Everything You Need to Know About Renting a Car in Romania (if You’re an American)

Romania has to be one of the most underrated countries I’ve ever traveled to.  With a rich history, medieval castles, rolling hills, mountains, and fairytale towns – Romania is a country that can cater to everyone.  And while you can surely fly to Bucharest to spend the weekend and then claim that you’ve “visited Romania”, I would argue that the best of Romania lies outside of Bucharest.  That’s why I highly recommend anyone traveling to Romania to spend some time in the country, renting a car, and road tripping as long as you can.  This is everything you need to know about renting a car in Romania – if you’re an American.

 

For more information on traveling to Romania, don’t miss…

• 10 Epic Things to Do in Romania
• Solo Girls Guide to a Romania Road Trip
• The Best Places to Visit in Romania – 4 Fairytale Towns
• How to Visit Brasov in 48 Hours
• The 8 Day Vacay – Romania
• Why I Won’t Be Visiting Bucharest Again – But You Should!

 

Should You Rent a Car in Romania?

Romania is a country that is easily seen by bus or train, but I think the magic lies in the drive.  With a car, you have the ability to stop off at a castle in-between towns.  You can visit historic, fortified churches without taking a tour bus full of people.  My three week road trip through Romania is perhaps one of my favorite trips and I continuously rave about my time in the country – made special by the freedom to go where I wanted when I wanted.  So yes, I would say that you should definitely consider renting a car in Romania.

 

EXPLORE ROMANIA BY CAR!

 

Requirements to Rent a Car in Romania

To rent a car in Romania, you must hold a valid passport, be between the ages of 21-70 (there is usually a surcharge for being younger than 25), and you must have held your license for a minimum of one year.  This does vary across rental agencies, but these are the general rules.  You also must have an international drivers license (which you can get here).

 

Where to Rent a Car in Romania

My number one recommendation for renting a car in Romania would be to use a search engine that compares options and prices from multiple different rental agencies at once to ensure you’re getting the best deal.  I use and recommend Discover Cars to do this.

As far as where to get your car from, Romania is a big country so I think that depends on where you’re flying into.  It’s likely you’ll arrive to Romania via Bucharest (the capital) so you can pick up your rental car at the airport.  However, you don’t need a car in Bucharest so you might want to consider picking up the car after your stay in Bucharest (if you plan to visit).  One of the most important things to know is that while you can pick up the car in one city and drop it off in another, you’ll typically save money by picking up and dropping off the car at the same place so keep this in mind when you’re planning your route.

I decided to pick up my rental car in Bucharest AFTER I had stayed for a few days.  (I landed at the airport, took a car to the city, and a few days later went back to the airport to pick up the car).  I road tripped around the Transylvania region, and returned the car to the Bucharest airport before I flew out.

 

EXPLORE ROMANIA BY CAR!  BOOK YOUR RENTAL HERE!

 

Do You Need an International Drivers License to Rent a Car in Romania?

As an American, you do need an international drivers license to rent a car in Romania.  Unfortunately, I did not know this and was not permitted to rent a car.  However, Romania is a country where bribes are accepted so I was able to pay the agent cash and he still allowed me to take the car.  Of course, had I been pulled over, I would’ve had a fine.  So to avoid all of this, just make sure that you get your international drivers license well before you arrive.

 

PLANNING TO DRIVE IN ROMANIA?  GET YOUR INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSE HERE!

 

Do You Need Insurance to Rent a Car in Romania?

It is mandatory to have car insurance in Romania if you’re renting a car.  If you’re caught without it, you can expect a large fine.  Before buying car insurance (which you can easily do when you use Discover Cars), check to see if your credit card company offers insurance on rentals.  I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and as long as I use my credit card to book the rental, the credit card does provide car insurance should something go wrong.  (Make sure to print out proof of this in case you are to get pulled over or if the rental company requests it).

While we’re talking about insurance, I would also recommend travel insurance when traveling internationally.  I use and recommend Safety Wing to cover me in case anything were to go wrong.

 

Rules of the Road

As an American, the “rules of the road” in Romania are similar, so it really isn’t too challenging of a country to drive in.  To start, Romania does drive on the same side of the road as we do in the US (audible sigh of relief).  You’ll also notice speed limit signs everywhere (depending where you’re at the range is 90-130 km/hr) and when it comes to changing lanes, passing someone, or the use of seat belts, the rules are the same as in the US.  You should also know that drinking and driving laws are very strict and anything above a BAC of 0.0 is a crime.  If you have a BAC of 0.08+ it’s a felony and punishable with up to five years in prison.

 

Misc Tips

Below you’ll find some helpful tips when renting a car in Romania…

• Rentals are charged for 24-hours, so if you pick up your car at 8 am and return it the next day at 9 am, you’ll be charged for two days
• Remember to inquire about parking where you stay
• Use Google Maps or Waze to get around but make sure to download the routes in case you don’t have service; otherwise consider renting a GPS device
• Your car should come full of gas, if not, make sure it’s documented so that you can return with the gas at the same level
• Make sure to photograph the car before taking off so you can document any scrapes or dents – also notify the agent of anything that might be wrong
• There’s usually an extra fee if there’s more than one driver
• If you plan to take the car to another country, you do need to notify the rental company of this and there will be an extra charge

 

Romania Essentials – What You Need & Need to Know About Visiting Romania

 

I hope that this post not only answers your questions about renting a car in Romania, but also convinces you to road trip the country.  If you have any questions about driving in Romania or traveling to Romania in general, let me know in a comment below!

 

For more European road trip ideas, don’t miss…

• The Ultimate Guide to Road Tripping the Peloponnese in Greece
• The Best 8 Day Northern Portugal Road Trip Itinerary
• The Ultimate Solo Guide to a 7-Day Road Trip Through the UK
• The Best 4 Day Montenegro Road Trip

 

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For more recommendations on things to see and do in Romania, make sure to check out my Instagram page/highlight reel by searching #ppinromania or finding “Romania” in my highlights.

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