Visitor FAQ
Luxury car rental at KLIA — 18 questions
Written for someone who has never driven in Malaysia and does not know the rules. If your question is not here, message us — we will add it.
4 answers
Licences and permits
The questions every visitor asks first, answered without the legal fog.
- Do I need an international driving permit to rent a car in Malaysia?
- If your national driving licence is printed in English or Malay, you can drive in Malaysia on that licence alone for up to ninety days as a visitor. If it is printed in any other script or language — Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic, Cyrillic, Hindi and so on — you need an International Driving Permit alongside it. The IDP is a translation booklet, not a licence in itself, so you must carry both. Get it in your home country before you fly; it cannot be issued to you here.
- Which licences are accepted without an IDP?
- Licences from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Singapore, South Africa and most of the English-speaking Commonwealth are accepted as they are, because they are already in English. Many EU licences carry English text and are accepted in practice. Singapore licence holders have a specific reciprocal arrangement and are fine. If you are unsure, send us a photograph of your licence and we will tell you before you book.
- How old do I have to be to rent an exotic car here?
- Our underwriter sets two floors: twenty-three for the standard fleet, twenty-five once you are into the sports and supercar categories, and in both cases two full years of licence behind you. No upper limit at all. This is a condition of cover, not a line in Malaysian law.
- How long can I drive on my foreign licence in Malaysia?
- Up to ninety days from entry as a visitor, provided your licence is valid in your home country and you hold an IDP if required. Beyond that you are expected to convert to a Malaysian licence, which is a process built for residents, not visitors. Practically, nearly every visitor rental sits well inside the ninety days.
4 answers
Deposits, insurance and paying
What we hold, what is covered, and what actually leaves your account.
- What deposit do you take, and when do I get it back?
- The refundable deposit depends on the car and is shown on every car page — it runs from around RM 1,000 for a Civic RS up to RM 20,000 for a supercar. We take it as a pre-authorisation hold on a credit card in the main driver's name, not as a charge. The hold is released when the car comes back undamaged, though your bank may take three to ten working days to show the release, which is a bank timescale we cannot speed up.
- What does the insurance actually cover?
- Every car goes out with comprehensive Malaysian motor insurance covering third-party injury and property damage, plus damage to the rental vehicle itself. What sits with you is the excess — the first portion of any claim — which is the reason for the deposit. Insurance does not cover driving under the influence, driving off sealed roads, track use, or an unauthorised driver at the wheel. Any of those voids the cover completely, so name every driver on the agreement.
- Can I pay in a foreign currency or by international card?
- We invoice in Malaysian ringgit. International Visa and Mastercard credit cards work fine for both the rental and the deposit hold; your issuer will do the conversion at their rate. Debit cards can be used for the rental payment but not for the security hold, because a debit hold takes real money out of your account instead of reserving it. Bank transfer works if you book in advance.
- Is there a mileage limit?
- Every car includes 130 kilometres a day, 910 a week or 4,000 a month, which comfortably covers city use and a day trip to Genting or Melaka. Longer distances — Penang and back, or a full peninsula loop — should be booked as a road-trip hire, where we raise the allowance up front. Tell us your route when you enquire and we will price it correctly the first time, with nothing added at the end.
5 answers
Driving here as a visitor
Roads, tolls, fuel and the habits that will keep you comfortable.
- Which side of the road do Malaysians drive on?
- The left, like the UK, Australia, Japan, Thailand and Singapore. The car is right-hand drive, the indicator stalk is usually on the right and the wiper stalk on the left, and roundabouts go clockwise. If you normally drive on the right, the two moments that catch people out are pulling out of a car park and turning at an empty junction. Say 'left, left, left' out loud for the first day. It works.
- How do tolls work, and what is Touch 'n Go?
- Malaysian expressways are tolled and there are no cash lanes left. Everything runs on Touch 'n Go, a stored-value card you tap at the barrier, or its RFID sticker equivalent. Every car we rent comes with a loaded card in the holder — you simply drive through the lanes marked Touch 'n Go or TNG. You can top up at petrol stations and 7-Eleven counters. Do not use the lanes marked SmartTAG unless the car has a SmartTAG unit fitted.
- Is it safe to drive in Kuala Lumpur as a first-timer?
- Yes, with realistic expectations. The road surfaces are good, the expressways are well-signposted in English, and Malaysian drivers are not aggressive by regional standards. What you must adapt to is motorcycles, which filter between lanes constantly and will appear in your left mirror at speed. Check mirrors before every lane change, leave space, and do not open a door on the kerb side without looking. Traffic is heavy from 7 to 9.30am and 5 to 8pm.
- What fuel do your cars take and how much does it cost?
- Malaysian fuel is cheap by any standard. Petrol comes as RON95 and RON97; every performance car in our fleet takes RON97, which is the yellow pump and clearly labelled. Filling a supercar here costs a fraction of what it does in Europe. Stations are self-service in most of the Klang Valley and attended in smaller towns, and card payment at the pump sometimes rejects foreign cards, so pay at the counter if it does.
- What happens if I get a speeding ticket or a parking fine?
- Malaysian traffic fines are issued to the registered owner, which is us, and typically arrive weeks after the event. We pass the fine on to you at face value along with the official notice, charged to the card on file, and we will send you the documentation. There is no administrative markup. Speed cameras on the Karak descent and the north–south expressway are the ones that catch visitors most.
5 answers
Booking, delivery and borders
Getting the car, keeping it, and where you may take it.
- Can I drive across the border into Singapore?
- Not by default. Cross-border travel needs written authorisation from us in advance, additional insurance endorsement, and — for Singapore — a Vehicle Entry Permit and an autopass account, plus daily charges at the crossing. Some cars in the fleet are not permitted out of Malaysia at all, particularly the supercars. Ask before you book if a border crossing is part of your plan, because the answer changes which car you should take.
- How far in advance should I book?
- For a specific supercar on a specific date, two to four weeks. The Lamborghinis, the GT-R and the convertibles go first for weekends, public holidays and the Formula 1 and MotoGP weekends at Sepang. For a saloon or an SUV, a few days is usually enough. If you are landing tomorrow and want something, message us anyway — there is often a car free.
- Do you deliver to my hotel, and does it cost extra?
- We deliver anywhere in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley, and it is free on rentals of two days or more within the city. Airport delivery to KLIA or KLIA2 is included on rentals of three days or more. Outside those, delivery is a modest flat fee by distance. We will also check your hotel car park's height barrier before we bring a tall or wide car, which has saved a lot of people a lot of embarrassment.
- Can a second person drive the car?
- Yes, provided they are named on the rental agreement, meet the same age and licence conditions, and are present at handover with their documents. Adding a named driver is free. An unnamed driver at the wheel voids the insurance entirely, so if plans change mid-trip, message us and we will add them properly in five minutes.
- What if something goes wrong while I'm on the road?
- Call or WhatsApp us — the number is on the key fob and in the documents folder. We run nationwide recovery, so a problem in Penang or the Cameron Highlands is covered, not just one in Kuala Lumpur. For a mechanical fault we will get you a replacement car; nobody waits on a workshop. For an accident, stop, photograph everything, file a police report within twenty-four hours as Malaysian law requires, and call us before you agree anything with the other party.
Longer answers, in the guides
Some of these deserve more than a paragraph. We have written the four that matter most to visitors in full.
Still not sure?
The fastest way to settle anything on this page is to send us a photograph of your driving licence. We look at hundreds of foreign licences a year and we will tell you in minutes whether you need an International Driving Permit, whether your category covers the car you want, and what the deposit will be.