Tips For Renting A Car And Driving In Oman

Why you should rent a car in Oman

If you’ve followed any of my previous travels then you know that I am absolute sucker for a good road trip.

Renting a car gives you the freedom to go anywhere you want, whenever you want. You want to go on a sunrise mission to Jebel Shams? You’ll need a rental car! You want to admire the sunset at Jabreen Castle and get back to Nizwa for dinner? That’s right, you’ll need a rental car!

Oman is also one of the easiest and safest countries to drive a rental car. Outside of Muscat public transport is also limited and self-driving is definitely the cheaper option.

If you don’t have a rental car and you want to see certain parts of the country you’ll depend on taxi’s, busses and tours. These are either very expensive options or simply impossible to do sometimes if you want to visit a place very early in the day. It will take a lot longer to reach several destinations in one day and if you’ve booked a full day tour you’re also stuck if the weather turns out to be a complete disaster that day.

Renting a car will give you the possibility to go more off the beaten path and explore hidden gems in Oman.

🚗 Rent a car in Oman by using SunnyCars. There’s never any hidden costs with them and free cancellation up to 1 hour before rental start. Their price is transparent and everything is included.

What do you need to rent a car in Oman

When you rent a car in Oman you’ll need the following documents:

Your driver’s license from your home country
You need a credit card in your name
Your ID (or passport)+

Most rental companies require drivers to be at least 25 years of age and to have held a licence for a least one year to rent a car in Oman. There are some rental companies will rent a car to 21 to 24 year olds but at a significant higher fee.

An international drivers license is only necessary if your drivers licence isn’t written in the Roman alphabet. You can arrange one here.

TIP – Most car rental companies won’t check if you have an international drivers licence but it can be a problem if the police on the road asks for your documents.

Rental Car Insurance in Oman

Much like Europe, rental cars in Oman come with a basic Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), but this isn’t exactly insurance and only covers you for any damages implicated by a third party.

If you take any extra insurance on your rental car is totally up to you and will pretty much depend on the kind of road trip that you’ll be doing. If you’re plan is to also go off roading and drive to Jebel Shams I would recommend getting extra insurance that also covers any damage that could happen on these roads to the bottom of the car.

🚗 This is the main reason why I always book my rental car through SunnyCars. All insurance you need during your car rental is included. Think of additional third-party insurance of at least €10 million, non-life insurance and theft insurance.

How to rent a car in Oman

I always prefer arranging all of the details when I am still home. This way I can start my holiday relaxed and I know my rental car will be waiting for me.

If you’re planning a road trip through Oman, chances are high you’ll be flying in and out of Muscat. The easiest way is to simply pick up your rental car at the airport in Muscatand go from there. It’s often possible to have a different pick up and drop off location but this will always be at an extra cost. And honestly, I don’t think you’ll need this option in Oman.

Most rental car offices at the airport are open 24/7 for pick up and drop off. So even if you your flight arrives or leaves in the middle of the night (like ours did), you won’t have any trouble picking up or dropping off your car.

TIP – Before you pick up your rental car make sure to also grab a local SIM in the arrival hall of Muscat airport.

TIP 2 – Make sure to download the map of your route in Oman from before on Google Maps. This way you also don’t need to use any data to navigate and you don’t need the extra cost of a GPS.

Is it safe or difficult to drive in Oman?

No, driving a rental car in Oman is actually super easy! This is also the main reason why I highly recommend renting a car when visiting Oman.

Road conditions in Oman

The roads in Oman are in excellent condition. Honestly, a lot better than most roads in Belgium! There’s clear signage along the roads and most of them are both in Arabic and English.

The driving lanes are spacious and traffic rules and regulations are followed and respected by both tourists and locals. Most roads are asphalted, even in more remote areas.

But of course, just like everywhere there are exceptions. For instance the drive up to Jebel Shams isn’t fully paved. There’s a big chunk at the end that requires driving on a dirt road with a lot of pot holes and rocks.

Also the drive up the Jabal Akhdar isn’t for the faint of heart cause the road leading up into the mountains is very steep and requires you to have a 4×4 where you can switch to a manual transmission. But the road here is completely asphalted and also provided with a lot of escape lanes in case anyone’s brakes wouldn’t properly work.

Watch out for the speed limits

Never in my life have I seen so many speed cameras as I did in Oman. Literally on all of the highways you’ll encounter a speed camera nearly every 100 meters. So make sure to adhere to the speed limits!

The speed limits are as follows: 120km/h on the highway, 90km/h on the main roads and between 40km/h and 80km/h in urban areas.

Typical for Omani roads are their speed bumps. They are usually at the start of every urban area and followed by several more to make you reduce speed. It’s important to not go too fast across cause you’ll end up breaking your rental car.

Don’t be alarmed by a beeping noise in your car

Apparently pretty much every rental car in Oman comes with an automatic alarm if you’re driving over 120km/h. It’s a constant beeping that won’t stop until you start to drive slower. Very annoying but pretty effective I must say.

💡 TIP – If your car is equipped with cruise control simply put it on 119km/h and you won’t be bothered by the alarm.

Fuel is dirt cheap

Another reason why Oman is the perfect country to plan a road trip with a rental car is that the gasoline is incredibly cheap. Never in my life did I fill up a tank for so little money.

A full tank of gas in Oman will set you back around €25. That’s nothing compared to the €85 in Belgium.

Getting gas is never self service. There will always be a local there to assist you and you can pay by credit card.

What type of car do you need in Oman?

For most roads you’ll get by with a regular car but if the following places are on your bucket list when visiting Oman then you’ll have to rent a 4×4.

Jebel Shams – The last part of the road leading up to Jebel Shams is a dirt road with a ton of pot holes and upstanding rocks.
Jabal Akhdar – You can’t drive up without a 4×4. On your way up you’ll pass by a checking point where you’ll also receive the mandatory advice to use your 4×4 in low manual gear when driving back down.
Wahiba Sands – If you want to self drive to your desert camp you’ll need a 4×4. But a lot of companies do offer a pick up service from the nearby towns or even from Muscat.

Traffic Rules in Oman

Drive on the right and give way to traffic from the left.
Wear a seatbelt all the time and stay off your phone.
Respect the maximum speed limits: 120km/h on the highway, 90km/h on the main roads and between 40km/h and 80km/h in urban areas.
Don’t worry about the road signs since they are almost identical to those in Europe and despite the fact that the majority of them are written in Arabic and French an English translation is always available for the important markers and signs.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is strictly prohibited in Oman. You can go to jail for up to one year and will be fined OMR 200.
Avoid illegal parking because authorities will indeed penalize you. You cannot park at a pedestrian crossing, on bridges, tunnels, and at curves. It is also prohibited to park on public offices like in front and entrance gates of Royal palaces, entry and exit points of parking spaces, petrol stations, hospitals, schools, bus stations, firefighting centers, and police and military areas.

How much does a rental car cost in Oman

The basic cost of rental cars varies from one rental company to another. Usually, basic rates include unlimited mileage, local taxes, third-party liability insurance, and other add-ons. Make sure to check with your rental company on the coverage of the price you will pay or the rent so you will not be surprised.

We payed around €550 for a 4×4 car with automatic transmission for 1 week in Oman. And thanks to SunnyCars all of the necessary insurances were included.

Tips for renting a car in Oman

Make sure to check your rental car

This is my number one tip when renting a car in Oman, or anywhere else for that matters. It’s your own responsibility to check your rental car. Make sure to take many good and clear photos and detailed shots if there’s already some damage visible.

You will also receive a check-form before your rental officially starts. Make sure to see if all the damages are marked on the form. If this isn’t the case you need to tell the employee and have them add it to the check list before you sign anything.

Check what type of gas is needed for your rental car

This may sound pretty logical but it does happen. People put in the wrong type of gas at a petrol station and then of course the car won’t start anymore.

If you’re ever in doubt about which type of fuel you need, try to find the sticker in your rental car that provides that information. This can usually be found on the car key, on the dashboard, or on the fuel door.

There are gas stations everywhere in Oman. What I like to do is download the map of Oman from before on Google Maps. That way you don’t need any data when you’re searching the map for a nearby gas station.

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Tips For Renting A Car And Driving In Oman