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Car hire in Uzbekistan is the easiest way to put together your own Silk Road itinerary without being tied to a train timetable. From Tashkent down to Samarkand, then on to Bukhara, Khiva and the Fergana Valley — this is a country that opens up far better from behind the wheel than from the back of a coach.
Uzbekistan has quietly become one of the friendliest countries in Central Asia for European travellers. Most EU passport holders enter visa-free, the main motorways are in good shape, the airports use English signage and the younger generation increasingly speaks workable English. You book online, then collect the car at Tashkent (TAS) or Samarkand (SKD) airport — either at the rental desk or from a manager waiting in the car park.
Prices are some of the lowest in the region: economy starts from 25 USD a day. On TakeCars you see real photos of the actual car, recent guest reviews, the deposit amount and the insurance terms before you enter your card details — the basic worry of «what if it isn't the car I booked» simply doesn't apply.
A Dutch couple landed in Tashkent last April, signed the contract on the bonnet, and were on the M39 toward Samarkand inside twenty minutes. The paperwork felt lighter than back home.
Most European visitors drive away on day one. The rules are mostly familiar; we just walk through a couple of local quirks at handover and that's enough.
What you actually need
Uzbekistan recognises licences from countries that signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which covers most of Europe. Best practice is your home licence together with an International Driving Permit (IDP). The IDP is the official translation; it's cheap to issue at home and removes any debate at a roadside check.
Contracts at the larger suppliers and verified hosts on TakeCars are in English. With smaller providers the contract may be in a local language — you can request an English copy via TakeCars chat before booking. Final price, deposit, insurance and fuel policy are all visible before you sign.
Most European guests turn up with an IDP and we'd recommend the same. Licence plus IDP is the cleanest combination at any roadside check.
Card payments work fine for the booking: any major Visa or Mastercard from a European bank goes through. On the ground, Uzbekistan still runs largely on cash — keep US dollars or Uzbek som (UZS) ready for the deposit and extras. The deposit amount and method, cash or card hold, is shown on every car page before you book.
The smart move is to land with the prepayment already done by card and a small float of dollars or som for the deposit. No "we'll sort it on the day" surprises at the desk.
Most tourists in Uzbekistan start their trip here
Daily rates
Uzbekistan is one of the most affordable countries in the region. Economy — Chevrolet Spark, Cobalt, Lacetti, built locally by UzAuto — starts from 25–35 USD a day. Saloons such as the Malibu: 40–70 USD. SUVs for the Silk Road and the Fergana Valley: 70–150 USD. Premium is rare and starts from 250 USD.
The standard package usually includes third-party liability, unlimited mileage and a full-to-full fuel policy. Collision Damage Waiver is sometimes basic with an excess, sometimes extended — check on each car. Add-ons (child seat, second driver, GPS) are 5–10 USD a day and need to be reserved ahead.
A guest booked a Cobalt for $28 a day last September, took the basic CDW to save a few dollars, then clipped a kerb in Bukhara. The excess bill almost matched a week of hire.
Three things move the price: season, length of hire and pickup point. Prices rise 10–20% in April–May and September–October when the weather is mildest, and popular cars are booked out 2–4 weeks ahead. A long hire of seven days or a month works out 15–30% cheaper per day. Tashkent is the cheapest city; the same car costs 5–15% more in Samarkand or Bukhara.
For a Silk Road run it's almost always cheaper to book the full 5–7 days at once. The daily rate drops, and you don't re-sign paperwork at every stop.
Chevrolet Cobalt in Uzbekistan
Everything went well. The car was in good condition, we received and gave it back at a convenient time. There were no problems at all. We will use it again
Chevrolet Captiva in Uzbekistan
Instead of an old Captiva, I was given a relatively new Equinox. I received the car at the address in Tashkent and handed it over at the airport. I drove over 2500 km in Uzbekistan, some roads in Khorezm and Karakalpakstan are really "not very good", but in general the roads in the country are normal, and in some places even excellent. There was a forced 3-hour stop on the highway in Kyzylkum (gasoline pump failed), but in the nearest workshop (right on the highway) after computer diagnostics they replaced it, and the company covered my repair costs (100 USD). Overall, the rental went well.
Chevrolet Spark in Uzbekistan
Everything went fine, thanks for the service.
Chevrolet Spark in Uzbekistan
Everything went well, but not right away They did not take the car to the airport early in the morning and did not contact us. They contacted us later and brought the car to our hotel! All questions were answered and overall everything was good). Thank you
Chevrolet Tracker in Uzbekistan
all went well.
Chevrolet Cobalt in Uzbekistan
Thank you everything went well, drove 1500 km without any accidents
Chevrolet Spark in Uzbekistan
Everything went well. It was easy to place an order. Good value for money. The employees of the rental company are friendly and helpful. The only problem with the return of the deposit. I would like to realize the return on Russian Mir cards. Next year, if we go through Tashkent again, we will definitely take a car here for a trip to Samarkand.
Chevrolet Spark in Uzbekistan
I rented a Chevrolet Spark in March 2025. No complaints about the service, the guys contacted me quickly, brought the car to the hotel, very convenient. The car was fine too, we had a great ride. I recommend the service.
Kia Carnival in Uzbekistan
Everything went great. Very nice people, met on time, no problems.
Take Cars in Uzbekistan
The old way was simple: you walked up to a desk and had no real idea who you were renting from beyond a logo. On TakeCars you see the company, the manager, their rating and the most recent reviews. That's a different kind of trust altogether.
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Pick the car for your route
A saloon handles Tashkent and the Samarkand motorway; an SUV makes sense for the Fergana Valley or the Aral region.
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Book online at the full price
Each car page shows the total in USD, the deposit, the insurance level and the payment method — no hidden fees.
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Collect at the airport
A manager meets you on your flight number at TAS or SKD; inspection and contract take 15–20 minutes.
Behind the wheel
Uzbekistan drives on the right with LHD cars, same as continental Europe. The one rule to memorise: at a roundabout, the entering car has priority over cars already on it. This is the opposite of EU and UK practice, and where European drivers most often slip up.
Speed and fines
Town: 50–70 km/h. Rural: 70–90. Motorway: 100–110. M39 cameras fine from +10 km/h. From 1 April 2026 a points system applies: 12 points equals a lost licence, and points are now logged for camera offences too.
Alcohol and fuel
Legal limit: 0.0% BAC. Any alcohol means a heavy fine and a 1.5–3-year ban. Many local cars are bi-fuel: petrol or methane (CNG). For long winter drives keep a petrol reserve, since methane stations run to a schedule in cold months. Fuel at larger stations is cashless only; a pre-paid card is sold on site.
A family on a Subaru Forester ran out of methane near Navoi in January last year. The pump on the route was closed for the season. Three hours lost before they found a petrol station that took cash.
Night driving and checkpoints
Don't drive between cities at night: villages are poorly lit and livestock or carts can appear without reflectors. At regional borders there are formal police posts. Passport, licence, you're moving on.
The roundabout rule clicks within a couple of laps. The M39 cameras run round the clock, so it's much less stress to stick to the signs than to pick up photo fines after you've flown home.
Insurance and deposit
Almost every car hire in Uzbekistan includes third-party liability, the compulsory cover for damage you cause to others. It does not cover the rented car itself. To avoid paying out of pocket for a scratch, you add Collision Damage Waiver on top.
CDW and Full Coverage
Standard CDW has an excess: you pay up to a set amount, anything above is on the insurer. Super CDW (Full Coverage) removes or sharply reduces it; in most accidents you pay nothing more. On TakeCars the upgrade is added with one click.
A guest in a Lacetti caught a trolley on a Samarkand supermarket car park last May. Five-minute scrape, $180 on the basic excess. Full Coverage was $6 a day on the same booking.
Deposit
Economy cars: 300–800 USD or the equivalent in som. SUV and premium: 500–1500 USD. It's collected in cash or as a card hold, and refunded as soon as the inspection is clean. A number of TakeCars suppliers also offer zero-deposit cars for a slightly higher daily rate.
Safe handover
Before signing, walk around the car with the manager, photograph any existing scratches and make sure they're listed on the handover form. Suppliers on TakeCars are verified and each one carries up-to-date reviews. Deposits come back the same way they were paid: cash for cash, card for card, no fees and no waiting around.
Silk Road routes
Most visitors who hire a car follow the classic Silk Road line: Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva. By car the route reads differently than from the high-speed Afrosiyob train. You stop at roadside chaikhanas, detour to Shahrisabz or the reservoir near Samarkand, and you're not tied to a timetable.
Distances and driving time
- Tashkent → Samarkand: ~310 km, 4–6 hours. - Samarkand → Bukhara: ~280 km, around 4 hours. - Bukhara → Khiva: ~450 km across the Kyzylkum Desert, 6–8 hours.
The full Tashkent → Khiva run is around 1000 km one way; most travellers drop the car in Bukhara or Urgench and fly back to Tashkent. One-way drop-off on TakeCars adds 30–80 USD.
A couple from London took a Forester one-way in October, Tashkent to Urgench in seven days. They kept finding excuses to stop — a melon stand near Navoi, an empty caravanserai outside Bukhara. The pace was the point.
Where to start
The number-one entry point is the capital. Hiring in the capital is the easiest option — Islam Karimov International (TAS) hosts both the larger suppliers and the local hosts, the choice is widest and prices are lowest. If you fly into Samarkand (SKD) instead, you can pick up there too, though the catalogue is smaller.
The Bukhara to Khiva leg through the desert deserves something tougher than economy: the road is long, fuel stations are sparse and the air-con has to last all day.
Rates in Uzbekistan vary throughout the year depending on the season and the rental length in days.
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How expensive is renting a car in Uzbekistan: average daily rates for a one-week car rental, across all car classes. Delivery across Uzbekistan not included.
Frequently asked questions
Economy from 25–35 USD, saloons 40–70 USD, SUVs 70–150 USD and premium from 250 USD. Tashkent is the cheapest city thanks to competition; Samarkand and Bukhara are 5–15% pricier on the same models. April–May and September–October are peak — prices rise 10–20% and the popular cars get booked out 2–4 weeks in advance.
Most suppliers prefer to see an IDP alongside your national licence. Uzbekistan recognises licences from countries that signed the 1968 Vienna Convention, but bringing the IDP makes the police checkpoints and the desk paperwork friction-free. It's cheap to issue at home and removes any debate on arrival.
Any major Visa or Mastercard issued by a European bank works for the online prepayment on TakeCars. On the ground the country still runs largely on cash — keep some US dollars or Uzbek som on you for the deposit, fuel and tips. Cards are common in Tashkent shops but patchier outside the capital.
Economy: 300–800 USD or the equivalent in som. SUVs and premium: 500–1500 USD. It's taken as cash or as a card hold and refunded the moment the inspection is clean. A number of TakeCars suppliers also offer zero-deposit cars at a slightly higher daily rate.
Third-party liability is included almost universally — that covers damage you cause to others. Damage to your hire car is handled separately, by Collision Damage Waiver. Most cars come with basic CDW (excess 300–800 USD); Super CDW removes or sharply reduces the excess and is the comfortable choice for visitors.
Local suppliers usually rent from 21–23 with at least one year of driving experience. The international chains start from 25 with two years of experience. SUVs and premium cars typically require 25+. A handful of suppliers on TakeCars will rent from 18 with a young-driver surcharge.
No — almost all rentals in Uzbekistan prohibit cross-border travel into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Even where the formality could be arranged, the insurance does not apply outside Uzbekistan. The cleaner option is to take a separate rental in each country.
Around 310 km on the M39 motorway and a real driving time of 4–6 hours, allowing for regional checkpoints and 50–60 km/h zones in villages. The road is in good condition and fuel stations are well spaced. One-way drop-off in Samarkand is widely available for a small extra fee.
Yes. With most local suppliers on TakeCars the deposit can be paid in cash (USD or som) or with a debit card. A credit card is mainly required by the international chains. For European travellers without a credit card, the local providers are the simpler option.
A self-drive rental is on average 40–50% cheaper and gives you full control of the route. A car with a driver (50–100 USD a day, all in) is more comfortable on a first visit, in a group or for a complex multi-city itinerary. Solo or as a couple, self-drive almost always works out better.
Many local cars — especially the cheaper economy class — are bi-fuel and can run on either petrol or methane (CNG). Methane is cheaper, but stations work to a schedule in winter and some are out of service. For long winter drives keep a petrol reserve in mind and ask the manager what's in the tank at handover.
Zero — 0.0% BAC. Any alcohol behind the wheel means a heavy fine and a 1.5–3-year licence ban. The limit is the same for locals and visitors and breath tests are routine at police posts. The safe rule is no drink at all on a day you plan to drive.
Don't move the car. Dial 102 for the police, photograph everything and call the supplier's 24/7 hotline (it is printed in your contract). Wait for the official report — without it the insurance cannot pay out. Settling on the spot in cash with the other driver is not allowed.
Yes. Most international chains and verified local suppliers on TakeCars offer one-way along the Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva/Urgench route. The fee is 30–80 USD depending on distance. It's the standard setup for a Silk Road run — you don't have to retrace the same road.
The most comfortable seasons are March–May and September–November: mild weather, no extreme heat or snow. In summer, especially in the south, temperatures can hit +45–50 °C — air-conditioning is essential and you should carry water. Winter brings icy roads in the north and tighter methane supply. Book 2–4 weeks ahead for peak months.