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.