So how many destinations are there where renting a car is absolutely essential?
Fewer than many people expect — but they do exist 🚗
Truly essential car-hire destinations tend to fall into a small number of categories: very rural areas, regions with limited or infrequent public transport, and places where key sights are widely spread out with no realistic alternatives.
Examples include remote national parks, sparsely populated countryside, islands with minimal bus services, and parts of the world where walking or cycling isn’t practical due to distance, climate, or road conditions 🌄🌞
However, most major cities — and an increasing number of holiday destinations — are now designed around public transport, walkability, or a mix of options. In these places, renting a car can be unnecessary, inconvenient, or simply poor value.
That’s why Car or No Car treats “car required (10./10)” as the exception rather than the rule. Our goal is to identify the relatively small number of destinations where a car is genuinely essential — and just as importantly, highlight the many places where it isn’t ❌🚗➡️✅🚶♂️
E.g: Phoenix
A standout example of this is Phoenix, which represents the far end of the spectrum. Despite being a very large city, Phoenix is so geographically sprawling that distances between neighbourhoods, attractions, and even basic amenities are often vast. Walking and cycling are rarely practical, and the urban form assumes car use as the default 🚘🌞
While Phoenix does have a light rail system, it covers only a limited corridor and reaches a small fraction of the city. For most visitors — and residents — those lines simply don’t connect the places they actually need to go. Combined with extreme summer heat and infrequent alternatives, even the presence of “some” public transport doesn’t change the outcome. In Phoenix, renting a car isn’t just convenient — it’s effectively essential ✅🔥
Isn’t the natural answer to rent a car unless traffic is really bad?
For many people, that used to be the default assumption — but it’s becoming less true over time 🚗➡️🚶♂️🚆
In many cities and destinations, public transport has improved dramatically, while walking and cycling have become easier, safer, and more pleasant. At the same time, driving has often become more expensive and less convenient, with congestion charges, parking restrictions, toll roads, and low-emission zones adding friction.
There’s also a psychological factor at play. Hiring a car can feel like freedom, but in practice it often means navigating unfamiliar roads, dealing with traffic, and searching for parking — all things that can detract from a trip 😬
That’s why Car or No Car starts from a different position. Instead of assuming a car is the default, we look at whether one is actually needed, whether it’s worth the cost, and whether you should hire one at all. In many cases, the most natural answer today is surprisingly: no car required ✅🌍
How do you determine whether to rent a car or not?
We base every recommendation on three key factors: need, worth, and should. Together, these help answer the simple but important question: car or no car? 🚗❓
Need 🚶♀️🚲🚆
Need is about whether a car is actually required. We look closely at the quality of public transport, how easy it is to walk around, and whether cycling is practical and safe.
If buses, trains, trams, walking, and cycling are all good, then there is often no real need to rent a car at all 👍
Worth 💷⛽🅿️
Worth looks at cost and value. This includes the price of hiring a car, as well as fuel, toll roads, parking fees, and other extras that quickly add up.
We then compare these costs with public transport fares and other alternatives, helping travellers see which option offers better value 💸
Should ⚖️✅❌
Should brings everything together. It balances convenience and cost to answer the question people actually ask: “Given this destination, should I hire a car?”
Where did the idea for Car or No Car come from?
The idea grew out of earlier work on a travel website focused on flight routes and airline decisions. A large part of that research explored why airlines launch new routes and how travellers actually use them.
From there, the next logical question emerged: what happens after you land?
Do you hire a car, rely on public transport, or choose a destination where you don’t need a car at all?
That simple but often overlooked decision became the foundation of Car or No Car. While the original idea dates back almost 20 years, travel habits, transport options, and city design have finally caught up with it — making the question more relevant now than ever 🌍