{"id":594,"date":"2017-09-11T17:24:59","date_gmt":"2017-09-11T17:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/russiable.com\/?p=594"},"modified":"2024-01-06T13:01:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T13:01:45","slug":"rent-car-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/russiable.com\/rent-car-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it worth to rent a car in Russia? Recommendations and requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is it worth to rent a car in Russia? Which are the traffic regulations in Russia? Can I drive in Russia with my driver’s license? How can I rent a car in Russia? What documents do I need submit to rent the car? In this article I will try to answer all these questions. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IMPORTANT<\/strong> (January 2024): This article is pending update<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Rent<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

1. Is it worth to rent a car in Russia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For those tourists who are travelling exclusively to one of the two main Russian cities<\/strong> (Moscow and St. Petersburg), it\u2019s not really worth it to rent a car, as the public transport system of these cities is very efficient and economical. In addition, in Moscow, the traffic is very dense and large traffic jams are very common, so the best way to get around is by using the Metro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also don\u2019t think that\u2019s it worth to rent a car to get from Moscow to St. Petersburg (or vice versa)<\/strong>, as the drive is very long, the state of the roads not very good and there is a good alternative, such as the train, which is a lot faster and more comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, if you are going to travel to some area where there is not a good public transport system<\/strong> or if you want to take a tour to visit several cities, such as the Golden Ring around Moscow, or cities that are nearby St. Petersburg, then it may be worth to rent a car for a few days, as it will give you much more freedom and comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Russian<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

2. Driving in Russia: what to watch for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Russians have the reputation of driving terribly<\/strong> and the truth is that there are many rude drivers that don\u2019t respect the basic rules. Obviously not everyone is bad, but the percentage of bad drivers is higher than what you can find in other countries. In any case, if you are used to driving in large cities and you\u2019re used to their hassles, then it won\u2019t be a problem for you to do so for Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you get away from the big cities, the state of the roads<\/strong> deteriorates significantly, so you have to drive with caution. It should also be noted that most signs and indications on the roads are in Cyrillic alphabet<\/strong>, so I strongly advise you to learn the alphabet to understand the indications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, it\u2019s essential that you carry a GPS<\/strong> and print the name of the cities<\/strong> to which you are going to travel in Cyrillic alphabet<\/strong>, in order to recognize their names in the signs. There are mobile apps like Yandex Maps<\/a> that allow you to monitor traffic on Russian highways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding traffic regulations<\/strong>, it should be noted that you must circulate on the right, speed limits are 60 km\/hour in urban areas and between 90 and 100 km\/h on roads and highways, it is mandatory to have your seat belt on, it is forbidden to use a mobile phone while driving, alcohol is totally prohibited (maximum permitted Blood Alcohol Level is 0.03%), etc. Keep in mind that there are enough police officers conducting road checks, whether it is speed controls via radar or using breathalyzer checks, but if you respect the rules you won\u2019t have any problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing about driving in Russia is that, as it\u2019s an oil producing country, gasoline is cheap<\/strong> (less than 40 rubles a liter). Gas stations are usually open from 6 in the morning until 10 at night, though large service stations in freeways are usually open 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Gasoline<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The most common types of gasoline you can find in Russia are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n