Renting a car in Réunion Island

Booking a hire car: what to decide before you fly

This page is about the decisions you make before you ever touch the wheel: whether to rent at all, which airport to collect from, what documents and deposit to have ready, and how to pay for it. How the roads themselves behave, the switchbacks up to Cilaos, the fog on the volcano road, the time a short-looking drive actually takes, belongs to driving in Réunion Island. Read that one once you have the keys in hand; read this one to get the keys in the first place.

The short version: a rental car is close to essential for a trip that goes beyond the coastal strip. Public transport in Réunion Island, mainly the Car Jaune bus network, links the main towns along the coast reasonably well but thins out fast once you head into the Hauts. Cilaos, Salazie and the Maido belvedere over Mafate are all reachable by hire car; Mafate itself has no road at all and is on foot only, so no car, rented or otherwise, gets you there. If your plan includes the cirques, the volcano, or more than two or three towns in a week, budget for a hire car from the outset rather than deciding on arrival.

Which airport to collect from

Réunion Island has two airports, and picking the right one for your pickup saves a transfer.

Airport	Location	Best suited to
Roland-Garros (RUN)	Sainte-Marie, east of Saint-Denis	Arrivals from mainland France, most international flights; trips based around Saint-Denis or the west coast
Pierrefonds (ZSE)	Near Saint-Pierre, in the south	Regional flights and some charters; trips based around Saint-Pierre, the south and the Sud sauvage

Most visitors arrive at Roland-Garros, since it handles the bulk of long-haul and regional connections; see flights to Réunion Island for the routes. All the major international and several local rental agencies have counters or shuttle desks at both airports, so the choice usually comes down to where your trip actually starts. If you’re heading straight for Saint-Gilles-les-Bains and the west coast, Roland-Garros keeps the first drive short; the route from the airport is covered in Roland-Garros airport to Saint-Gilles. If your first nights are in Saint-Pierre or the wild south, collecting at Pierrefonds avoids doubling back across the island on day one.

A one-way rental, collecting at one airport and returning at the other, is offered by some agencies for an added fee. It suits a loop itinerary that starts in the north and ends in the south, or the reverse, but it needs booking in advance: not every vehicle class or agency supports it, and availability shrinks in peak months.

What to actually book

Vehicle choice matters less here than the paperwork around it. The sealed road network, including the road to Cilaos and the volcano road up to the Plaine des Sables, is built for ordinary cars; a small hatchback or compact SUV covers the vast majority of a Réunion Island itinerary without trouble. A four-wheel-drive only earns its higher cost on a handful of unpaved forest tracks that most visitors never take, so don’t upgrade on the assumption that the island’s mountains demand it.

What does matter:

• Automatic vs manual. Manual gearboxes are the default in the rental fleet and often cheaper; automatics exist but book out first, especially in July-August. Reserve early if you specifically need one.
• Air conditioning. Effectively non-negotiable on the coast and in the humid east; check it’s included rather than assumed.
• Boot space for hiking and beach gear. If you’re packing for both the lagon and multi-day hikes, a compact SUV or estate saves repacking at every stop.
• Unlimited mileage. Standard on most Réunion Island rentals given the island’s size, but confirm it, since a capped-mileage contract can catch out a full loop of the island.
• Fuel policy. Full-to-full is the norm; note the return station’s opening hours if your flight is early.

Documents, age and deposit

Bring a driving licence that’s been valid for at least one to two years, depending on the agency (some raise this threshold for younger drivers or for larger vehicles). EU and EEA citizens use their national licence directly. Visitors from outside the EU should check in advance whether their home licence is accepted as-is or needs an International Driving Permit alongside it; agency requirements vary and this is worth confirming before departure rather than at the counter. A passport or, for EU citizens, a national identity card, is standard at pickup, in line with the entry rules covered in entry requirements for Réunion Island.

The deposit is the detail that trips people up. Agencies place a hold, not a charge, on a credit card in the main driver’s name, sized to the vehicle’s insurance excess; it’s released after a clean return. A debit card is rarely accepted for this hold, and cash never is, so make sure the named driver on the booking is the one holding the card at the counter. If you’re travelling in a group and splitting driving duties, list every driver on the contract in advance: an unlisted driver behind the wheel voids the insurance if something happens.

Paying and budgeting

Réunion Island runs on the euro, and rental counters, fuel stations and toll-free coastal roads all take cards without issue. Where cash still matters is away from the coast: small vendors in the Hauts, some parking areas near trailheads, and above all the gîtes of Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate, several of which, particularly the ones only reachable on foot in Mafate, don’t take cards at all. Carry enough cash for a few days in the mountains rather than assuming a card machine will be at hand.

On price: cars, spare parts and fuel are all imported, so rental rates in Réunion Island tend to run a little above mainland French levels, and that gap widens in peak season. There’s no single reliable figure to print here, since rates move with season, vehicle class and how far ahead you book; check the rental company’s own site or the day’s quote on your booking platform rather than trusting a number that may already be stale. For a fuller picture of what a week actually costs beyond the car, see Réunion Island trip cost and, for ways to trim it, Réunion Island on a budget. General payment habits on the island, including card acceptance and typical ATM access, are covered in money and payments in Réunion Island.

Picking up and dropping off

A short checklist that saves arguments later:

• Photograph the car on all four sides, plus the dashboard and fuel gauge, before you drive off, and again at return. Rental lots move fast and a scratch logged late is a scratch you’re billed for.
• Check the spare tyre and jack are actually present, especially on routes into the Hauts where a puncture is inconvenient rather than dangerous but still worth avoiding a wasted afternoon over.
• Confirm the return station’s hours against your flight time. Early departures from either Roland-Garros or Pierrefonds sometimes fall outside staffed hours, in which case agencies use a key drop box; ask how that works when you book.
• Note the excess amount in writing. Verbal reassurance at the counter about “no extra charges” isn’t the contract; the number on the paperwork is.
• Ask about existing cover. Some travel insurance policies and premium credit cards already cover the collision excess, which can save booking the agency’s own supplementary waiver.

If you’d rather not drive

Not every visitor wants five or six days behind the wheel, and it’s a reasonable call. Guided options cover much of the same ground without the logistics:

A multi-stop minibus tour that circles the island in a single day gives a fast overview of the coast, the cirques’ viewpoints and the volcano road for anyone short on time or not renting at all. For a different way to cover distance without driving, a helicopter flight over the cirques and the volcano departing from Saint-Gilles reaches Mafate and the Trou de Fer from the air, terrain a rental car can never enter regardless of class. Near Saint-Gilles itself, once the car is parked for the day, a supervised first scuba dive out of Le Port fills an afternoon without any driving at all. And for a change of pace on four wheels that isn’t your rental, a guided quad or buggy ride through the hills above Saint-Gilles-les-Hauts covers backcountry tracks a standard hire car wouldn’t attempt.

None of these replace a rental car for a self-paced, multi-day itinerary, but they’re worth knowing about if your visit is short, if you’re not confident driving unfamiliar mountain roads, or if you simply want one day off from being the driver. For the practicalities of the alternative, public transport, see getting around Réunion Island and getting around Réunion Island.

Planning around the rental

Book earlier than instinct suggests. Réunion Island’s rental fleet is small relative to demand in July-August and around the austral summer holidays (November-April), and popular categories, automatics especially, sell out weeks ahead. If your itinerary depends on reaching the cirques or timing a hike into Mafate, lock in the car before you fine-tune the rest of the trip, since the car is the constraint everything else works around.

First-time visitors sometimes assume a short list of towns can be covered without wheels; Réunion Island for first-time visitors and how many days in Réunion Island both address how much ground the island actually covers once you factor in a car. And for the errors that show up most often around rentals specifically, unlisted drivers, misunderstood excess, assuming card payment everywhere, see Réunion Island travel mistakes to avoid.

Renting a car in Réunion Island: frequently asked questions

Do I really need to rent a car in Réunion Island?

For anything beyond the coastal towns around Saint-Gilles-les-Bains and Saint-Pierre, yes. Car Jaune buses link the main coastal towns, but they run infrequently to Cilaos, Salazie and the Maido, and not at all into Mafate, which has no road. A rental car is the practical default for a first visit.

Which airport should I collect my car from, Roland-Garros or Pierrefonds?

Match it to your arrival. Roland-Garros (RUN), near Sainte-Marie, is the main international gateway and the natural pickup point for a trip based in Saint-Denis or the west coast. Pierrefonds (ZSE), near Saint-Pierre, suits arrivals or trip plans centred on the south.

What documents do I need to rent a car in Réunion Island?

A valid driving licence held for at least one or two years depending on the rental company, a credit card in the main driver’s name for the deposit, and a passport or EU identity card. Non-French licences issued outside the EU sometimes require an International Driving Permit; check with the rental company before you fly.

Can I pay by card everywhere, or do I need cash?

Cards are accepted almost everywhere along the coast, including at rental counters and fuel stations. Carry cash for the Hauts, small roadside vendors, and especially for gîtes in Mafate, which is reachable on foot only and rarely takes cards.

Are rental prices higher in Réunion Island than in mainland France?

Often a little, since vehicles, parts and fuel are imported. There’s no reliable fixed figure to quote here; check the rental company’s site or your booking platform for the day’s rate rather than relying on a number that may already be out of date.

Can I pick up a car at one airport and return it at the other?

Some agencies allow a one-way rental between Roland-Garros and Pierrefonds, usually for a one-way fee. It suits a north-to-south or south-to-north itinerary but must be booked in advance, since not every agency or vehicle class offers it.

Is a 4x4 necessary to explore Réunion Island?

No. The paved network, including the road to Cilaos and the road to the volcano, is accessible in a standard car. A 4x4 only matters for a handful of unpaved forest tracks that most visitors never need.

What insurance excess should I expect on a rental car in Réunion Island?

Standard third-party cover is compulsory and included, but the excess (deductible) on collision and theft damage can be substantial unless you add extra cover or already hold it through a credit card or travel insurance policy. Read the rental contract’s excess figure before you sign, since it varies by agency and vehicle class.