- Side of the road
- Drive on the LEFT, in American left-hand-drive cars. Keep left on the blind bends and when pulling out of a car park.
- Licence
- Bring your home licence and US$10 in cash. Sources disagree on who needs the BVI temporary licence: the U.S. State Department's May 2026 advisory says every visitor renting a car does, and Hertz sells it at its counter for $10; Canada's June 2026 travel advice and the Enterprise/National/Alamo counters say a stay under 30 days can drive on the home licence alone. Rental counters issue it on the spot, valid about three months.
- Seat belts and phones
- Seat belts in front, car seats for infants, and no phone in the hand while driving.
- Island only
- A rental stays on its island. The franchise terms say so in writing ('driving restricted within the island of Tortola only'); no company we found lets a car cross to another island, and none crosses between the BVI and the USVI.
- Insurance
- Most auto policies from home do not cover the BVI, the franchise counters warn. Check your credit card's rental cover before you decline the collision waiver; damage deductibles run $750–$1,000.
- Currency
- The BVI uses the U.S. dollar. Rates carry a 5% government tax.
- Speed
- About 20 mph in Road Town and 35–40 mph elsewhere; guides disagree and the signs rule.
- Roads
- Steep, narrow mountain roads with hairpins, few signs and no shoulders; the roads over the ridge to the North Shore (Zion Hill, Windy Hill, Belmont) are the steepest. Take extra care after rain, when gravel and leaves wash across.
- Gas
- About 16 stations, most on the south coast between Sea Cows Bay, Road Town and East End; few open late, so fill up in the day. No public EV charging on the island.
