Bahamas Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving In the Bahamas
Although traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road most vehicles are imported from the United States and are left hand drive.When driving abroad in the Bahamas you should therefore exercise caution, especially when overtaking. You can drive using the licence of most countries inclduing the USA and all EU Nations for up to 6 months, after which time you will need to apply for a local permit.
Roads in urban areas on most Islands are in generally fair condition but rural roads can be narrow, winding, and sometimes in poor condition. Nassau and Freeport have traffic congestion issues and drivers occasionally drive aggressively and ignore road rules. Motorcyclists frequently swerve through slow traffic and drive between lanes of moving vehicles. Vehicles are sometimes in a poor state of repair, especially in rural areas and may be badly lit at night so you should be cautious if driving after dark. Flooding frequently occurs on roads in many areas, including Nassau and Freeport, during and after storms. Watch out for pot holes which become puddles after rain -its therefore impossible to see how deep they are!
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Bahamas Car Rental-
Hertz, Alamo, National, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, all have outlets on the Islands. Also usually features on Car rental broker sites and Web discount sites such as Expedia.
We currently have no local car rental partners in the Bahamas. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com.
Bahamas Self Driving Rules
You will usually be allowed to take cars between Nassau and Paradise Island. Some companies, such as Budget, have offices at both locations so one way rentals should be possible for an additional cost. I was unable to find a company offering one way rentals between Islands other than Nassau and Paradise Island and given that only two ferries between Islands seem to take cars (and one of those only has space for 3!),taking a rental car between Islands doesn’t seem an easy option.
