Car hire in Seychelles from $49/day

Where people usually ask for a car:

• Victoria: the small capital, with the Inter-Island Quay for the Praslin ferry. The centre is the only place on Mahé with real traffic, and parking there is tight.
• Beau Vallon: the long beach on the north-west coast, with most mid-range hotels and guesthouses. A car is handy here because the mountain road to Victoria is slow by bus.
• Eden Island: the marina development next to Victoria, a short drive from the airport.
• The south and west coast: resorts and villas around Anse Royale, Takamaka, Port Glaud and Baie Lazare, where a car makes the biggest difference.

For hotel delivery, give the address and time when you book and confirm the exact meeting and return points with the supplier. You can usually have the car delivered to your hotel and hand it back at the airport on your last day; check the offer conditions for any fee for a different return point. If you would rather drive away as soon as you land, see car hire at Seychelles Airport.

For a family or a lot of luggage, look at SUVs and crossovers, from $50.54 a day. They are not needed for the roads, which are sealed, but they give you room and a higher seat on the steep sections. The models that appear most often right now are Suzuki Brezza, Kia Picanto, Suzuki Swift, Suzuki DZire, Hyundai Grand i10.

If you need a 4x4, premium car or convertible, check the live search before planning around one; a small car or SUV suits the main paved tourist roads. On Praslin most of the smaller fleet are SUVs, so the choice there is different from Mahé.

Getting between the islands, all times approximate:

• Mahé to Praslin by ferry: about an hour from the Inter-Island Quay in Victoria to Baie Ste Anne.
• Mahé to Praslin by plane: about 15–20 minutes from the domestic terminal next to the international airport.
• Praslin to La Digue by ferry: about 15 minutes.

Before the ferry, hand the Mahé car back in Victoria (ask the supplier whether they collect at the Inter-Island Quay), or at the airport before a Praslin flight. On Praslin the car is delivered to your guesthouse, the jetty or the airstrip; how that works and what it costs is on our page on car hire on Praslin. La Digue is different again: we list no rental cars there, so plan to explore on foot or by bicycle.

Compare two shorter rentals with keeping one car parked during an island visit; check the return and delivery fees in both offers.

• Deposit: most offers ask for none (89–97% of cars right now).
• Credit card: 100% of cars can be booked without a credit card; check the offer for the balance payment method.
• Cancellation: free cancellation is offered on about 55–66% of cars, so filter for it if your flights might change.
• Mileage: unlimited on 98–99% of offers. On islands this size it barely matters, but it is one less thing to check.

To keep the price down, book early for the busy weeks, choose a small automatic, and look at the price-by-month chart above before fixing your dates: the same car can cost noticeably more in the peak months. For a couple or a family staying outside Victoria, a car is often cheaper than taking taxis every day.

The slowest drives are the passes across Mahé's mountains, the Sans Souci road from Victoria to the west coast and La Misère further south: steep, with tight hairpins and oncoming buses. Take them in daylight on your first day, and avoid unlit roads after dark where you can. Victoria's centre is the only place with real traffic jams.

Paperwork: bring your national driving licence and your passport to the hand-over. UK photocard licence holders can drive during a short visit, though rental suppliers may set stricter conditions, including an International Driving Permit. For other licences, check the official rule and your supplier’s terms before travelling. Minimum age and any young-driver surcharge are set by each supplier and shown in the offer. Speed limits are low and seat belts and drink-driving rules are enforced; check the current limits before you drive rather than relying on what applies at home.

A car pays off when you stay outside Victoria, want to see several beaches in a day, or travel as a family. Mahé is compact, but mountain roads are slow; allow a full day for a loop with beach stops. A classic route: Victoria to Beau Vallon, over the mountains on the Sans Souci road to Port Glaud and the west coast, south to Anse Soleil and Anse Intendance, then back north along the east coast past the airport. Plan for plenty of stops rather than a fixed schedule: distances are short, but the roads are slow.