Skip to content
City guide article

Driving Tips

• Your home-country’s licence is valid in Brazil but given that local authorities will not recognise it, it is advisable to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). • Gasoline costs around US$1 a litre but unleaded fuel is not sold in Brazil so check when you rent a car that it can take ordinary gasoline. Also check that you can get spare parts for your vehicle if it has the misfortune to break down. • Roads are poorly-kept can be very dangerous in Brazil, especially the Rio-Sao Paulo corridor. • At night motorists don’t stop at red lights, they merely slow down. This is because of the fear of robbery at stops. So in the big cities keep an eye out a stop signs and lights and keep your doors locked and windows up. • Speed bumps are everywhere, always slow down as you enter the city. • Poor signposting is as common as is impossible one-way systems • Flat tires are common but there are borracheiros – tyre repair shops – stationed at regular intervals along the roads.

City guideTransportation

Overview

Driving Tips

• Your home-country’s licence is valid in Brazil but given that local authorities will not recognise it, it is advisable to get an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). • Gasoline costs around US$1 a litre but unleaded fuel is not sold in Brazil so check when you rent a car that it can take ordinary gasoline. Also check that you can get spare parts for your vehicle if it has the misfortune to break down. • Roads are poorly-kept can be very dangerous in Brazil, especially the Rio-Sao Paulo corridor. • At night motorists don’t stop at red lights, they merely slow down. This is because of the fear of robbery at stops. So in the big cities keep an eye out a stop signs and lights and keep your doors locked and windows up. • Speed bumps are everywhere, always slow down as you enter the city. • Poor signposting is as common as is impossible one-way systems • Flat tires are common but there are borracheiros – tyre repair shops – stationed at regular intervals along the roads.

Continue reading

More from Transportation

Top hotels in Rio de Janeiro

Add practical stops to your Rio de Janeiro plan across places, hotels, shopping, and food.

Top shopping spots in Rio de Janeiro

Add practical stops to your Rio de Janeiro plan across places, hotels, shopping, and food.

Top restaurants in Rio de Janeiro

Add practical stops to your Rio de Janeiro plan across places, hotels, shopping, and food.