your trip! Plus, renting a car in Jordan is very safe and the advantages definitely outweigh the few disadvantages that you might have.
- Road conditions and driving conditions in Jordan are great throughout the entire country.
- Public transportation in Jordan is very unreliable. By booking a rental car you’ll avoid paying a lot of extra costs on taxi’s or private drivers.
- The GPS system in Jordan works perfectly, we navigated with either Waze or Google Maps.
- By renting a car you’ll get endless amounts of freedom! You’ll be able to go wherever whenever and do everything on your own time.
🚘 The easiest thing to do is simply to book your car online in advance. It requires some research from before but with sites like SunnyCars you’ll be able to compare different companies and prices next to each other.
Plus in case of any issue with the rental company or the car, they take as much responsibility as the actual rental company and they only work with the most reliable car rentals in the world.
Planning your trip to Jordan
🏨 Find the best accommodations on Booking.com
💰 Get reliable travel insurance from World Nomads
🎒 Pack a power bank, sunscreen and a travel wallet
🚗 Rent a car to drive around Jordan with SunnyCars.com
📚 Read Lonely Planet Jordan and The Rough Guide to Jordan
Is it safe to drive in Jordan?
The answer is yes, yes and again YES! But I do get your question. It’s the same question that I ask myself over and over again when I start planning a road trip to a new country. But after a full week of road tripping from Amman to the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum I can confidently say that it’s 100% safe for you to self drive in Jordan.
But of course I am here to give you some insider tips on what it’s really like and what you need to know before embarking on your adventure.
- In Jordan they drive on the right side of the road.
- The speed limit on highways is 110km/hour and there are regular police checks. So make sure you don’t punch the gas too hard on those long stretches through the desert.
- Road signs are always in both Arabic and English.
- There are a lot of speed bumps and they are not always very clear. Keep an eye out for them when you’re driving cause we nearly started flying because we hadn’t seen it fast enough.
- Traffic within the city of Amman can be a little on the crazy side. There are no real traffic lanes and it can get pretty chaotic but if you’re an experienced driver then you’ll have no problem here.
- You are required to wear your seat belt at all times.
💡 TIP – Parking spaces in the city of Amman are rather scarce. If you don’t feel like driving within the city centre you can also just go by taxi. There aren’t that many things to see in the capital but the Amman Citadel is a must visit if it’s your first time visiting Jordan.
💸Jordan Travel Insurance
I highly recommend you to get a travel insurance before your trip cause the risks are never worth the costs. If you’re going on a more adventurous trip you can always get yourself injured! So far I have sprained my ankle in Jordan, got food poisoning in India, turned snow blind in the Dolomites and have fallen multiple times during many hikes. It’s always best to be safe than sorry in such cases and with a good travel insurance you don’t have to worry about medical bills piling up.
I personally love World Nomads, their prices are affordable, their coverage is great, and they also offer 24/7 on-call customer service! When I got super sick in India they even covered an extra night for me at the hotel that I was staying it and rearranged my flight home at no extra cost!
🚘 Tips for driving and renting a car in Jordan
If you’re traveling to Jordan you’ll most likely enter the country by plane which means you’ll arrive at the Queen Alia International Airport. With SunnyCars you can already pick up your car immediately at the airport. This way you can immediately put your suitcase in the trunk and self drive to your hotel. A lot of the bigger hotels in Amman come with a parking lot so you’ll have no trouble with that either.
Credit Card – Make sure you bring a credit card with you in the same name of the person who has booked the rental car. This is very important when you pick up your vehicle so they can block the deposit on your credit card. If you don’t have a credit card with you or there’s not enough money on it you won’t be able to rent the car.
Navigating – You can use both Waze or Google Maps to navigate around the country. I always buy a local SIM at the airport so I can keep on using data on my phone without paying the steep prices of using international data. Don’t spend your money on an extra car GPS. The maps in the Middle East aren’t updated that often and are usually pretty outdated.
Getting gas – You’ll find petrol stations pretty much everywhere around populated places and most rental cars will run on gasoline. Diesel cars are not popular in Jordan so you’ll hardly find any to rent. A lot of the gas stations are serviced. All you have to do is open up the fuel inlet and tell them what type of gasoline you need.
Road conditions – There are two main highways in Jordan but they do come with a big amount of potholes and speed bumps. They’re not always signposted so do keep an eye out for them. Both highways also cross through towns so make sure to lower your speed when approaching one.
Age – You can only rent a car if you are over 25 years old, even though the minimum driving age is 18 years.
The only paperwork that you need to provide in order to rent a car is your passport and your driving license from your home country.
AC – Pretty much every rental car in Jordan will come with air conditioning. But it doesn’t hurt to check if it works ;).
You will find that drivers in Jordan honk all the time. To thank you, to ask for permission, to give you permission, etc. Basically they honk to call your attention to different things, so just trust your instinct and be confident!
Booking online vs. in person
I don’t recommend hiring a car in person upon arrival. You can’t properly compare prices and chances are high that the good rental cars will already be gone. It’s way easier to compare prices online and by booking from beforehand you’re more likely to enjoy a discount and at least you’re certain that your car will be waiting for you.
🚘 This is one of the main reasons why I love using websites such as SunnyCars. There are a lot of car options to choose from and if you book a little in advance the rental prices won’t be that high.
They are an all-in car rental service without any hidden costs or unpleasant surprises!
Really everything you need is included in their all-inclusive car rental formula. Unlimited mileage and a fair fuel arrangement? Check. Third-party insurance of at least €7.5 million, damage insurance and theft insurance? Also included. They even cover the costs of towing if the rental car breaks down. In case of damage or theft, you pay the own risk on the spot, which they refund when you return home. This also includes damage to glass, tires, the floor or roof of the car!
How it works – All you have to do is enter the location from where you want to rent your car, the dates tat you’ll need it and your preferred pick up and drop off time. You’ll be shown a selection of all the cars available to you and the price that is shown there includes all of the above mentioned insurances.
With the help of some filters you can even select if you want a manual or automatic transmission.
For instance, April is a really good month to visit Jordan and during that period you can already rent a really good car for as little as €52 per day.
Police Checks in Jordan
Police checks are pretty common in Jordan, especially if you’re driving close to the border. But don’t be alarmed. The police in Jordan is not there to rip you off but to ensure your safety.
Most likely they’ll only ask you for your license and registration so just make sure that you have all the necessary documents when you pick up your rental car.
All rental car plates start with the number 70, so it’s pretty easy for them to spot foreign tourists on the road.
How much does it cost to rent a car in Jordan?
You can already rent a car in Jordan for only €52 per day, insurance included. This for instance is the price per day for 1 week in April.
But the price of a rental car totally depends on the time of year and how early you book your car. So if you already know when you’ll travel to Jordan it’s best to book your rental car as soon as possible.
🚘 I always use SunnyCars when choosing a rental car because there’s never any hidden costs with them. Their price is transparent and everything is included. And yes, really everything you need is included in our all-inclusive car rental formula:
- Unlimited mileage and a fair fuel arrangement
- Third-party insurance of at least €7.5 million,
- Damage insurance
- Theft insurance
- Towing cost if your car breaks down
These days it’s also important that you can cancel or change your reservation without any hassle. This is also possible with SunnyCars. And yes, sometimes you pay a few euros more compared to other rental companies but at least with this one you’re certain that there are no more hidden costs.
💡 TIP – Sometimes the local rental company will try to make you pay for additional insurance. This is in no way necessary cause SunnyCars offers you full coverage.
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