Car Rentals in the Philippines
I get a lot of inquiries from people wanting to rent a car during their vacation or holiday in the Philippines. In general, I do not recommend that you rent a car and drive yourself here, especially on your first visit. Why? Well, because driving is a little different here, there are not set rules that are followed, as you would find in Western Countries.
If you have been here a few times and have observed the way that traffic works here, then driving yourself here indeed can be quite an experience. It will be something you’ll be able to talk about and tell stories of your harrowing experience for years to come! Talk about stories for the grandchildren!
The other day, I was at Apo View Hotel here in Davao. They have an Avis Car Rental there at the hotel and since I get quite a few such inquiries, I decided to stop in and see what they have to offer, and the prices. Below is what I found.
Rental of a Sedan with Driver
You can rent a sedan that includes a driver for basically three different types of use. First, if you will be remaining in the City limits and will return the car the same day, you get a 10 hour rental for P2,912. If you plan to go out of town with the sedan the price is P3,376. If you will keep the car overnight (still 10 hours limit) the price is P3,736. If you will need the car longer than 10 hours, the additional charge is P412 per hour. Fuel is additional and must be paid by the person making the rental.
Rental of Van with Driver
Similar to the rental of a sedan, you can also rent a van if you have need for a larger vehicle that can hold more passengers. First, if you will be remaining in the City limits and will return the van the same day, you get a 10 hour rental for P3,914. If you plan to go out of town with the van the price is P4,378. If you will keep the van overnight (still 10 hours limit) the price is P4,738. If you will need the van longer than 10 hours, the additional charge is P450 per hour. Fuel is additional and must be paid by the person making the rental.
Self-Drive Options
For self-driving packages, you must rent the vehicle for a minimum of 24 hours.
Van Rentals for self-driving run P4,200 for 24 hours.
Sedan with Manual Transmission for self-driving is P2,500 for 24 hours.
Sedan with Automatic Transmission for self-driving is P3,200 for 24 hours.
All self-drive packages include Collision Waiver Coverage, Personal Accident Insurance and 3% Sales Tax. There is no option to rent without the additional insurance coverage. Fuel is at the renter’s expense.
For self-driving you will need to present: Photocopy of your Driver’s License, 1 Valid ID or Passport, 3 Reference Persons residing in the City and a 40% Cash deposit.
So, these are the prices for car rental in Davao. I would say that you can expect similar rates in other parts of the Country as well, with possibly slightly higher prices in Manila.
Like I said, if you are a first time visitor to the Philippines, leave the driving to a taxi driver or a family member here. Spend your time observing the road from the passenger seat before you take to the wheel yourself!
Bob
Today’s blog reminds me of my first time in the RP. Before going there I was searching the net for car rental. When I arrived my idea of renting a car quickly changed for these reasons.
1. Difficult to find a good street map
2. Streets are poorly marked if marked at all
3. Parking, a taxi will drop you off right at the door but if you drive yourself you may end up parking over 5 blocks away.
4. Drivers are very reasonably priced. By the time you figure in the extra gas used driving around finding places or finding a place to park it will cost less to hire a driver with the car.
5. Taxi drivers make good tour guides. Most taxi drivers in the RP know there way around the city very well and in my opinion speak better English than taxi drivers in the US.
After I move to the RP I still plan on using the taxi service and hiring taxis by the day when visiting the city. I have driven a motorcycle in the province but there is no way I would drive a motorcycle in the city.
Hi Larry – Ha ha… yes, I agree with you on every one of your points. There are some advantages here in Davao, though…. all streets have proper street signs on every corner, so finding your way around is a little easier.
I have my own car, and I enjoy driving myself around, but like you, if I am going somewhere that parking can be a problem, I just take a taxi – that avoids all the hassles of finding a parking place!
Bob
I consider you a brave man for driving your own car in the RP. But I am sure you know your way around by now and that helps a lot.
Hi Larry – I actually love driving here. There is more freedom, less rules to follow, etc. It’s quite enjoyable! And you are exactly correct – if you drive, you tend to really get to know your way around a city. Much more than just riding around in taxis.
Bob… Just dealt with this issue on my last trip to the province and have been ruminating on whether or not to bother buying a car here in Manila. Abulug is 13 hours by bus and tricycle from Manila and the closest City is Tugueggarao. I rented a Pajero from a private individual in Tugeuggarao for 2500 per day (I pay petrol).For remote areas, the vehicle was ideal, but there were unintended consequences. First, even in rural areas, driving, especially at night, is tricky at best. (Why, oh why, do tricycles with functioning lights not use them???) Also, i noticed that in the province, people tend to walk / bicycle / ride carabaos, etc in the middle of the road. So, I really made about the same time as the bus, given the bus drivers’ familiarity with conditions and so forth. Add to that the rice drying on the road, small children running about, logging trucks, livestock, and it pays to be alert.Second, in town, I became the town taxi for all of the relatives… Didn’t really mind too much, but was unprepared for how much running around i ended up doing. Next, showing up with a new truck in town simply reinforced the rich foreigner perception. Very few people there own vehicles bigger than a motorbike or tricycle.
Was it worth it? Yes and no. I was much more mobile and saw some things difficult to see otherwise. The truck was also useful for chores around the homestead (we bought 15 bales of barbed wire and saved 1500 on delivery). HOWEVER, it was very stressful driving and i have driven in places such as Jakarta, Hong Kong, Manhattan, and central London.
Rates from Hertz (my usual outlet) approximate your Avis rates, though I am such a frequent renter that the deposits and such usually are waived and i get a flat 20% off. Figure 3000 plus petrol per day… Not a bargain given that taxis are so cheap, especially for a tourist.
As an aside, my first trip here I was surprised at how nice the busses are here (the stations??? Different matter). I tried the sleeper bus lat time and at only 250 more than regular, a bargain… You lie down, ac, video, AND nonstop, saving an hour in travel time.Certainly beats the stress of driving.
Hi John Miele – Thanks for making your regular daily stop and comment! I’m getting used to having your comment every day now, and I look forward to it, so don’t miss any days!
Your experiences with the rental truck were interesting to read. One thing that matches my experience is that when you show up with a vehicle, it does reinforce the “rich foreigner” perception, but I try to let that slide off and not bother me. I have not had a problem with having to play taxi driver for the family. If I am in the mood, or going out anyway, I am happy to give rides, but if I am not, they don’t even ask.
I enjoy driving here, and am happy that I decided to buy a vehicle when I came here. I have ridden the bus before, but when I do that, I don’t do it as a way to get away from driving… I consider it more a cultural experience, if you know what I mean.
Bob
Even if you do get a ticket it is only a few hundred peso and no record. 
That’s right! No traffic laws in the RP. Stop signs and speed limits are only suggestions.
Hi Larry – You sound like you know the system well!
Morning Bob,
My biggest issue from a driving viewpoint was the fact that you do so on the opposite side of the road! I reckon I would have taken the plunge other than for this. The constant questioning and checking that would be going on in my mind about lanes – especially at intersections would have detracted from the concentration level necessary to avoid collisions. I am also a motorbike rider so I thought about that too. On a bike you would need to be very alert and moving a tad faster than the traffic to avoid becoming a statistic I feel. On yesterdays post, I felt the most annoying thing (May 2005) was the pollution which was unneccessary because householders were simply lighting fires and buring inappropriate items in every second yard. Frustrating because it seemed so unneccessary. Water coming from under the ground is COLD and I don’t like it for a shower without shandying it with some warmth!
Hi AussieLee – Yeah, I can understand how it would be much harder for a person from a country that drives on the left to adjust to driving here. I know that would be quite difficult for me too. I am lucky, because coming from the USA, it’s all the same for me.
hi bob. my wife has been driving her mini van all around digoscity. she sounds like she is able to handel the driving ok. i was worried sence she learned to drive in the u.s.a. and didnt realy drive in the philippines before. just in case any one is interested in what we had to pay for a van in the philippines, its a 2006 toyota estema emina ( desil ) with 7000 miles on it. we bought it over a year ago from lete, we paied only around 6000 dollars and had it shipped to mindano. in my mind thats realy cheep.
Hi jerry smith – Thanks for sharing that! Yes, it sounds like a good deal on the van! I hope that it proves reliable and good for you! Tell your wife that if she happens to drive up north, she should let us know and make a visit to us here in the City of Davao!
thanks for the offer bob, i dont know about her time frame though. but ill tell her. she also reads your blogs with me all the time. its funny because from reading your blogs we are sometimes able to keep ahead of a lot of her family on updates , price changes and news that will affect there lifes. usely before they are aware.
Hi jerry – Ha ha.. well, I’m happy to be your source of Philippine data! I’ll do my best to keep you ahead of the curve!
Sorry to say Bob I will not be driving in the pines any time soon . I enjoy the sights to much to drive and try to see what is going by the window , besides the bus and taxi drivers are scary enuf ….
..Phil R.
Good info, Bob. I wrote up some current Manila-area prices a few months ago: http://tinyurl.com/6h43gm
quite omporable to your latest.
In the Metro Manila outskirts where I live a small AUV with driver (like an Adventure) can easily be found for PhP 2500 a day, possibly including tolls and petrol. Something like a large, new, Benz van … 15 plus seater is on the order of PhP 4,000 a day. It really makes little sense to try to rent your own.
Mnay good comments to this post, in particular I urge people to read John’s (#5). Daytime and nighttime driving are not the same. I enjoy driving in the day time and will go almost anywhere, city traffic or back roads. I do not drive after dark, period. If I absolutely must drive after dark, I hire my brother-in-law or some other person well known to me to drive. There are significant traffic dangers afetr dark and significant non-driving dangers as well … my advice is, don’t do it unless you have no other choice.
Hi Phil R. – I drive, and I go a lot of places that buses and taxis don’t go! So, I can assure you that I see a lot of sights that others don’t get to see!
Hi Dave Starr – That rate of P4k per day for a big Benz or similar van is really a good deal, in my opinion.
Like you, I try to avoid night driving at all cost! It’s dangerous, stressful, and takes the joy out of the trip!
Hi bob,
First of all I want to introduce our self,we are a family from Belgium and we live in Gen San for about a year now.We use to lived here in 95′96′ in that time I was driving a owner jeep,and I have to say in that time there were not much cars,compared to now.Traffic can be really tricky because there are almost no rules.But like you Bob I enjoy driving
here.I also agreed that if you come here the first time in the Philippines it is better you don’t drive a car by your self,let your self get use to it,give it some time.By the way I enjoy your blog,keep up the good work.
Hi Patrick Vaerewyck – Thanks for leaving your comment. Please let me know anytime you are coming to Davao, we’ll have to go get a cup of coffee and get to know each other.
Yes, traffic in GenSan has increased a lot since the mid-90’s! I have been coming to GSC for almost 20 years now, and back when I first went there, the place was like a ghost town compared to now!
I used to drive a motorcycle around Olongapo City and Zambales for 4 years before moving back to States. Yes, driving in P.I. is stressful and dangerous compared to the States and one must be attentive and careful. But if you can realize these 3 things, maybe one can be prepared for the driving experience. 1)The only Rule of the Road is “the bigger you are, the more right-of-way you have.” And so Victory Liner buses rule! 2) Also, it’s a game of chicken on the road many times. 3) Realize that locals (filipinos) don’t know the rules of the road and traffic laws because they just buy their drivers’ licenses. Maybe it has changed since the 1980’s, but I doubt it. Although I used my Stateside license to get a Philippine driver’s license, I still had to take a written test, which I passed even though I never saw the questions. I was shown which answers to mark as true or false. !00% pass!
Hi Jerry, Post ‘11 – May I know how did you able to buy a car in Leyte. Is it through advertisements like internet, etc.? And how much is the shipping cost? I am interesting about it since we are planning to have one ( a good and a nice second hand) in the near future when we move there for good. By the way my family are living near Digos. Thanks
Hi phil – Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Of course, on the buses, it’s a regional thing.. we don’t have Victory Liner down south, but generally any bus rules the road!
Hi Bob,- Well there goes another idea of mine out the window. I thought I would be driving when I arrived down in Davao, but have decided to reconsider that notion after reading your article and the posts below I figured, seeing as they drive on the same side of the road as in Canada and the US it wouldn’t be a problem. It sounds like the drivers are just as bad, if not worse, than the drivers in Thailand. Oh well
Taxis it is!
AussieLee: Haha Ran into the same problem as you when I was in Thailand. It’s a bloody nightmare trying to avoid all the potential accidents AND drive on the opposite side of the road.
Trevor