How to Rent and Drive a car in Cuba

Renting a car is by far the most rewarding way to experience the real Cuba and real Cuban culture.  While parts of Havana are amazing, the only true way to feel the pulse of the Country is to explore the regions outside of the major cities.  This information is current as of December 2017, however, things are changing fast in Cuba so it may be only a matter of time before car renting in Cuba is just like any other country. 

 RESERVING A CAR

The most important thing to keep in mind is that there are very few rental cars available in Cuba with respect to the number of tourists.  We are talking like 20 cars in Havana (well, maybe more, but that is all I saw).  Due to this low supply, the price of a car rental in relatively high (we paid approximately 100 Euro per day).  The high price is also a result of their being a single proproeter of rental cars in the entire country.  That is, all rental car companies are owned by the Government.  So while you may see names such as Rex Car Rental, Cubacar, Via Car Rental  and Havanautos, these companies all essentially answer to the same boss, the Cuban Government.  Due to the high demand and low supply, the rental companies can essentially dictate the terms & conditions.  As such, there is often a 4 or 5 day minimum rental period.  Further, you are required to purchase their rental insurance (usually around 20 Euro per day).  Finally, the reservation is usually required to be made and paid for at least a week in advance.  Thus, Americans and other foreign nationals with U.S.-based credit cards should look to non-Cuban companies to carry out their booking.  After trying for 2 weeks to get a rental, I was finally able to reserve and pay for a car through http://cubacation.net, whom I believe are based in Spain.  Even then, I had to go to several car rental offices different from my original pick-up location in order to finally take possession of the car. If you find a website that allows you to reserve a car without actually charging your credit card, you should know that this means nothing.  Only after you see your charge pending on your credit card statement should you assume that you have secured a vehicle.  Due to the lack of web access in Cuba, there is no way to maintain real-time data on the car rental websites as to the as car’s availability.  So it will appear as though all cars are available. 

Trinidad, Cuba - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

 PAYMENT AND DEPOSIT

As stated above, you should be able to pay through some foreign-based website with your American credit card.  But you will have to pay other fees in cash at the car rental office.  These fees include a deposit of upwards of 150 Euro, as well as any local taxes or drop-off fees they may tack on.  For example, airport pick-up or drop-off each come with a 25 CUC fee.  Due to their heavy use, most cars are beat up pretty badly (but are generally recent and run well), so it is imperative that you go over any dings, dents and defects with the employee renting you the car.  You will have very little options for recourse if the car rental company refuses to return your deposit.  Although, in our experience, even with a one-way rental, we had no problems receiving our deposit back.  The people of Cuba, especially those in the service industry, are among the friendliest and most helpful that I have ever encountered in my trips around the World.  The rental car employees (unlike government employees in the U.S.) are extremely eager to help and please. 

 DRIVING CONDITIONS

You may have read horror stories regarding the road conditions and lack of fuel, but in our one week drive around the country, we felt that these warnings were over-exaggerated.  While the roads were often in a horrible state in some portions of the countryside, careful avoidance of potholes and smart route planning should enable you to avoid any real problems.  I found the roads in Indonesia and Albania to be worse than those in Cuba.  The Autopista Nacional (a.k.a. the CC, or Route 1) is the national highway extending horizontally from one end of Cuba to the other.  To me, this road was a dream.  Despite some really bad potholes, this stretch of roadway is a 4 lane super highway with very few cars on it.  The extremely faintly painted lines are oftentimes disregarded (picture Kramer painting over the lines on the ‘Arthur Burkhardt Expressway’ in an episode of Seinfeld).  Your best bet is to follow someone who looks like they drive the route often (pretty much every other car), and follow their lead in avoiding potholes and speed traps. 

NAVIGATION

GPS devices are illegal in Cuba.  But that doesn’t stop foreigners from using an offline maps application on their smartphone.  I used MAPS.ME and it was great.  It was even more detailed than Google Maps when it came points of interest in Cuba.  Be sure to download the app as well as the Cuba country map before you depart your home country.  I also recommend downloading a backup maps application as well.  It also helps to pre-cache, if possible, any maps in Google Maps.  This is done by showing the area you want to cache on your device, then typing “OK MAPS” in the search bar.  Google prohibits downloads of certain areas, one of them being Cuba.  So a little trick I learned is to zoom out far enough so that a tiny portion of a neighboring country is shown (such as the southern tip of an island in the Bahamas), then trying to download it.  It may take up more space, but you will have the portions of Cuba in the selected area on your device (although you still won’t be able to use navigation). 

 GAS STATIONS

Yes, there are very few gas stations in Cuba, and many will not have the fuel you require.  Your rental car company will require you to fill your car with 94 octane ‘Especial’, which is generally the equivalent of SUPER in the U.S. (it may even be better).  Due to the relatively low number of cars, the Cubans are keen to keep their vehicles in the best condition so they can last forever (hence the famous old cars seen throughout).  Again, clever route planning should help you to avoid being stuck without gas.  MAPS.ME has many of the gas stations saved their Cuba map, so plan accordingly.  Keep in mind when refueling that Cuban gas pumps may not have the auto-stop functioning properly when trying to top off your fuel.  As such, I had a gas station employ overfill my tank to the point of having a few liters of gas pour out from the underside of the vehicle (presumably an overflow valve).  The gas station attendants then made me push my car 100 ft. and then wait to start it until the fuel stopped dripping. 

 PARKING and SAFETY

Despite the appearance of chaos in many cities, there is some order to the parking arrangements and parking rules are generally enforced.  As such, when trying to park in an area you will usually find someone in a vest collecting a few CUC for parking then directing you to park.  Oftentimes these jobs are given to those with disabilities and their position should be respected.  If they are asking for money, chances are they aren’t beggars, and they should be paid if you intend to park in a given spot.  As per safety, I found Cuba to be extremely safe with regard to street crime.  Obviously, as with any place, you should lock your doors, be wary of your surroundings, and not leave any valuables in plain view.  Bear in mind your car has a large ‘T’ sticker which broadcasts to everyone around you that you are a tourist and probably have more money on you than the average citizen so discretion is advised.  Many casa particulars will have their own parking or will  be able to point you to a safe parking spot.  Large hotels often have security guards watching the parking spots on the streets adjacent.  Even if you are not staying at the hotel, if you give a couple CUC to the guard they will usually graciously watch your car for you overnight. 

                                   Parked outside of Casa Particular in Cienfuegos

All photos are taken by myself and hosted on my own website.