For my first five years in Taiwan, I was very happy that I didn’t need to drive. I love walking. Taiwan’s public transportation is incredible. Once in a while, I would rent a scooter for small solo trips around the country, and that was always a blast.
Then I had kids.
Getting the car just made sense. But in the end, we mainly only used the car for trips out of the city. Driving in Taipei or New Taipei City is such a pain that we often still chose to take a taxi, MRT, or our scooter instead.
Recently, I tried renting a car in Taiwan for the first time. So on this article, I’ll be sharing my experience renting the car and driving in Taiwan in general. I’ll explain why I choose to rent the car on Klook, what you’ll need to rent one, and some tips and tricks for driving in this country.
I WON’T be making a detailed comparison of the many different car rental agencies in Taiwan or their insurance policy details. In addition to what they provide (which often only covers collisions with other cars but nothing else), I always recommend getting additional travel insurance in Taiwan.
Also see my similar guide to renting and driving scooters in Taiwan.
What You’ll Need to Rent a Car in Taiwan
There are only two things you’ll need to rent a car in Taiwan: your passport with Taiwan entry stamp (or ARC if you live there) and an International Driver’s Permit (IDP) (or Taiwanese driver’s license) under the same name.
Your local country’s driver’s license will be no use in Taiwan. You may also need to present the credit card which you used to make the booking.
IDPs are super easy to get but can only be issued in the country where you have a normal driver’s license. Be warned about websites claiming to issue IDPs online to anyone, no matter where you are – I’ve looked into these and concluded that they are not legal or valid.
Important: Most IDPs are only valid for 30 days after entering Taiwan. If you need to use it after that point, you will need to visit any Taiwan motor vehicles office to ask for an extension.
In Canada, I got my IDP at AMA (Alberta Motor’s Association, in the US it’s AAA) – you may just need to Google which association issues IDPs where you live.
The IDP is issued on the spot – I just showed my normal driver’s license, paid the fee, had my photo taken, and had it ready in minutes.
An IDP is a little booklet with pages in multiple languages explaining that you are licensed to drive. It includes a page in traditional Mandarin characters, so people in Taiwan can read it. It will have stamps for which types of vehicles you can drive.
Note that my IDP above has an A stamp for riding motorcycles, which is often (but not always) needed to rent a scooter in Taiwan.
IDPs belonging to both the 1949 Geneva Convention and 1968 Vienna Convention are valid in Taiwan.
Also note that IDPs from a few countries won’t be accepted in Taiwan, such as Estonia, China, South Korea, Brazil, Vietnam, UAE, Austria, and Thailand. This is due to a bilateral lack of agreement – Taiwanese drivers also can’t drive in most of those countries.
One reader commented that Japan driver’s license holders can use that to rent a car in Taiwan (in other words, don’t need an IDP).
If you’re over 70 years old, most agencies won’t rent a car to you. Hertz seems to be one exception.
If you can’t rent a car, please consult my list of private drivers in Taiwan and contact any of them for a quote.
Why I Rented a Car (Despite Having One)
Even though my wife and I have a car and scooter in Taiwan, I still frequently rent scooters in Taiwan (even with my kids), and in this recent case, I also rented a car.
Taiwan’s public transportation is just so good and fast. Sometimes it makes more sense to take the train or High Speed Rail to another city then rent a scooter or car from there. This also avoids the hassle of driving through rush hour traffic to get out of Taipei.
For example, you can reach Hualien City in 2 hours by train, while driving takes 3-4 hours. Similarly, you can reach Kaohsiung in 2 hours by HSR, while driving can take 4-5 hours or even longer on holidays, long weekends, or Lunar New Year.
Another example is Taiwan’s offshore islands – you can’t take a car on the ferry (or airplane!) I always rent scooters for exploring Taiwan’s small islands, but some people opt for a car. Driving on these small islands is one of my favorite things to do in Taiwan.
My family and I actually no longer live in Taiwan. We now live in my hometown in Canada and make regular trips back to Taiwan. My wife’s family still has our car, but I can’t always use it. That’s why I recently rented a car for the first time, and plan to do it again on my next trip.
Renting a car can be cheaper than taking public transportation, especially for a group of people. For example, a whole day’s car rental (usually around TWD 1000 to 2000) is cheaper than booking two HSR tickets from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung).
Different Car Rental Companies (and why I chose Klook)
There are two main ways you could book a car in Taiwan:
- Directly from one of the many small local car rental agencies in Taiwan like CarPlus, GoodCars, HLC, Chih Hang, IWS, or Chailease.
- From an international agency with a presence in Taiwan or a 3rd party website which searches all the local rental agencies for you, like Avis, Budget, RentalCars, Hertz, Qeeq, or Klook.
The main concern for option 1 is that most Taiwanese companies don’t have English-speaking staff or websites (Chailease and IWS do, though, and have been recommended by my members of my Taiwan Travel Planning group. IWS even provides a handy English guide to driving in Taiwan).
International 3rd party booking platforms may take a cut, but at least they have good English websites, customer support if needed, clear policies, and won’t ask you to communicate with them on the LINE app (as many small local companies in Taiwan do).
You could spend some time comparing the prices for your car rental on all these different platforms. I didn’t.
I booked my car here on Klook simply because I am already familiar with this platform and like it.
For this trip, I was already booking several other things on Klook, like discounted HSR tickets and tickets to famous attractions like Taipei 101. So it was nice to have all my bookings together on the same platform.
Another plus of booking with Klook is that they have various promo codes (for example, sign up for Klook with my link and you’ll get one). After you sign up, you can invite your friends to get even more promo codes for yourself and for your friends.
Also, every time you book something, you get Klook credits, which can be used to save even more money on future bookings.
Full disclosure: I am a full-time travel blogger and make a living my recommending things like Klook. If you click my affiliate link to book your car rental, I’d get a commission. But that’s not why I chose them for my car rental.
If I chose any other platform, I’d use an affiliate link for that one, too. I chose Klook for the reasons I mentioned above.
My Experience Renting the Car
For this trip, I planned to ride the HSR from Taipei to Taichung then rent a car there for driving to Cingjing Farm, staying here for one night, then driving to Hehuanshan, where I stayed at Songsyue Lodge.
When I searched Klook for cars by inputting my pick-up/drop-off locations (extra fee if they are different) and dates, it gave me a list, starting with the smallest and cheapest ones. Since I was traveling by myself, I chose the smallest and cheapest car, a Toyota Yarris (which happens to be the same car my wife and I have in Taiwan!)
I also knew from my research that even such a small car is enough to drive up to Hehuanshan, which is the highest navigable pass in the whole country (Wuling Pass, 3275 meters).
Note: a small car like this is also perfect for squeezing through the super narrow road to Eryanping, a famous sunrise and sunset viewpoint in Alishan region!
By clicking on the car I wanted, I could see the price per day, insurance details, find out who the local provider was (Chih Hang / 直航租車) and find their location at Taichung HSR station on GoogleMaps.
After selecting, I could see more details, reviews, and the total price. On the final booking page, I entered my personal info (note: most providers won’t rent to age 70+).
This is also where I could use one of my Klook promo codes to get a discount. Under the add-ons section, you may also find the option to add a child car seat. If you don’t see it, you have to contact the provider directly to ask for it or try a car from a different agency.
I also noted that free cancellation was offered until 24 hours before my booking time.
Make sure to check the the agency location carefully after you make your selection. Even though their drop down list has many locations in every city, just because you choose a specific location, it doesn’t mean the car provider they match with will actually be in that exact location.
For example, you might click the TRA station in the city center, but it will match you with a provider at the HSR station (outside the city center).
After making the booking, I didn’t receive any messages from the car rental agency, but some travelers do. The agency may ask for a copy of your IDP in advance to make sure you have one.
2025 Update: After this experience with Chih Hang, I have since rented a car on Klook again. This time I was paired with IWS and found them to be excellent, and they even opened dialogue with me before my trip by email (in English!). Chih Hang was fine, but there was no English support or communication before I got there.
When I arrived at Taichung HSR station, it was a five-minute walk from the station to the Chih Hang rental agency office here. I can speak passable Mandarin, so the staff member was very happy that he wouldn’t have to try to speak English with me.
After checking my documents, the staff showed me some insurance documents which were all in Mandarin (other agencies may have English ones). I admit that I didn’t check them carefully and I don’t have a good understanding of car insurance. Please see some information about it provided by one of the commenters at the end of the article.
I just took photos of the forms in case I needed the info later and signed my life way…If you care more than I do (and you probably should), I suggest that you use a translation app to scan and translate the documents on the spot.
I also noted that this particular agency had a surcharge for excess mileage per day. There was a small surcharge for driving more than 250 km (single day return) or 400 km per day (multi-day rental). I never reached it on my rental. This may vary by agency.
Next, we went out to thoroughly inspect the car and note any damage, just like they would do in any country. He also took a photo of the gas meter and asked me to return the car with the same amount of gas, otherwise there would be a surcharge.
In some cases (same with renting scooters), the car may be almost empty when you get it and you need to fill it right away, then any amount left in it when you return it is essentially your loss. Others will be full when you get them, and you’ll need to return the car full.
They will tell you what kind of gas to ask for at gas stations – 95 is the most common, but it could also be 92 or 98. I’ll cover how to fill up at gas stations below.
And just like that, I was off with my car rental! Driving from Taichung to to Cingjing Farm and Hehuanshan was a breeze, especially with GoogleMaps, which works very well in Taiwan. Because the HSR station is outside the city center, I never had to drive through busy city areas.
Make sure to ask them for a mobile phone holder which will attach to the dashboard – I had to ask for it, but there was no charge for it.
Things to Know about Driving in Taiwan
Driving in Taiwan may be easy or challenging for you, depending on where you come from and what you are used to. The traffic in Taiwan is a little wilder than North America, Europe, or Japan, but not as bad as some parts of Southeast Asia, India, or many other parts of the world.
See here if you’re planning to buy a car in Taiwan.
Which Side of the Road Do They Drive On?
In Taiwan, cars drive on the right side of the road and the driver sits on the left side of the car.
This is the same as America, Canada, and most of Europe, but opposite from Singapore, Japan, Australia, and the UK.
General Driving Behavior in Taiwan
The most important rule to follow in Taiwan is to drive carefully, defensively, and expect anything. Local drivers regularly break the rules, drive erratically or aggressively, pass in dangerous ways, and do totally unexpected things.
Taiwan is known for its many scooters on the road. They will run red lights, merge or turn without signalling or shoulder checking, shoot out from hidden alleys, drive on the wrong side of the road, and so on.
There seems to be very limited enforcement of traffic rules in cities in Taiwan and I almost never see police checking for violations.
Generally, you will find driving more stressful in big cities, and much easier in rural areas, smaller towns, the East Coast, and on the small offshore islands. Mountain roads are fine but can be very winding, with lots of sharp, switchback turns.
Driving in Taipei
Taipei city is the hardest place to drive in Taiwan due to the heaviest traffic, especially at rush hour.
The city also has many raised overpasses traversing the city – get on the wrong one and you may not be able to get off for a long time, ending up at some other end of the city. Sometimes, GoogleMaps even gets confused about which road you are on when there are roads above other roads.
Parking is the worst in Taipei. Many attractions, restaurants, and hotels don’t have parking lots. Parking lots can be hard to find or payment methods may be confusing for visitors.
For these reasons, I often advise people not to rent a car in Taipei. Instead, rent a car on your way out. Or better yet, take the train or HSR to your next stop (like Hualien or Taichung) and rent your car from there. That will be much easier and stress-free.
Renting at the Airport
There are car rental agencies at Taoyuan Airport and all other major airports in Taiwan (see my guide to finding budget flights to all of Taiwan’s airports).
You can show up and get a car rental, but I recommend booking it in advance. At peak travel times, they may not have any cars left or won’t have the kind you want.
Since most travelers go to Taipei first, I generally don’t recommend renting a car for Taipei. Taking the MRT or Uber around the city is much easier and stress free.
Here’s how to get from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei or to Ximending.
How Does Parking Work?
A general rule is that if a curb is painted red, that’s for emergency vehicles so you can never park there. If a curb is painted yellow, you can’t park there from 7 AM to 8 PM.
Some attractions will have paid parking lots where you can simply swipe an EasyCard to pay as you drive in and/or exit. One example is the major parking lots in Yangmingshan National Park.
For private parking lots in cities, they may take EasyCard or cash. Some parking lots are not obvious from the outside – they will only have a car elevator at street level (see video above). After you park the car in it, the elevator will take it up and store it many levels above ground.
Other parking lots will have a machine where you need to pay. Last but not least, there are some cases where you park on the street and someone will come around and put a payment ticket on your window.
This is not a fine (unless you parked illegally) but simply a parking fee which you can pay later by showing it at any 7-Eleven or FamilyMart. If you do get a fine for parking somewhere you shouldn’t, you can take it to the rental agency when you return the car and they’ll handle it – you’ll need to pay for it, of course.
Use GoogleMaps to find parking lots in Taiwan. You can type in English, but searching 停車場 (parking lot) in Mandarin will pull up more results.
Outside of major cities, you will find parking at major attractions and scenic spots is much easier and may or may not have a fee.
Filling up on Gas
Gas (petrol) stations are all over Taiwan. Most of them are CPC (台灣中油) and you’ll quickly start recognizing the red, white and blue logo.
Taiwanese gas stations pretty much always have an attendant who will fill up the car/scooter for you. There are two things you need to tell them when you pull up: what kind of gas and how much.
The main types of gas (octane level) available in Taiwan Octane 92, 95, and 98. When you rent the car, they should tell you which one to put. I find that 95 is the most common, but I have also been told 92 for scooters.
To indicate which one you need to the gas station attendant, simply say the number as two single digits. 九二 (jiu er) for 92, 九五 (jiu wu) for 95, and 九八 (jiu ba) for 98.
Next, say 加滿 (jia man) to fill until full or say something like 加兩百 (jia liang bai) to say “add two hundred” dollars worth, or jia + any other number.
Don’t make it confusing by saying any more words. Locals don’t. Just pull up and say the words 九五、加滿 (“jiu wu, jia man“) meaning “95, fill up”. That’s it!
The gas price in Taiwan is around USD 1 per liter. When I rented the Yarris, the staff member told me that it cost about TWD 200 to fill up one section on the gas meter (i.e. from line to line). With 8 sections on the meter, that would be TWD 1600 from empty to full.
Speed Limits
Speed limits in Taiwan are posted in km/hr. Most commonly, the limit is 50 km/hr in cities, 60 km/hr on non-express roads outside of the city, 80 km/hr on freeways in the city, and 100 or 110 on freeways/highways outside the city.
Like most countries, people tend to go a little over, and yes, there are many speed cameras and red light cameras in Taiwan. If you get a ticket on a rental car, it will be sent to the agency and you’ll have to pay it.
You can get to know Taiwan’s freeway signs here. There’s also a speed camera app in Taiwan but it’s in Mandarin.
Other Traffic Rules to Know About
Generally speaking, I find the traffic rules in Taiwan to be very similar to my own country. One notable exception is that in Taiwan, you aren’t allowed to turn right on a red light (in my country you can, after making a complete stop).
Because there are so many scooters on the road in Taiwan, they sometimes have their own lane on the right side. Scooters also have their own way of turning left at major intersections – they can’t do it directly. They have to do it in two stages, but this is slowly being abolished.
If you’re in a car and waiting at a red light at a smaller intersection, you may notice that when the light turns green, oncoming scooters which are turning left will zoom in front of you to make their left turn right away. For this reason, it’s best not to take off too quickly when the light turns gree, so they have time to pass.
In Taiwan, an unwritten rule (which they are trying to change) is that pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. Anyone who has tried crossing the street as a pedestrian in Taiwan will be familiar with this. Cars just won’t stop for you most of the time, although this is slowly changing.
Thus, as a driver, it’s best not to be try to be too polite and stop every time you see a random pedestrian at the side of the road (unless it’s a pedestrian crosswalk – then you legally have to stop, and they are finally trying to enforce this – other cars can even catch you on camera and report it!)
Most pedestrians still don’t EXPECT you to stop, because many local cars won’t, so they may even be surprised if you do.
Also watch for lanes which are meant for buses only.
One of the most common places where car accidents occur in Taiwan are the many small intersections with no traffic lights or stop signs in residential and rural areas.
Many local drivers will just rip through these intersection without slowing or checking for oncoming traffic, so be especially careful. Scooters may suddenly shoot out from hidden alleys, driveways, or sidewalks.
When driving on winding roads in the high mountains, at blind corners, there will be a large mirror so you can check for oncoming cars. It’s also courteous to give a little beep on your horn to let possible cars around the corner know you are coming.
Car Accidents or Problems
If you get in a car accident, take lots of photos of the vehicles and surroundings and call 110 (police) for minor accidents or 119 (fire/ambulance) for serious injuries. Also inform the car agency and bring the police report to them.
If you have a flat tire or need other roadside assistance, can your rental agency and they will send it for you.
Highway Tolls
Off-numbered national freeways in Taiwan have electronic tolls. On GoogleMaps, national freeways are indicated with a number inside a flower symbol. Note: scooters cannot drive on national freeways.
The national freeways which have tolls are National Freeway 1 and National Freeway 3 (both from Keelung & Taipei to Kaohsiung), National Freeway 5 (Taipei to Yilan), and National Freeway 3A (Taipei to Shenkeng).
The fee for these is free for the first 20 km per day and TWD 1.2 per km after that. More details about the fees are here.
If you rented a car, you will need to pay these tolls to the rental agency when you return the car.
Highway Passenger Limits
To prevent congestion on Taiwan’s highways, there are sometimes high occupancy vehicle (HOV) rules for certain highways. This means you can only use the highway if you have a certain number of people in the car.
The most notable one is for the super-long Hsuehshan Tunnel (Xueshan Tunnel or 雪山隧道) on National Freeway 5 from Taipei to Yilan. When in effect, cars must have at least three passengers when going from Taipei to Yilan (start of long weekends) and Yilan back to Taipei (3 to 8 PM every Sunday and last day of long weekends).
During Lunar New Year, which is famous for highway congestion, a complicated schedule of HOV rules is put into effect across the country, mostly around major entry and exit points of national freeways.
The exact times and locations vary by day, location, and year, and are usually only released in Mandarin in the weeks leading up to New Year. It’s best to simply avoid driving during Lunar New Year holiday if you can.
Thanks for all this info! Fellow Canadian returning to Taiwan in the Fall hopefully and toying with having a car to do a few things that I found inconvenient with public transport last time.
Do you find it pretty obvious to avoid situations like a road only being for public transit or being only one way? The thing that gives me the most pause is how much signage seems to be Mandarain only and whether or not Google Maps might tell me to do something illegal, and I can’t tell because the notice is in a sign that is all text and no symbols.
Hi Nick. Firstly, thank you for this post (and all your other posts about Taiwan). It’s been massive help for us as we come up with our own itinerary. I just want to ask if you know where we can rent a carseat for my 1yo. I checked your Klook link to car rental but didn’t find any add-on for carseat.
The option to add child seat can be found on the second page, after you click on the car you would like, under the section “Choose add ons”. If that isn’t being offered for your selected car, then try others. And if it’s still not possible, then try some of the other providers I link to in the article. Good luck!
I never had that issue, and GoogleMaps was generally very reliable. The only exception would be when driving in Taipei city, where the roads are more confusing and complex. There, when driving around with my wife (I always let her drive in the city), I found that sometimes when there are multiple layers or road, like an overpass above another road, then GoogleMaps gets confused about which one you are on and tells you to go the wrong way. Outside of the big city, I’ve never had this problem.
Hi Nick, thank you for this and all the information on your blog- super useful! I want to rent a car from Klook, but the issue is that while I am getting the IDP from my country ( India), I do not have a credit card on my name. I am travelling with my partner who has a credit card in his name, and is the one I will use to make the payment as well online, but the Klook terms say that the security deposit the rental company takes will be through a credit card ( only) and it has to be in the name of the driver and the IDP holder. However, your post says only the IDP and the passport are mandatory. Can you help solve this please- thank you so much!
Hi Bikram, I’m sorry but I don’t know what the solution is for this because I rented the car with my own credit card, IDP, and passport. I suggest you contact Klook and see if they can answer this question.
Hi Nick, do you know the car insurance policies in Taiwan? Are there deductibles to pay upfront if there is damage noted and how much. I know my US policy wont be covered there but wanted to know does the Klook cover full coverage for insurance?
hi Nick! thank you so much for this post! just wanted to ask: is it true that if you are a Canadian driving in Taiwan for less than 30 days, you don’t need the international driving permit?
I don’t think this is true. Every rental agency asks for an IDP.
Sorry, I’m not so familiar with the insurance policies of various providers in Taiwan. Klook is just a third party platform. They will connect you with a local car rental agency. Each agency has their own polices, so you will have to check those details with the agency directly, not via Klook. When I rented the car on Klook, they showed me all the police papers in person when I got the car. All the forms are in Mandarin. I didn’t bother to try to translate and understand all the details of their policy.
Thanks for the great article! Do you know anything about returning a rental car at Taoyuan Airport — that is, is it easy or hard? Is there adequate signage (for non-Chinese speakers/readers) for finding the car return? Any particular hassles or complications?
Nick, thank you for this information! If it helps others, I rented from Hertz with partner airline code for upcoming trip and the price (still competitive) clearly includes supplemental (full) insurance.
I haven’t personally done it, but it should be easy enough. The booking site should provide an exact address or location to drop it at the airport. It’s not particularly hard to navigate driving to the airport. If you happen to miss a turnoff, you can just do a big loop and come back.
Hi Nick,
We are westerners living in Thailand – I have a Thai driving licence and have previously obtained a 1949 IDP from Bangkok – it needs renewing but when I tried they said that I couldn’t (for Taiwan) because it was not “on the list”.
https://imgur.com/a/bcKkLNL
I checked my outdated IDP and indeed, Taiwan is not on the list, and under ‘China’ they specifically mention only the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao…
So what’s the deal? Thais are not allowed to drive in Taiwan?
Could I just get a 1949 IDP and risk it?
Thanks,
Cynthia.
I am not 100% certain, but I believe that IDPs from Thailand, China, and South Korea are not recognized in Taiwan. This is mentioned on several Klook pages for renting scooters in Taiwan.
Hi Nick
Thank you for this post.
We are considering renting a car in Taiwan to visit the Alishan region.
We need a big car for 9 people (6 people and luggage). Is it possible to get through the narrow and winding roads in a big car? Or should we consider visiting another place than Alishan where we won’t need a car?
Another reason for using KLOOK is that the local Taiwan Car rental only have 3rd Party insurance. My enquires – is that they do not provide Comprehensive insurance.
And there is an excess payment
So if in accidents – car to car – you are covered – but you have to pay the excess.
But if u have an accident that car hit the tree – no insurance
I book thru Klook – with full insurance coverage and zero excess.
This is my understanding when Line Chat with ChiaYi car rental companies
Thanks for sharing this info!
The road to Alishan is not narrow. It’s winding, but it’s large enough for many large tour buses to drive it every day. Once you arrive in Alishan park, you have to park the car and explore the park by train or hiking only.
The only place where a small car is needed is if you want to drive on some very narrow small roads in the region, for example if you want to drive to Eryanping lookout point (not many people do this). If you wanted to go there, you could still hike to Eryanping, you just couldn’t drive to it.
We are staying at FirstSun near Eryanping (instead) wondering if it is better to bus up to Alishan or Drive up and park
What is the parking rate at Alishan for whole day?
Not crazy about the Sunrise on top of Alishan – the number of people there is crazy ! (from Youtube)
Eryanping is definitely the better choice for now crowds. Your hotel is closer to the entrance to Tea and Mist trail than Eryanping. Please note, I just updated the Tea and Mist section of the article with a few new photos showing how to find the way up.
If you have an IDP and are comfortable with driving, that’s always going to be easier and more convenient than the local buses.
At Alishan, you can enjoy a crowd free sunset at Duigaoyue Sunrise Platform, which is just 10 minutes walk from the famous one. See my Alishan guide on nickkembel.com for all the info for hiking or taking the morning train to it.
Thanks for sharing this info!
I was comparing prices on Klook: some of the local companies specify “limited mileage”, but don’t indicate the mileage limit or the additional cost per mile beyond that limit. Any idea what is typical? The daily rate for companies with unlimited mileage are a fair bit higher.
I found one example that says TWD 2 per km above the limit. https://www.goodcars.tw/en/short-car/15 Others should be something similar. Another mentions that this additional fee won’t go past half the regular daily rental fee. Each agency’s rules may vary a little, so it’s best to ask them directly. I recently made a Klook can rental booking and I’m now receiving emails (in English) from the agency IWS, so they would be a good one to ask.
Really great information here. Are there any schools you are aware of that cater to expats on short term assignments? Not looking to convert the license but some orientation/training on local nuances would be helpful.
Sorry, I’m not aware of anything like that.
That’s a great guide! Very informative and helpful for anyone planning to rent and drive in Taiwan. I appreciate the detailed tips on road signs and driving etiquette—super useful!
Hi Nick! We’re excited to visit Taipei for the first time in July. We’re planning to visit Alishan, maybe from Tainan. Would you suggest us to drive or take public transportation from Tainan to Alishan? Which way is better? It’s just the two of us. Thank you so much for the amazing guide. Appreciate it. 🙏
It’s a matter of personal preference. Buses in Alishan region are fairly complicated, so some travelers choose to rent a car just so they don’t have to deal with that. However, if you only plan to visit Alishan park, then a car isn’t really necessary, especially considering that once you arrive at Alishan park, you have to park the car, as you aren’t allowed to drive around inside the park. But if you plan to visit more places outside the park, for example exploring tea plantations in Eryanping or Shizhuo, bamboo forests in Fenqihu, mud hot springs at Guanziling, or some more remote places in the region like Taipingshan Suspension Bridge or Longgong Waterfall in Meishan district, or maybe you want to stay in a guesthouse in one of these areas that isn’t easily reached by bus, THEN driving because much better.
Hi Nick, reading all the articles about Alishan, SML and transportation… I got to the conclusion that renting a car could be easier. Do you think renting a car in Chiayi, leaving from Chiayi in the morning, driving to Alishan, visiting Alishan, then going in the late evening to Sun Moon Lake, sleeping 2 nights in SML and then driving to Taichung on day 3 and giving the car back there could be doable? There seems to be only one bus a day (1PM) from Alishan to SML so it makes thinks complicated to make it by public transportation. Is it easy to find parking places in Alishan and SML? Thanks !
I did exactly this and it worked very well for me! The car rental locations are mostly at Chiayi HSR and Taichung HSR. For Alishan, there are parking spaces at every hotel. There’s also a large parking lot in the middle of the tourist village. Once you arrive there, you need to park right away. You can’t drive around inside the park, need to park and then walk or ride the train. For Sun Moon Lake, most hotels offer parking, but depending on the hotel location, the parking lot might be a short walk away from the hotel. When I parked there, my hotel offered a parking spot just a few minutes away. Usually after you book, they send a message with lots of details, including parking situation. If they don’t, you can just ask. Their entry on Booking/Agoda should also state that parking is available.
thanks for the article, so many things I had not realised I needed to know.
I’m still debating whether to rent a car to visit Hualien, Hsinchu, Alishan, Taichung, Chiayi and Kaohsiung. It will be my first time travelling with 4 people, so most my friends and family won’t be able to take us touring anywhere due to car capacity.
What I am most worried about is finding parking in cities outside of Taipei. How difficult is it? I live in Canada, and I find going to a new city and finding parking already so stressful.
thanks in advance!
For most places outside of Taipei, it’s quite easy. Most hotels offer parking (usually you should let them know and they will provide instructions). Most tourist attractions have paid or free parking lots on site. For paid ones, usually you park first, visit, then go to the machine, enter license plate number, pay, then drive out. The only place I found tough was parking at my hotel in the busy Tainan city center, where all the streets are very narrow and crowded. They gave me instructions for a lot, but the instructions were complicated. Everywhere else I found easy (and I’m coming from Canada with little driving experience in Taiwan too).
Hi Nick
Thanks for sharing this blog, I’ve found it really helpful. I thought it may be worth flagging as some have above that it appears from my experience that car rental companies in Taiwan typically do NOT include insurance, or at best will include only third party cover. Coming from Europe this is quite confusing and not something I’ve ever encountered when renting in Europe, North America, or even Africa where a collision damage waiver, albeit with a high excess, has always been included as standard in my bookings.
I booked through Klook, which detailed that full insurance was included, however speaking directly to the rental company, it transpires that I would only be covered in case of an accident with another vehicle. So if you skid on the road and crash, or knock the rental vehicle in a car park for example, you’d be on your own. After speaking with customer service, even Klook themselves hadn’t realised this was the case.
In the end, I’ve cancelled and gone with an option on Trip.com where coverage does seem to be included in the particular package I’ve purchased, but the moral of the story is that these policies are as clear as mud and very different to the norm in Europe. I’d agree with your recommendation to go with a third party provider, but even then it’s worth digging into the policies and contacting the supplier directly to make sure you don’t get stung with any unexpected costs!
Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information. I’ll add a note in the article about it.
Hi Nick,
I booked my rental car through Klook as suggested by you, but the rental car company appears to be a local company called “Call & Go”, which does not appear to have a counter at Taoyuan Airport, and the booking tells me to call the rental company once I arrive at the airport. Have you heard of this rental company? Because I speak zero Mandarin, I’m worried that I would not be able to communicate when I call the rental company to ask to be picked up from the airport. Any advice would be appreciated, including whether it would be safer to cancel and go with one of the international brands (since I can still cancel and get a full refund).
Sincerely,
Arshad
It’s normal that Klook will pair you with one of the smaller local companies. Others like KKday and Trip will also do this. Even other major international brands, for example Hertz, will pair you with a local car company called Chailease, but there will at least be a Hertz counter at the airport. Avis is similar – they have a local office, but they’ll pair with smaller local companies. Unfortunately I haven’t heard of Call & Go, but I suggest you look them up and try to contact them directly. If they don’t reply or don’t offer English service, you can consider to cancel and book with a bigger one that has an office at the airport.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for all your information about travel in Taiwan!
We are going on a trip in October and will be hiring a car through Klook for part of the trip.
The dates of our travel mean that we will need to pick up the car on 10th October. I cant seem to figure out if the CarPlus will be open given it will be Independence day. Are most things closed on Independence day??
Thanks
On most national holidays in Taiwan, including 10/10 (“National Day”), pretty much everything will be open, including the car rental place.
In my research, I found that Heyun Car Rental and Geshang Car Rental both offer full insurance with zero liability. I decided to go with Geshang Car Rental (Car Plus), where I was offered full insurance for 800 TWD per day (on top of the rental price). The communication was kind of in English (both of us using Google Translate) by email. The insurance leaflet (and the contract conditions) was in English and completely clear to understand. After my trip in November, I may post a new comment to share my experience.
Thanks for sharing this!
You can also get your legitimate US IDP from https://www.idptogo.com, but it’ll while always be cheaper to go to AAA yourself, this is an option if you’re already overseas.
Hello, how much was the deposit blocked on your credit card?
Sorry, I didn’t take note of this. I’ll watch for it next time!
Hi Nick!
Great article. I take it that it is possible to rent a car in say Kenting and drop off at Taiyuan Airport?
Helene
I’m not aware of any car rental shops in Kenting. Most car rental places are in the big cities in Taiwan (most often near that city’s HSR station) and airports. So for Kenting, most people would rent at Zuoying HSR station or Kaohsiung International Airport. And then yes, most (but not all) of them will let you return at Taoyuan International Airport.
Hi Nick, thanks for the info.
I have a question, is it possible to rent a car without a credit card?
Unfortunately I don’t think so, but you can trying asking some of them directly to find out.
Hi Nick,
many thanks in general to your website, it helped me already a lot for my first trip in Taiwan. Now as I couldn’t get enough of Taiwan. I’m going for my second trip and this time I want to rent a car. While I was visiting Taiwan I already had an IDP( but I did not rented a car back then ) which will be still valid for my second trip in March. Now my question is, do I have to get a new IDP, because you wrote somewhere it wont be valid anymore after 30 days in Taiwan. Back then I stayed around two weeks ( it was September/October 2025 ) Maybe you have an advice. Thank you
The 30-day rule will reset when you enter Taiwan again. So when you come back, you can use that for 30 days after your new entry date.