How to Rent a Car in Korea: Rules, Costs, and What to Know
Last Updated on June 22, 2026
Travel around Seoul for more than a few days and it becomes obvious very quickly that a car is the wrong choice inside the city. Traffic can be brutal, parking isn’t cheap, and the subway system covers the city and surrounding suburbs extensively. But once you leave Seoul, the calculation flips. Trains and buses reach most of the major destinations, but a car opens up everything else: the hidden cafes between lava rock walls in Jeju, the coastal roads in Gangwon that no bus serves, the daffodil hills in Taean that only make sense if you can stop when you want to.
This guide covers what you need to rent a car in Korea, whether you’re a tourist or a long-term resident. For Jeju-specific rental logistics (airport shuttle, driving character on the island, peak season parking), read the dedicated Jeju car rental guide.
How to rent a car in Korea:
- Should You Rent a Car in Korea?
- How Much Does It Cost?
- Tourist vs Resident: The Rules Are Different
- What You Need
- Where to Book
- One Way Rentals
- Korean Navigation Apps
- Speed Limits in Korea
- Tolls and Hi-Pass
- Gas Stations
- Tips For Driving in Korea
- Additional Driver and Child Seats
- FAQ
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Should You Rent a Car in Korea?
- Gives flexibility to travel. If you’re like us, you have a kid who wakes up at the crack of dawn so might as well hit the road. If you’re not like us, maybe you’re hungover from that late night out and don’t want to have to wake up for the one morning bus available to get to your destination. Whatever is the reason for wanting flexibility, a rental car provides that.
- Can find the hidden gems. I do NOT recommend renting a car while you’re in Seoul at all. Traffic can be terrible if you’re not a local like me who knows how to reroute myself and parking prices can be a lot. BUT, once you’re outside of Seoul, a car is very helpful for getting to some of the best places.
How Much Does It Cost?
On average, expect around $85 USD (roughly ₩30,000-₩60,000) per day, depending on vehicle type. Electric cars are available but run slightly higher.
A few cost variables worth knowing:
- Prices spike during July, August, and October; book earlier than you think you need to during those months
- Airport rental counters tend to run about 26% more expensive than off-airport rental shops
- Smaller vehicle classes can be up to 57% cheaper than mid-size options
Tourist vs Resident: The Rules Are Different
This distinction matters and most rental guides online gloss over it entirely.
If you’re a tourist (no Korean ARC): You need a valid driver’s license from your home country, plus a valid International Driving Permit (IDP) issued in the same country as that license. You must be at least 21 and have held a license for at least one year.
If you’re a long-term resident (holding an ARC): Technically, an IDP is not valid for you. You need a Korean driver’s license, either exchanged from a foreign license or obtained by testing in Korea. Some rental companies aren’t fully up to date on this and may let you use an IDP and foreign license anyway, but if you’re in an accident as a resident without a Korean license, you’re not covered. Be aware of that risk.
One practical note on the ARC situation: when I’ve shown up at rental desks with just my ARC, staff have sometimes been briefly confused and asked for a passport. As a resident traveling domestically, which includes mainland-to-Jeju travel, you don’t need a passport. The ARC is sufficient. If they push back, calmly ask them to check with a manager. This confusion is common; it doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
What You Need
Driver’s license: Valid home country license for tourists; Korean driver’s license for residents with an ARC.
IDP: Required for tourists (must be issued by the same country as your license). Not valid for residents.
ID: Passport for tourists; ARC for residents. Domestic travel within Korea (including to Jeju) does not require a passport.
Payment: Credit card is mandatory. Cash and debit cards are not accepted at rental desks.
Where to Book
There are a ton of rental companies in Korea, so take advantage of the aggregate sites to compare fully.
RentalCars: RentalCars has a great selection of rental car options and provides competitive pricing. You can very quickly and easily compare the various companies and availability and booking through them is super easy. You can get all of the necessary information you need regarding pricing, car details, insurance included and cancellation policies.
QEEQ: This popular rental car website has great competitive rates and similarly to RentalCars, provides all of the necessary information on pricing, car details, insurance included, and cancellation policies. They’re a popular Hong Kong based company that now has offices worldwide.
Klook: If you’re already booking your day trips and tours on Klook, then also look into their car rental options. Also founded in Hong Kong, Klook started for tours and packages, but now has rental car companies like Hertz, Avis, and Alamo available.
Lotte Rent-a-Car: Lotte owns just about everything including Korea’s largest rental car company. Lotte is the local Hertz partner as well FYI.
One Way Rentals
I have gotten a lot of questions from people regarding one way rentals for some reason. Well, I know the reason. They’re looking to get from Seoul to the southern coast and then take a ferry or flight to Jeju Island and thus don’t need the car anymore. This sounds like a good idea in theory, but it’s quite difficult to arrange a one way rental in Korea and it will definitely be more expensive.
And a specific Jeju note: do not rent a car on the mainland and take it to Jeju by ferry. The cost is significant. Rent separately on the island. The Jeju car rental guide covers that process in full.
Korean Navigation Apps
The rental cars I’ve used in Korea all had navigation systems built in and they can be changed to English if you ask your rental car staff before you drive away. Get them to do it before you drive away because doing it on your own will be tough if you don’t read Korean.
Naver Maps: Naver is the most popular navigation app in Korea. You need to have an active phone service in order set up the app so either download it and set it up when you’re still home, or do it once you’ve gotten to Korea and obtained a local Korea SIM card or get a Korean eSIM.
Kakao Maps: Personally, I prefer Kakao Maps. To each their own really. Among Koreans, you have the Naver users and the Kakao users. You can download both apps and see which one you like better before getting on the road.
Google Maps: I don’t recommend using Google Maps in Korea. It can get you to general locations just fine but doesn’t have the detail you really need everywhere, especially if you plan to go off the beaten path and into the countryside.
Speed Limits in Korea
- Roads within city limits: no more than 60 km/h
- Outside city limits: 80 km/h
- Within school zones: 30 km/h
- Motorways: 90 km/h
- Highways: maximum speed can be up to 120 km/h
Speed cameras are widespread. They’re on highways, in city sections, and some average your speed between two fixed points rather than measuring at a single moment, so you can’t just slow down for the camera and speed up immediately after. Navigation apps will give you an audio warning when approaching a camera. Follow the limits.
Tolls and Hi-Pass
Korean highways have frequent tolls. When you pick up your rental car, confirm whether it has a Hi-Pass tag (the electronic toll payment system). Hi-Pass lanes are marked in light blue and let you pass through without stopping.
If your car doesn’t have Hi-Pass, keep cash on hand. Some Korean bank cards work at toll booths but not all — I’ve found this out the wrong way more than once. Tourists especially should carry cash for tolls and not assume a card will work.
Toll pricing is either fixed or distance-based. For distance-based tolls, you collect a ticket at the first booth and pay at the exit. Don’t look for a card to pull from your wallet at a fixed toll, just pull up and pay.
If you want more information on tolls and how they work, check out this great guide to the Korean expressway by South of Seoul.
Gas Stations
Previous to about 2020, almost all of the service stations were staffed so that no one pumped their own gas. Minimum wage went up and gas stations decided to let go of their staff unfortunately. It was actually quite humorous because so many people had really never pumped their own gas. Being American, I definitely knew how to pump gas but absolutely didn’t have the Korean vocab for diesel or unleaded gasoline. Just so you know, the machines are only in Korean, but they do accept most credit cards.
There will always be someone who is staffing the station so if you don’t trust yourself on the machine, go find the attendant to help you.
Words to know:
- diesel: 경유 (gyeong-yu)
- gasoline: 휘발유 (hwibal-yu)
I met an attendant in Yeonhui-dong who told me when I first started pumping a little trick just in case: the number of syllables in Korean and English for what you want is the same. Diesel is two syllables in Korean too and gasoline is three syllables so even if you can’t read Korean, look for three groups of characters instead of two.
Tips For Driving in Korea
- Koreans drive on the right hand side of the road.
- Road signs are generally in Korean and English so even if you don’t read Korean, you can still find your way.
- The roads in Seoul can be crazy with aggressive city drivers, but once you’re outside of the city, it calms right down. The roads are open and quite safe generally. There are speed cameras on the highways so don’t expect to get pulled over for speeding, but you will get caught if you are so keep that in mind.
- Speed cameras everywhere. There are a TON of speed cameras in Korea. They are just everywhere so make sure you’re following the speed limits. On the highway, there are speed zones that both check you at the moment but some that average the speed so you can’t speed between two sections. FYI, most of the navigation apps will warn you well ahead of time with an annoying dinging sound when the speed cameras are approaching.
- Most cars in Korea are automatic so don’t worry if you don’t drive manual.
- Koreans generally park by pulling in trunk first so don’t be surprised when you pull into the parking lots. Now is the time to practice that pull in backwards parking.
- Koreans use their hazard lights for a lot of things. This took my by surprise as I don’t think I used mine once in my many years of driving in the US. Hazard lights can be used to warn fellow drivers of sudden stopping, to say thank you when someone lets you in, to say sorry if you take over another driver, and of course, in actual hazards.
- South Korea’s drunk driving blood alcohol limit is extremely low. At 0.03%, you really can’t have any alcohol to drive legally on the road. You really shouldn’t anyway, but just be aware that the legal limit is lower than you might expect.
Additional Driver and Child Seats
One additional driver can be added to your rental at no extra cost. Both drivers must be present at the rental company in person to register for insurance purposes.
Rental companies provide child seats on request, book one in advance to ensure availability. In Korea, all children under 6 are legally required to be in a child seat.
FAQ
Do I need an International Driving Permit to rent a car in Korea?
Yes, if you’re a tourist. You’ll need a valid home country license plus an IDP issued in that same country. If you’re a long-term resident with an ARC, you need a Korean driver’s license instead, an IDP is technically not valid for residents.
Can I use my ARC instead of a passport when renting a car?
Yes. For domestic travel including mainland-to-Jeju, a passport is not required and your ARC is sufficient. Some rental staff may ask for a passport out of habit, this is a common point of confusion, not an actual requirement.
Is renting a car in Korea expensive?
Around $85 USD per day on average. Airport counters run higher than off-airport locations, and smaller vehicle classes can cost significantly less. Prices rise in July, August, and October.
Do I need a car in Seoul?
No. Seoul’s subway system is extensive and efficient, traffic can be severe, and parking adds up quickly. A car becomes worthwhile once you leave the city.
What navigation app should I use in Korea?
Naver Maps or Kakao Maps. Skip Google Maps for anything more detailed than general directions, it lacks the coverage accuracy you need outside major cities.
Can I do a one-way rental in Korea?
It’s possible but difficult and more expensive. One-way options are limited and not widely available for most routes. Plan around returning the car where you picked it up unless you have a specific confirmed option.
Once you’re past the Seoul city limits and onto open road, Korea rewards a car. The hidden coastal stretches, the mountain passes, the small towns that buses skip, that’s where the real travel happens. Carry cash for tolls, learn your two syllables of Korean for the gas station, and use your hazards to say thank you. The rest comes naturally.
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