Renting a Car and Driving in Uzbekistan
Licences, rental companies, road quality, the methane fuel problem, police checks and the honest question of whether to hire a driver instead.
Most visitors to Uzbekistan do not drive, and the reason is not difficulty. It is that a car with a driver costs so little that renting one to drive yourself makes limited sense.
That said, self-driving is possible, legal for foreigners with the right paperwork, and genuinely rewarding on some routes. Here is what it involves.
Licence and paperwork
You need your national driving licence plus an International Driving Permit. Uzbekistan is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention rather than the 1949 Geneva one, so the 1968-style IDP is what to obtain, and you should get it in your own country before you travel; they cannot be issued abroad.
Rental companies ask for the licence, the IDP, your passport and a credit card for the deposit. Minimum ages and minimum licence-held periods apply and vary by company.
Check the insurance carefully. Basic third-party cover is included; collision damage waivers, excess levels and whether cover extends to unpaved roads all vary, and the last of those matters if you plan to leave the main highways.
Where to rent
International chains operate in Tashkent and, less reliably, in Samarkand and Bukhara, alongside a growing number of local companies. Airport desks exist at Tashkent.
- Book ahead in spring and autumn; the fleets are small by European standards.
- Expect Korean and Uzbek-built cars. The Chevrolet models assembled locally dominate the roads and the rental fleets.
- Automatic transmission is available but less common; specify it if you need it.
- Check the tyres and the spare before you accept the car, and photograph every existing scratch.
- One-way rentals between cities are sometimes possible and usually carry a fee.
- Cross-border travel into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan is normally prohibited by the rental agreement. Ask explicitly if that is your plan.
The roads
Quality varies enormously, and the variation is the main thing to plan around.
| Route type | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Tashkent to Samarkand to Bukhara | Good dual carriageway for much of the way; the main artery |
| Bukhara to Khiva | Long desert road, variable surface, few services; the crossing takes most of a day |
| Mountain roads (Kamchik pass, Boysun) | Scenic, slow, occasional rockfall, closed in bad winter weather |
| Rural and village roads | Often unsurfaced, potholed, shared with livestock and farm machinery |
| City driving | Heavy traffic, assertive lane discipline, frequent unmarked hazards |
Distances are long. Tashkent to Khiva is the better part of two days by road, which is why most travellers use the train between the main cities and consider a car only for the areas trains do not reach. Our Samarkand to Bukhara guide and Bukhara to Khiva guide cover the alternatives.
Fuel
This is the practical quirk that surprises people. A large share of private cars in Uzbekistan run on compressed methane or on propane rather than petrol, because the gas is far cheaper, and the filling network reflects that.
What it means for you: petrol stations exist along the main routes and in cities but are thinner on the ground than you would expect, queues happen, and the grade you want may not be available at a given station. Rental cars are normally petrol, which keeps things simple, but the habit to adopt is filling up at half a tank rather than a quarter, especially before desert legs.
Pay in cash at many stations. Carry som.
Routes worth driving yourself
If you do take a car, these are the stretches where having your own wheels genuinely improves the trip.
Samarkand to Shakhrisabz and on to Karshi. The road crosses a pass with real views, there are roadside stalls selling honey and fruit, and the ability to stop when you want is worth more here than on the flat.
The Nurata mountains and Aydarkul. Getting to the petroglyph sites, the villages and the yurt camps involves side roads that shared taxis do not serve. Our Nurata guide and Sarmishsay guide cover the sights.
The Fergana Valley circuit. Margilan, Rishtan, Chust and Kokand are close together and awkward to link by public transport in a single day. A car turns two days of waiting into one good one.
Tashkent to Chimgan and Charvak. An easy, well-surfaced mountain run, and the classic day out from the capital.
And the one to avoid: the long desert haul from Bukhara to Khiva. It is hot, monotonous, hard on a car and has almost no services. Take the train or a shared taxi and let someone else do it.
Police, rules and driving culture
Checkpoints are frequent, particularly on intercity roads and near regional borders. You will be waved down, asked for documents and usually sent on within a minute or two. Be polite, keep your papers accessible, and do not become agitated.
The rules that matter: drive on the right, seatbelts are mandatory, the alcohol limit is effectively zero, speed limits are enforced with cameras as well as patrols, and using a phone while driving is prohibited. Traffic fines are usually handled by the rental company after the fact, which is why they hold a deposit.
Driving culture is assertive rather than aggressive. Expect undertaking, sudden stops for passengers, cars turning from the wrong lane, and pedestrians crossing wherever they like. Drive defensively, leave space and avoid driving at night outside cities, where unlit vehicles, livestock and unmarked roadworks are all genuine hazards.
The alternative: a car with a driver
For most visitors this is the better answer, and it deserves stating plainly.
A driver for a full day, with a car, typically costs somewhere in the region of a modest daily rate that compares closely with renting the same car yourself, and often less once fuel and insurance are counted (last checked: July 2026). You get someone who knows the roads, handles the checkpoints, parks the car, speaks the language and can find lunch.
Shared taxis between cities are cheaper still and are how most Uzbeks travel: fixed routes, leave when full, a seat price rather than a car price.
Self-driving makes the most sense if you want flexibility in the mountains, plan to stop constantly for photographs, or are travelling as a family with luggage and small children. Otherwise, take the train between cities and hire a driver for the days in between.
Practical kit and habits
A few things that make a self-drive trip here work.
Carry water, more than you think, in the boot as well as the cabin. A breakdown in the desert in summer is a serious situation and there is no shade anywhere.
Keep cash in small notes for fuel, parking attendants and roadside food. Download offline maps for the whole route, because coverage disappears between towns. Save your rental company's emergency number offline too.
Photograph the car thoroughly at pick-up, including the tyres, the spare and the fuel gauge, and again at drop-off. This is standard advice everywhere and is worth following properly here.
Finally, plan shorter days than you would at home. Average speeds on Uzbek roads are lower than the map suggests, checkpoints add time, and arriving somewhere in daylight is worth sacrificing an hour of sightseeing for.
Shared taxis, explained
Since the realistic alternative to driving is usually a shared taxi, it is worth knowing how they work, because they are the backbone of Uzbek intercity travel and completely unfamiliar to most visitors.
Each city has stands, usually near a bazaar or a bus station, organised by destination. Drivers wait until four passengers have gathered, then leave. You pay per seat, in cash, normally at the end, and the price is fixed by custom rather than negotiated, though foreigners are sometimes quoted more.
You can buy two seats for comfort, or all four to have the car to yourself, which converts it into a private taxi at a known price. On a long leg such as Bukhara to Khiva, paying for the front seat alone is money well spent.
The cars are ordinary saloons, the driving is fast, and seatbelts in the back may be missing or tucked away. Ask for the front if that matters to you.
Our Samarkand to Bukhara and Tashkent to Samarkand guides give the current options and rough fares for the main routes, including the trains that are usually the better choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an International Driving Permit for Uzbekistan?
Yes. Carry your national licence together with a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, obtained before you leave home. Rental companies require it and police ask for it at checkpoints.
Is it safe to drive in Uzbekistan?
On the main intercity highways in daylight, yes, with defensive driving. The risks rise sharply at night outside cities and on rural roads. Road traffic accident rates in the region are higher than in Western Europe, so a cautious approach is warranted.
How much does a rental car cost?
Rates vary with the company, the season and the vehicle, and once you add fuel, insurance and the deposit, hiring a car with a driver often works out similar or cheaper. Get quotes for both before deciding.
Can I drive into Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan?
Usually not in a rental car; most agreements prohibit taking the vehicle across a border. If a regional trip is your plan, check with the company first and expect to need a specific arrangement, or travel between countries by shared taxi and rent separately on each side.
What about parking and navigation?
Parking is generally easy and often free outside central Tashkent, though old-town streets in Khiva and Bukhara are closed to traffic. Navigation apps work well in cities; download offline maps for the desert routes, where signal disappears for long stretches.
Featured image: Jamshid Nurkulov (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons.