Asia > China > Shanghai (PVG)
The Car or no Car advice for Shanghai can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Shanghai ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Shanghai ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Shanghai?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.📍 Getting Around Shanghai — the Reality
Shanghai is huge, dense, and intensely urban.
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Distances are long, but movement is fast
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Traffic congestion is heavy most of the day
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Parking is limited and tightly managed
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Driving offers little advantage in central areas
The city is designed to move people in bulk, not cars individually.
🚇 One of the World’s Largest Metro Systems
Shanghai’s metro network is the backbone of daily life.
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Extensive coverage across the city and suburbs
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Very high frequencies
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Clear signage, including English
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Direct access to major districts and attractions
For visitors, the metro is usually the fastest, cheapest, and most predictable way to get around.
🚄 Airports and Long-Distance Rail
Shanghai excels at longer-distance connections too.
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Two major airports with strong metro links
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High-speed rail connections across eastern China
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Major rail stations integrated into the urban fabric
The city functions as a national transport hub without requiring a car at any stage.
🚄 The Shanghai Maglev — Still the Fastest in Commercial Service
Shanghai’s Maglev remains the fastest railway service in the world operating in regular commercial use. On its fastest runs, the train reaches 431 km/h, well beyond the 300 km/h operating speeds associated with early French TGV services. At that speed, it covers the roughly 30 km distance between Pudong International Airport and the city in around 7–8 minutes, making it an extraordinary demonstration of magnetic levitation technology rather than conventional rail.
🚇 Speed Isn’t the Whole Story
However, that headline speed can be slightly misleading in practical terms. The Maglev does not run directly into central Shanghai. Instead, it terminates at Longyang Road Station, on the eastern side of the city. From there, almost all passengers will need to transfer to the Shanghai Metro to continue their journey, typically onto Line 2 or other intersecting lines. This means the ultra-high-speed section is only one leg of a longer urban journey.
🧭 Iconic Experience, Not a Complete Solution
Because of this, the Maglev functions less as a citywide transport solution and more as a symbolic and experiential link between airport and metro network. For first-time visitors — especially those interested in transport or engineering — it’s a memorable ride and a striking contrast with the slower, but incredibly efficient, metro system that follows. In everyday terms, though, the overall journey time advantage compared with a direct metro ride is often modest once transfers are factored in.
🚇 How It Fits Into Shanghai’s Transport System
The Maglev works best when seen as part of Shanghai’s wider mobility picture. The city’s metro network, not the Maglev, does the heavy lifting for urban movement. The Maglev adds speed, spectacle, and technological prestige — but it’s the metro that ultimately gets you where you’re going.
🚶♂️ Walkable Districts, Linked by Transit
Individual neighbourhoods work well on foot.
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The Bund and riverfront areas
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Former French Concession
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Lujiazui’s core
You walk locally, then move long distances by metro.
🚕 Taxis and Ride-Hailing Fill the Gaps
When public transport isn’t ideal:
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Taxis are plentiful
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Ride-hailing is widely used
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Short trips are easy without self-driving
Using a driver is far easier than navigating traffic yourself.
🚗 When a Car Might Make Sense
There are very few scenarios where renting a car helps.
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Travelling far outside Shanghai
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Visiting rural areas not served by rail
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Long, multi-day regional road trips
Even then, most visitors arrange transport rather than self-drive.
⚠️ Why Driving in Shanghai Is a Poor Choice
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Constant congestion
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Complex road layouts
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Expensive parking
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No speed advantage
Many visitors who consider renting a car quickly rule it out.
Conclusion: should you rent a car in Shanghai?
No — almost never.
Shanghai’s metro, high-speed rail, taxis, and walkable districts make driving unnecessary and inefficient for visitors. The city is one of the clearest examples anywhere that scale does not automatically mean car dependence.
