Travel by Car in Lebanon: How to Rent, Pick up, and Return a Car

The public transportation is not very convenient in Lebanon, so car rental is a very suitable and popular way to travel. You can book a car online in advance. When landing at Beirut, you can directly pick up the car at the airport, and start a road trip immediately. Go wherever you want, whether it's to the coastal cities in the north or south to see the castles left by the ancient Phoenicians, or to the mountains in the east to see the cedar forests and world-famous Roman ruins. There's only one thing to note. The local drivers are horribly fast and do not obey the traffic rules, so you need to pay special attention to driving safety.

How to Rent a Car in Lebanon

1. Where to Rent a Car:

It is recommended that you rent a car online in advance of your arrival in Lebanon. In general, you can book a car rental up to a month in advance of your trip. Especially during peak seasons, you need to set aside enough time in case the model you want isn't available. On the website where you want to book, select the car rental company and model, fill out the order, make the down payment, and finally save the pick-up voucher. You can also rent a car at a local agency after you arrive in Beirut, but this is not recommended as you may not be able to book a car at the moment, and it is usually more expensive.

2. Recommended Car Rental Brands:

Europcar, Green Motion, Alamo, SIXT, AVIS, Enterprise, Dollar, Thrifty, and Sicily by Car are all international and common car rental companies popular in Lebanon.

3. Documents Needed:

You need to provide your passport, Driver's License or International Driving Permit. If the driver's license is not in English, you also need to provide the translation certificate of the license. A Mastercard or Visa international credit card in the driver's name is also needed, with a minimum credit limit of USD 500 to 3,000.
 

4. Age Requirements for Car Renters:

Different car rental companies have different age requirements for the drivers, generally between 20 and 80 years old; while very few car rental companies will relax the restriction to 18 years old. However, if you are under 25, you may be required to pay a risk premium, which varies from company to company. Most rental companies require drivers to obtain a driver's license for more than one year, and for some special cars, they may require a driver's license for two or even three years.

5. Car Models to Choose:

Just like renting a car in other countries, there are many models to choose from, including economy and small cars, medium or large SUVs and MPVS. If you're in downtown Beirut, a small car will do, but if you're going to the mountainous areas like the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon, it makes more sense to rent an SUV.
 

6. Car Rental Fee:

It’s relatively cheap to rent a car in Lebanon. A typical 5-seat car costs USD 40 to 60 a day, including the rental fee with unlimited mileage, and several kinds of insurance. The deposit ranges from USD 500 to 3,000, depending on the car model.

How to Pick up Your Rental Car

5 Steps:

Arrive at the store → Show the documents → Sign the contract → Pay the deposit → Check the car

For the convenience of tourists, the car rental companies in Lebanon usually have service counters in the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Their counters are clustered on the far right of the arrival hall on the first floor of the terminal building. Follow the Car Rental Center sign, and you can easily find them. The car rental staff are very professional. At the counter, you need to show the originals of your passport and driver's license, pick-up voucher, and credit card. Read the terms of the rental contract, pay the balance, sign the contract, and then you will be presented with the rental contract, receipt, and the car key. The car rental company will ask for a pre-authorization from your credit card as a deposit, which is usually 1.5 times the total amount of the order.

When you rent a car in Lebanon, be prepared for it to be in bad condition. After getting the car, check the body condition, glass, tires, interior, operation panel and functional buttons. Check the trunk for a spare tire or a tire repair kit. Communicate with staff in time if there are problems. When driving out of the store, keep the contact information of the staff so that you can reach them in case of an emergency.

How to Drive: Rules and Tips

1. Main Traffic Rules in Lebanon:

► All vehicles keep to the right in Lebanon.
► The driver and all passengers must wear seat belts, and violators will be fined.
► The speed limit is set at 50 kph (31 mph) in cities, while 100 kph (62 mph) on major rural roads. The fines for speeding are high.
► You can park your car on the side of the road as long as it doesn't affect the traffic. In the capital Beirut, roadside parking spaces are usually available for two hours.
► Dial 112 in case of an accident.

2. Recommended Self-drive Travel Routes in Lebanon:

Bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the west, Lebanon is not big in territory. From the capital Beirut in the middle of its west coastline, it is easy to drive anywhere in the country in less than two hours. The major driving routes are from Beirut to the south, north and east:
► Southern Route: Beirut → Sidon → Tyre → Beirut
► Northern Route: Beirut → Jeita → Jounieh → Harissa → Byblos → Batroun → Tripoli
► Eastern Route: Beirut → Anjar → Baalbek → Bsharri → Kadisha Valley

The southern route and the northern route are the most classic and popular. If you want to go, you can refer to:
One Day Road Trip to South Lebanon: Beirut to Tyre
2 Days Driving Tour to North Lebanon: Byblos & Baalbek

For details on each route, time plan and driving precautions, you can refer to:
Lebanon Road Trip: Comprehensive Route Plan & Driving Strategies

3. Map Navigation on Mobile Devices:

In Lebanon, Google Maps is the easiest way to navigate. You can buy a local SIM card to keep your phone connected to the internet and download the Google Maps. It is recommended that you download the offline maps when the network is in good condition, so that even in the mountainous areas where the signal is weak, the map navigation will not be affected. If you are still worried, of course it is safer to rent a GPS satellite navigation device from a car rental company.

4. Safe Driving Tips:

You may have heard about the ‘wild’ style of the Lebanese drivers before your trip, but when you arrive, you will find that it is much wilder than you expected. The local people drive super-fast and may often shock you when they merge, change lanes, or overtake. Please keep calm when you drive, because that's not the worst part. The scariest thing is that they often ignore the traffic lights and stop signs, so when you come to an intersection or traffic light, you need to pay special attention to slow down and watch carefully. Wish you a safe car rental trip in Lebanon!

How to Return the Car

At the end of your trip, it is recommended that you allow at least 30 minutes to return the car. If you choose the ‘full tank return’, you will need to fill up your car at the last gas station before entering the Beirut Airport. Note that you need to personally confirm that the fuel tank is full, otherwise, when returning the car, if the fuel gauge shows it is not full, the ‘professional’ staff may charge you a high price, such as LBP 300,000, which can buy half a tank of fuel. If this happens, you can negotiate with the staff, and usually LBP 100,000 is enough. Of course, to avoid this possible trap, it is recommended that you keep the receipt on your last gas trip, and show it to the staff at the car rental shop to prove that the car is fully filled.

If you are in a hurry and don’t want to go to the gas station at the last minute, you can also choose the Fuel Service Option (FSO), which requires you to prepay for a tank of fuel at the car rental company when you pick up the car, so that you can directly return the car no matter how much fuel is left.

Drive the car to the designated area of the rental store and park it. Take all your personal belongings when you get off the car. Please return the car key to the counter. The staff will check the car, record, and then handle the return procedure for you. The deposit is usually refunded to the credit card you provided earlier within 1 or 2 months.

Tips on Car Refueling

When renting a car, the fuel type mark will be posted on the fuel tank lid. If not, please be sure to confirm with the staff of the car rental agency, so as not to get the wrong type and result in vehicle faults. Most gas stations are open from 8:00 to 20:00. There are manual refueling and self-service machines. Most gas stations accept cash or credit cards, but you are advised to have some cash in case you run into some small gas stations in the countryside that only accept cash. Lebanon's oil price is in line with the international prices, currently around USD 1.43 a liter. The diesel is a little cheaper.


► Book a guided tour with us and enjoy the lowest price and best service:
7 Days Beirut - Deir Al-Qamar - Sidon - Tyre - Beirut - Baalbek - Anjar - Harissa - Byblos – Beirut