In this post we share our experience Renting a car and driving in Jordan. We travelled in April 2024. You’ll find our road trip itinerary here.
It was safe and easy to travel with a rented car in Jordan. We really enjoyed having our own vehicle, as we could go to parts of the country that would be difficult to access by public transport.
We rented with Europcar. The model we had booked was not available, and we were assigned to a Geely Azkarra instead. It was smooth to pick up and return the car at Amman airport.
The biggest adjustment to prepare for is the driving culture. Lane discipline is loose, turn signals are optional, and drivers often make sudden stops or improvisational maneuvers. It is quick to adapt, and when you follow the rhythm, it is not stressful.
Major highways are modern and well‑maintained, but rural and desert roads can be uneven.
Night driving is best avoided because of limited lighting but also due to the possibility of animals wandering onto the road. We arrived at midnight in Amman airport, and had to drive to the Dead Sea in the dark, and had no issues or sketchy situations.
Amman is said to be hectic, but we did not drive into the centre of the capital.
We used Google Maps throughout the trip, and it generally worked well. But around the Dead Sea we were close to Israel, and here we experienced GPS spoofing: Suddenly Google maps placed us in Cairo, Egypt!
There were many police check points. Most often we were waved past, but in the instances we were stopped, the officers were very friendly and professional.
