North America

Should you rent a car in North America Should You Hire a Car in North America? This can be broken down into two similar questions - do you need a car in North America (in other words, will your holiday be ruined without one), and is it worth hiring a car in North America - in other words, is car rental better value than using public transport? We'll weigh up both questions and give you a response generated by Chat GPT, together with our own curated opinion before finally giving a yes or no verdict at the end.

countrySHOULD
🇦🇮Anguilla4
🇦🇬Antigua and Barbuda5
🇦🇼Aruba 4
🇧🇸The Bahamas6
🇧🇧Barbados4
🇧🇿Belize6
🇧🇲Bermuda0
🇻🇬The British Virgin Islands 7
🇨🇦Canada8
🇰🇾The Cayman Islands7
🇨🇷Costa Rica7
🇨🇺Cuba3
🇨🇼Curaçao7
🇩🇲Dominica6
🇩🇴The Dominican Republic6
🇸🇻El Salvador4
🇬🇱Greenland0
🇬🇩Grenada7
🇬🇵Guadeloupe7
🇬🇹Guatemala3
🇭🇹Haiti1
🇭🇳Honduras3
🇯🇲Jamaica4
🇲🇶Martinique8
🇲🇽Mexico6
🇲🇸Montserrat6
🇳🇮Nicaragua4
🇵🇦Panama5
🇵🇷Puerto Rico 6
🇧🇶Saba4
🇧🇱St Barthélemy7
🇧🇶Sint Eustatius4
🇰🇳St Kitts and Nevis6
🇱🇨St Lucia6
🇸🇽Sint Maarten 7
🇲🇫St Martin 7
🇵🇲St Pierre and Miquelon4
🇻🇨St Vincent and the Grenadines6
🇹🇨The Turks and Caicos Islands7
🇻🇮U.S. Virgin Islands7
🇺🇸The USA8

North America offers some of the world’s greatest road trips, yet it also features a handful of cities where driving is a hassle, not a help. Therefore, understanding where a car enhances your trip versus where public transport is more efficient is essential. In this guide, we’ll explore each region clearly, using smooth transitions to help you decide confidently.

🇺🇸 United States – First and Foremost: Car Culture Rules

The United States is fundamentally designed for driving. Highways connect nearly every destination, and many of the country’s natural wonders are only reachable by car. Moreover, distances are vast, and outside major cities, public transport can be limited.

✅ Where You Should Certainly Rent a Car

To begin with, national parks and natural regions require a vehicle:

  • Yosemite, Yellowstone, Utah’s “Mighty Five,” and the Grand Canyon are not easily accessible without driving.

  • In addition, famous road trip routes such as Route 66, Pacific Coast Highway, and the Florida Keys Drive are iconic for a reason—they are made to be experienced behind the wheel.

  • Furthermore, small towns and wine regions (like Napa Valley or the New England countryside) offer far greater flexibility when explored by car.

🚫 Where You Should Avoid Renting a Car

However, several major US cities are exceptionally transit-friendly:

  • New York City, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, and San Francisco have extensive metro networks and walkable neighbourhoods.

  • In these cities, driving leads to congestion charges, parking stress, and unnecessary costs.

In summary: If you are exploring nature or multiple states, a car is essential. Conversely, if you’re staying within a well-connected city centre, it’s much easier to go without one.

🇨🇦 Canada – Similarly Built for Long-Distance Driving

Canada is equally vast, and its natural attractions are spread across great distances. Therefore, renting a car is often the best way to experience the country’s iconic landscapes.

✅ Where Driving Enhances the Journey

  • Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, and the Icefields Parkway form one of the most beautiful road networks in the world.

  • Additionally, areas like Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail, Vancouver Island, and the Yukon offer remote beauty that buses simply do not reach.

🚫 Where a Car Is Less Necessary

On the other hand:

  • Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Quebec City have reliable public transit and walkable historic centres.

  • As a result, a car is only useful if you plan to leave the city to explore surrounding nature or small towns.

🇲🇽 Mexico – A Blend of Both Worlds

Mexico varies significantly by region. Consequently, your need for a car depends on whether you’re visiting resorts, ancient ruins, or colonial towns.

✅ When Renting a Car Is a Great Idea

  • The Yucatán Peninsula is ideal for self-driving. For example, you can easily explore cenotes, Chichen Itza, Tulum, Valladolid, and Merida at your own pace.

  • Moreover, Baja California offers one of the best coastal road trips in the Americas, with whale watching and ocean views.

🚫 When to Skip the Car

  • In contrast, Mexico City is best navigated using its metro and ride-share services due to heavy traffic.

  • Likewise, if you stay in Cancún or Riviera Maya resorts, shuttles and organised day tours meet every need.

🏝️ Caribbean Islands & Territories – A Different Pace Entirely

Notably, most Caribbean islands are compact and tourism-based, meaning a car is rarely necessary.

🚫 Car-Free Destinations

  • Bermuda does not allow tourists to rent standard cars at all.

  • Cuba can present fuel shortages, so hiring a driver is often far more practical.

  • Jamaica and the Dominican Republic feature resort-to-resort transport that covers most travel needs.

⚠️ Car Optional

  • Hawaii (USA) requires a car for exploring natural areas such as Big Island volcanoes or Maui’s Road to Hana, although you won’t need one in Waikiki itself.

Do you need a car in North America?

✅ Top 5 Road Trip Destinations

  1. California’s Pacific Coast Highway (USA)

  2. Icefields Parkway, Banff to Jasper (Canada)

  3. Yucatán Peninsula Road Circuit (Mexico)

  4. Utah National Parks Loop (USA)

  5. Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Mountains (USA)

🚫 Top 5 Car-Free Zones

  1. New York City, USA

  2. Mexico City, Mexico

  3. Toronto & Montreal (city centres), Canada

  4. San Francisco (downtown), USA

  5. Bermuda (cars not permitted)

✨ Final Takeaway

In North America, renting a car almost always enhances your trip when exploring nature, coastal drives, or small towns. However, if your trip is city-focused, especially in the northeastern United States or major Canadian cities, public transport and rideshares are more efficient.

Should You Hire a Car in North America — or Not? Advice on this page has been written using Chat GPT, backed up by 20 years experience in the travel industry. This site is planned for full launch on 1st January 2026. Full terms, advice, FAQs, disclaimer etc to follow. UN flag is a placeholder

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