Asia > 🇨🇳 China
The city by city Car or no Car advice for China can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in China; 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 China?
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 for a typical holiday/vacation, then you don’t strictly need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in China?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.
🏙️ Main Cities in China
| CITY | IATA | Should 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏯 | Beijing | PEK | 3 |
| 🐼 | Chengdu | CTU | 4 |
| 🏞️ | Chongqing | CKG | 4 |
| 🏙️ | Dalian | DLC | 5 |
| 🏙️ | Guangzhou | CAN | 3 |
| 🏞️ | Guilin | KWL | 6 |
| 🌸 | Hangzhou | HGH | 4 |
| 🏖️ | Qingdao | TAO | 5 |
| 🏙️ | Shanghai | PVG | 2 |
| 🏙️ | Shenzhen | SZX | 2 |
| 🏛️ | Suzhou | PVGs | 2 |
| 🏙️ | Tianjin | TSN | 5 |
| 🏛️ | Xi'an | XIY | 5 |
| 🏝️ | Xiamen | XMN | 4 |
| 🏙️ | Zhuhai | ZUH | 6 |
🚄 Travelling Without a Car (Highly Recommended for 99% of Travellers)
✅ Why No Car Is Best
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High-speed trains (CRH) connect all major cities at 300–350 km/h.
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Metro systems in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen are world-class.
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Didi (Chinese Uber) is cheap, abundant, and safe.
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Tourist sites offer shuttle buses, cable cars, or guided transport.
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Driving yourself is discouraged: language barriers, local licence requirement, complex rules.
🌏 Classic No-Car Itinerary
| Destination | Transport | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Metro, Didi | The Forbidden City, Great Wall (tour bus) |
| Xi’an | High-speed train | Terracotta Warriors, city walls |
| Shanghai | Bullet train or flight | Bund skyline, French Concession |
| Guilin / Yangshuo | Bullet train | Li River cruise, karst mountains |
| Chengdu | Flight/train | Giant Pandas, Sichuan cuisine |
| Zhangjiajie | Flight/train + shuttle | Avatar mountains, glass bridges |
🚄 China’s train system is built exactly to replace domestic flights and long road journeys — it is cheaper, cleaner, faster and more comfortable than driving.
🚗 Travelling With a Car (Rare, Only With Private Driver)
🚩 Self-Drive in China Is Not Practical
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Foreigners cannot drive with an international licence.
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Must apply for a Chinese licence (complex process).
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Roads can be chaotic with unspoken local rules.
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Navigation often requires Chinese language ability.
✅ When a Car with Driver Makes Sense
| Region | Why Hire a Driver | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Yunnan & Guizhou | Ethnic villages & terraced fields without rail links | Longji Rice Terraces, minority cultures |
| Tibet & Qinghai | Remote plateau with no regular trains | Mount Kailash, monasteries |
| Inner Mongolia / Gobi Desert | Desert landscapes | Grasslands, yurts |
| Xinjiang Silk Road | Vast desert distances | Turpan, Kashgar |
In these regions, you don’t “rent a car” – you hire a driver + guide via a tour operator.
🏁 Final Recommendation
| Traveller Type | Best Option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time visitor | High-speed rail + flights + metro + Didi | Fast, easy, foreigner-friendly |
| Culture/history tourist | No car | All major sites are on transit routes |
| Scenic nature explorer | Private driver or organised tour | For mountains, rural villages |
| Adventurer | Guided 4×4 expedition | For Tibet, Xinjiang, Gobi Desert |
✅ In China, “Car vs No Car” becomes “High-speed Train vs Private Driver.”
Self-driving is neither practical nor necessary.
Search for Car Rental in China with EconomyBookings.com
🚗 ✅ ❌ Summary Table
This summary score brings together taxis*, how much you really need a car, whether it’s worth it, driver options, local driving rules, and an overall recommendation. *Taxis act as a hybrid between private cars and public transport, so they aren’t counted in the overall public-transport or non-car scores. 🚕👍🏾 / 👎🏻 Would You Rent a Car in China?
Would you rent a car in China, or would you rely on public transport instead? 🚗🚄 Everyone travels differently, and the right choice often depends on where you’re going, how long you’re staying, and what kind of trip you’re planning.
Hopefully this page has given you a quick, practical overview of the pros and cons of renting a car in China, and whether it’s really necessary or not. Maybe it’s helped you make up your mind — or maybe you’ve already visited and have insights to share.
We always welcome comments, questions, and comparisons with other countries 🌍 All feedback is read, and any questions or clarifications are usually replied to within 24 hours.