Car rental in Seychelles is simple, affordable, and convenient. However, as everywhere else, there are subtleties and nuances here. You’ll learn not only about renting a car in Seychelles but also about traffic regulations, roads, police, parking, deposits, hidden pitfalls, personal experience, and lots of useful information.

Car Rental in Seychelles: General Information

Key Points and Several Tips:

  • Seychelles is an archipelago comprising 115 islands, with 33 of them inhabited.
  • Car rental in Seychelles is only available on two islands: Mahé and Praslin. On all other islands you won’t be able to rent a car. Tourists mostly move around on bicycles there.

Useful to know:

Mahé and Praslin have bus services. They run frequently, but schedules aren’t strictly adhered to, and not all buses stop everywhere. However, you can reach nearly any corner of the island by bus, although it might take time. If you’re not an extremely active traveler, planning to spend all your time at a single beach near your hotel and only want to visit the capital, Victoria, once, then a car might not be necessary. You can take a bus or a taxi. However, if you want to explore the island, visit various beaches, hike in the jungles, and ascend to mountain lookout points, a car is indispensable. A car is needed even for a trip to the store, and there’s only one major store in the entire country.

Here are some useful articles for those still contemplating whether to rent a car in Seychelles:

car rental in seychelles
I usually rent the smallest available car in Seychelles. It’s easier to drive narrow roads, and parking is simpler.

Some additional general points:

  • Traffic in the Seychelles drives on the left-hand side, but the cars have right-hand drive, similar to the UK. Seychelles was once a British colony.

Advice:

You’ll quickly get accustomed to left-hand driving, even if you’ve never experienced it before. It’s quite a novel feeling having the steering wheel on the other side :). However, I recommend renting an automatic car. That way, you won’t encounter major difficulties.

Where to Rent a Car in Seychelles: Prices, Deposits

Seychelles is like a small village. The entire country’s population is only 95,000 across all the islands. You won’t find dozens of rental companies here. There are roughly 4-5 rental agencies on Mahé and 2-3 on Praslin.

The variety of rental cars is also not as extensive as in Montenegro or Spain. If there are available cars on your dates and options to choose from, that’s already great. So, don’t delay; book a car in advance, not just two days before. Otherwise, you might end up relying on buses or find only cars with substantial deposits and at high costs.

  • Localrent is a platform that collaborates with small local car rental providers. They offer cars with no deposit and can deliver them to your hotel on the island at no extra charge. It’s an incredibly cool company that I personally use, with extremely loyal rental providers. The only downside is the limited number of cars available.
  • The largest car rental platform in the Seychelles for Mahe and Praslin is DiscoverCars. They partner with all the international car rental companies operating in the Seychelles. You pay about 20% upfront on the website, and the rest can be paid on-site in cash. They accept euros and even dollars. A credit card is only needed for the deposit. If you choose a car with no deposit, you won’t need a card at all upon arrival.

Advice:

To find a car from the Mahe airport, input the IATA code “SEZ” in the “car pickup location” field. Note that there are no rental offices at the airport. Representatives of the rental companies meet all clients with signs. All about the Seychelles airport, duty-free, currency exchange.
rent a car seychelles
Representatives greet everyone with signs at the airport’s arrival area. Look for either your name on a sign or the name of the rental company.

Advice:

A common situation: you’ve booked a car, arrived in the Seychelles, went to the arrival area, everyone is being greeted with signs, but not you. If you don’t have internet, just approach anyone with a sign (or go to the information center in the middle of the arrival hall), show your voucher, ask where the representative of this company is. As I mentioned earlier, there are only about 5 rental companies here, everyone knows each other, they have a very tourist-friendly attitude, and they all want to help. They’ll call your company and confirm. Usually, your representative is running late due to traffic.

I think it goes without saying that those renting a car in Seychelles should be contactable. Check the operating hours on Google Maps online, and if anything happens, you should be able to call the rental office, etc. Internet access is vital. All about mobile connectivity and internet in the Seychelles.

Maps of Mahé and Praslin:

It’s better to use an application based on OpenStreetMap rather than Google Maps. They are free, available for IOS and Android, choose any: Organic Maps or Maps Me. They have all the roads, walking routes, mountain trails. These maps are much better than Google, and they work offline; just make sure to install and download the country’s map in advance.
rent a car in seychelles
You won’t need to go anywhere from the airport to get a car. At the main entrance of the airport, all tourists receive their cars. Renting a car in Seychelles is a straightforward and pleasant process.

Regarding driver’s licenses:

Seychelles has signed the Vienna Convention, which means our driver’s licenses in the form of a plastic card, with all fields duplicated in English, are valid here. No additional permits or international driver’s licenses are needed.

About prices and deposits, to give you a broad idea:

  • On average, renting a car in Seychelles (economy class) costs between 40-55 euros per day.
  • 1 liter of gasoline is about 1.45 euros. However, one full tank will last you for 2 weeks of unlimited driving around Mahé.
  • International rental companies like Sixt and Thrifty require a security deposit ranging from 500 to 2000 euros. They refund it to your card within a week after you return the car.
  • I prefer renting a car in Seychelles from local companies. They are more flexible, operate in a more relaxed manner, and almost all cars from local companies come without a deposit, which is very convenient.

Advice:

Upon receiving the car, take photos and videos: inspect the entire car, all defects, and scratches. That documentation will be enough to confirm the car’s condition upon receipt. Trust me, they don’t hassle tourists here, trying to charge 100 euros for a scratch that wasn’t there. Their business is car rental, not tricking tourists.

Parking and Roads in Seychelles: All About Traffic

There are a few interesting points here:

  • All roads on the islands are narrow, with plenty of switchbacks, challenging terrain, many roads lacking guardrails—simply cliffs with 180-degree turns and steep slopes.
  • The roads are good but not perfect—no potholes to swallow a wheel, but the lack of barriers means steep drops or deep ditches on the roadside. Be mindful not to veer off.
  • There’s only one highway with two lanes each way, spanning around 7km, where you can reach an exhilarating 80km/h—the road from Mahé Airport to Victoria.
  • 99% of parking on Mahé and Praslin is free. Paid parking exists only in Victoria’s center. In the article about Victoria’s attractions, markets, and shops, you’ll find coordinates for good free parking in the center.
drive car seychelles
Typical roads in Seychelles—90% of them. Narrow, with mountains on one side and cliffs on the other, lots of switchbacks. Traffic is light.

You just need to get used to the narrow roads. The trickiest part is maneuvering past buses and driving uphill in traffic. My advice: most automatic cars have a manual mode. If you’ve never used it and have the opportunity to practice, do so at home. It’s convenient to use manual mode for uphill drives in Seychelles.

Regarding traffic jams:

Massive jams occur only in the Seychelles’ capital, Victoria, and on the road from Victoria to Beau Vallon. Otherwise, traffic is minimal. The main advice for those driving to Victoria: do it on weekdays. On weekends, the capital turns into one huge traffic jam. Also, it’s better to visit the only hypermarket in Seychelles on weekdays; on Saturdays, you won’t even find parking.
seychelles by car
This is Victoria’s center, and if you look closely, the traffic extends to the horizon. In the photo, it’s not visible, but traffic surrounds from all sides, and you could be stuck here for an hour or two.

Traffic regulations, fines, and Seychellois police

In terms of renting a car in Seychelles, there’s only one pleasure:

  • All traffic rules are similar to ours, all signs are in English and intuitive; Seychelles has no peculiarities except for left-hand traffic.
  • Speed limits are 40km/h in urban areas, 50 or 60 km/h outside urban areas. There’s even a stretch on Praslin where 65km/h is allowed!
traffic rules seychelles
Renting a car in Seychelles isn’t for speed enthusiasts. You won’t have many chances to speed here. If you manage to hit 80km/h just once during your entire trip, it’s a win! Get used to driving no faster than 40km/h; that’s the norm here. The photo shows a rare straight stretch and the local highway on Praslin! It’s the fastest road on the island.
  • Fines are steep. Speeding, even by 1km/h, can cost over 100 euros (2000 rupees).
  • There are no speed cameras in Seychelles, only police. They rarely stop vehicles. It’s highly likely you won’t see any patrols throughout your trip. But if you get fined, it’s unlikely you can settle on the spot. They issue a ticket, which you must pay at a bank. If you do get fined, inform your rental company; they’ll assist with payment and guide you on where to pay.

Useful to know:

Overall, all roads in Seychelles have complex terrain, and you physically won’t exceed 40-50km/h even outside urban areas. Yes, most locals are a bit queasy. Just accept it and go with the flow, which is about 35-40km/h. Overtaking is rare here as it’s risky.

Overall, local driving etiquette is much better than ours. There are no idiots tailgating, flashing lights, or worse, overtaking and then lecturing you here. Everyone calmly follows, even if you’re crawling at 30km/h; they’ll overtake when convenient, smile, and carry on into the sunset.

  • I’m often asked about renting scooters or motorcycles in Seychelles. I’ve detailed this in the article with a contact number. But I don’t recommend this mode of transport to anyone; it’s at least illegal, and the details are in the article.

In conclusion: renting a car in Seychelles is a vital process for active travelers. It’s inexpensive, and while distances are short, renting a car in Seychelles elevates your mobility to great heights. Left-hand driving is easy to adapt to. The challenging road terrain might look intimidating on paper, but in reality, everyone drives very slowly. And there are no daredevils in the country; natural selection has sorted that issue long ago.

IMPORTANT: essential links to organize your dream trip to the Seychelles:

  • FLIGHTS: Aviasales – direct flights and best deals.

  • CAR RENTAL:
    • Mahe and Praslin, no deposit required – LocalRent

    • The most famous car rental company – DiscoverCars.

  • TOURS and EXCURSIONS:
    • GetYourGuide – 75+ activities on land and water in the Seychelles.

    • Viator – 150 + activities in Seychelles.

  • TRAVEL INSURANCE: EKTA.

  • HOTELS, VILLAS, APARTMENTS:
    • Hotellook compares prices among a dozen other services and platforms and offers to choose the best one.

    • Booking – the most popular service for booking accommodation.

  • PACKAGES: from budget to luxury – Expedia.

  • AIRPORT TRANSFER: Intui.

  • INTERNET: eSIM of local telecom operator – Airalo.