Pickup
Return
Car rental in Bali is the most reliable way to see the island from end to end, on your own clock. There is no metro, scheduled buses are rare, and a taxi from Canggu to Seminyak in traffic can take longer than the flight into Denpasar. With your own car the day opens up: dawn surf at Keramas, lunch above the Ubud rice terraces, sunset at Uluwatu — all on your own route.
Prices are reasonable: economy cars from about $25 a day, SUVs and MPVs from $40, a car with a driver around $40–60 a day with fuel inside a set radius. Payment in Bali is unusually flexible: an international Visa or Mastercard works, and cash deposits in rupiah are genuinely accepted by most local suppliers, which is not the European norm.
Most arrivals we meet at the Ngurah Rai terminal by flight number, walk around the car together and hand over the keys. By the time other guests are still queueing for an off-airport shuttle, our drivers are already on the road to Canggu.
A guest's first morning in Bali tends to be the same: you sit on the right, reach for the gear stick with the wrong hand, and find the cup holder. Left-hand traffic and a right-hand-drive car take about an hour to click — just not on a motorway.
This page is a short, honest handbook: documents, deposit, insurance, the road, accidents, fines, ferries. The things travellers usually find out the hard way — gathered before you fly.
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Verified suppliers at DPS and the main hubs
Meet-and-greet at Ngurah Rai by flight number; cars handed over at the airport car park or in Canggu, Ubud, Sanur and Nusa Dua — no off-airport shuttle.
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Cash-rupiah deposits accepted
Many suppliers take the deposit in local cash, and a portion waive it entirely on older economy cars.
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Bilingual support, English and Russian
Clear answers on Dharma Dewata checks and the current status of the foreign-driving ban proposal.
Driving in Bali
Bali drives on the left, like the UK, Japan and Australia, with the wheel on the right. If you land at night, sleep it off in Kuta or Sanur and start the mountain drive in daylight.
Speed limits: 50 km/h in town, 80 on country roads, 100 on the Bali Mandara toll. Villages often drop to 30. ETLE cameras roll out mainly on Mandara and central Denpasar; elsewhere, enforcement is physical.
The wet season
From November to March the rain is short but heavy: a street fills to wheel height in ten minutes. Even good tyres lose grip and braking distance doubles. Low-beam headlights are required in rain and fog.
A guest's day-one ritual is the same: you go to indicate and the wipers come on. The stalks have swapped sides. It clicks in half an hour.
Tyres in Bali behave differently in the rain. On worn rubber the markings feel like ice. Drop your speed by twenty.
Scooter or car
A scooter is three or four times cheaper — $5–10 against $25–35 for an economy car. Most foreign road injuries are scooter injuries. A car wins in the rain, with kids, with luggage, and on long drives — Canggu to Uluwatu is an hour, and that hour on a wet scooter is not a holiday.
A family of four on two scooters is a popular Instagram shot and a poor idea. A week of car rental costs less than the excess on one badly-judged corner.
A child seat is required up to age twelve. There's nowhere on a scooter to put one.
A car rental in Sanur suits anyone getting used to the left.
Routes and the toll road
Bali's only toll road is the Bali Mandara, sweeping across the bay between Ngurah Rai airport, Sanur, Kuta and Nusa Dua. Payment is e-money card only — Mandiri, BCA, BNI or BRI — no cash. Scooters and motorbikes are banned, which catches out plenty of riders who turn up at the barrier and have to U-turn. In rush hour a car covers DPS to Nusa Dua in 15–20 minutes; the inland route takes an hour.
Fast-boats to Nusa Penida, Lembongan and the Gilis won't take a rental car — almost every supplier's contract bans inter-island ferries. The sensible play is to park at the secured Sanur ferry terminal, take the fast-boat across, and hire a scooter or a local driver on the island. Java and Lombok are off-limits the same way.
Mandara has a minimum speed of 60 km/h. Drive slower because you're admiring the bay and you can earn a fine. Beautiful view, not a place to shoot road video.
Fast-boats leave Sanur for Nusa Penida every half hour, and a rental car can't go on board. Easier: leave the car in the guarded ferry car park, rent a scooter on the island, pick the car up in the evening.
One-way pickup in one town and drop-off in another works with some Bali suppliers within the island. Priced by mileage, worth confirming before you book.
If Ubud is your base and you're planning runs out to Sideman and the east, rent a car in Ubud with full cover: switchbacks, blind corners and oncoming trucks aren't forgiving on a basic policy.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Indonesian law requires a home-country licence plus a valid IDP, and police check this routinely in tourist areas. Without an IDP you risk an on-the-spot fine or vehicle impoundment. Get the IDP in your home country before you fly — you cannot apply for one inside Indonesia.
If you can't show a valid IDP and licence, police can fine you up to IDR 1,000,000 (about $65) or impound the car. You'll then need to coordinate with the rental company and pay to release it. Your rental and travel insurance can also be voided if you were driving illegally.
Most agencies hold a refundable deposit roughly equal to the excess — commonly $100–300 on a credit card and returned when the car comes back undamaged. Many small local and peer-to-peer suppliers take a cash deposit or none at all on older economy cars. Always confirm the amount and how it's held before signing.
Often yes. Many Bali agencies accept a cash deposit in rupiah, and peer-to-peer operators frequently waive it on older cars. International desks at the airport usually still want a credit card for the hold. Confirm the payment method in writing before booking.
Economy self-drive starts around $25–35 a day, SUVs and MPVs from about $40–60. Monthly deals are roughly $300–450 for economy and up to $750 for a crossover. A car with a driver typically costs $40–60 a day including fuel inside a set radius.
Your passport, your home-country driving licence, a valid IDP, and a payment method for the deposit. Agencies keep a copy of the passport and licence and hand you the car's STNK, which must stay in the car. Keep all four on you while driving.
Most agencies require drivers to be at least 21, and some 23 with a year of licence experience; the legal driving age is 17. Under-25 drivers may pay a young-driver surcharge. Premium and larger vehicles often set a higher minimum.
Bali, like the rest of Indonesia, drives on the left — the same as the UK, Japan and Australia. The driver sits on the right of the car. If you're used to right-hand traffic, take it slow on day one, especially at roundabouts and when overtaking.
Treat it as zero. Indonesia doesn't publish a consistently enforced numeric BAC limit, and police apply effectively zero-tolerance to drivers, with penalties up to IDR 10,000,000 or jail for driving under the influence. Don't drive after any alcohol.
50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h on country roads and 100 km/h on the Bali Mandara toll road. Posted signs override the defaults, and villages can drop to 30 km/h. Mandara also has a minimum speed of 60 km/h — driving below it can earn you a fine.
Basic third-party cover is included almost everywhere. Damage and theft cover for the car itself is added on top, and significantly reduces or removes the excess on your deposit. Without the optional cover, repairs are billed against the deposit at the supplier's rate.
Stay at the scene — leaving counts as hit-and-run. Photograph the cars, plates, damage and any people involved. Call police on 110 and wait for the official report. Notify your insurer within 24 hours. Don't pay cash to a crowd on the spot — only the insurance and the report close the case properly.
At Ngurah Rai (DPS) the supplier meets you by flight number, walks you to the car at the airport car park or a short shuttle away, and the handover happens with the car in view. Confirm the meeting point on the booking — most operators send a pin on WhatsApp or email an hour before landing.
Yes — the Bali Mandara, linking Ngurah Rai airport with Sanur, Kuta and Nusa Dua across the bay. Payment is e-money card only (Mandiri, BCA, BNI, BRI); cash isn't accepted. Scooters are banned. From DPS to Nusa Dua in peak hours it takes 15–20 minutes versus an hour on the inland route.
As of 2026 it's a proposal, not a law. After a serious accident the topic returned to local news, and travellers ask about it constantly — but renting and driving with a valid IDP remains legal. Worth a quick check just before the trip in case the status has changed.