Car Hire Antigua
If you intend to explore Antigua car rental is a must to make the most of the experience, with bumpy and potholed roads a 4×4 is a good idea if your budget allows. When we got to Antigua at first we intended to have a relaxing beach holiday but the temptation to explore the beautiful island soon turned or thoughts us into arranging a car rental to get around.
TG Car Rental
There are many car rental companies to choose from and we found all those that we contacted responded promptly. We decided to go with TG Car Rental due to the availability of the car we wanted and the no deposit requirement.
Car Hire Deposits
We’d found from previous experience that you have to be very careful with car rental deposits, especially where road conditions on the car mean wear and tear are more likely to occur. Read our full blog post on car hire deposits plus how to stay protected with deposit protection insurance.
Antigua Car Hire
The car we chose was a Toyota Rav 4, not the most adventurous of 4×4’s but a reliable beast on Antiguan roads. It also had the added bonus of good air conditioning which a must in the hot Caribbean climate. TG Car Rentals delivered the car to our hotel along with the license required to drive it, he was very relaxed with regards to any minor damage that might occur when driving in Antigua and explained they had fully comprehensive insurance for all hires, we still took care of the car though.
The car itself while having a few bumps and bruises was in a good condition and we felt very safe driving it throughout our trip. We usually prefer car hire with a car that isn’t so flashy or posh as it means you don’t have to worry about the vehicle as much and can just enjoy exploring with it more.
Driving in Antigua
On the Genius Travels Worldwide Driveabability Scale (We just made that up, it’s not a real scale) we would put Antigua somewhere in the middle. The roads are not as nice as the ones you’d find in Western Europe or the USA however your fellow drivers are far more easy going than those you’d find in Vietnam in Thailand. In other words, you’ll need to take it steady to combat the various potholes and broken speed bumps but you won’t receive any aggravation from other drives for taking it slow.
Roundabouts and traffic lights are few and far between, the only traffic jams that occur on the island are in St Johns during the late afternoon and mid morning. You can get anywhere on the island within 45 minutes and a round drive can be completed in a few hours.
Visitor Driving License
To drive a car in Antigua and Barbuda you need to purchase a local driving license, no tests are required and it lasts for 3 months. Most car hire companies can supply these, at a cost of US$ 20 (EC$50). You must show your current valid driving license to obtain a visitor driving license.
Let your car hire company know if you need one of these and they’ll bring the appropriate paperwork and supply you with the license.
