Rent a Car in Mauritius

The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is in the south-east, near Mahebourg, far from most resorts in the north and west. Collect your rental Mauritius car at the airport to drive straight to your hotel, or at your resort if you want to settle in first and need it only for occasional trips.

Mauritius drives on the left. Roundabouts are common around Port Louis and Curepipe. Vehicles already on the roundabout have priority. Signal right before your exit.

An automatic gearbox is one less thing to manage for anyone new to left-hand traffic. The offer card shows the gearbox of each car.

Speed cameras and mobile police checks are in use. If a fine is issued for your rental car, the rental company passes it on to you using the contact details you gave when you rented.

Some local companies make a point of taking no hold on your card at all, while others follow the usual practice and block an amount until the car comes back. Both appear in the results, and the offer card states which one you are looking at. Where a deposit does apply, the hold can sit on your account for a good while after the return, which matters if the same card has to carry the rest of the holiday. Free cancellation and when the payment is taken are both shown on the offer.

Insurance cover levels differ by supplier and by vehicle category, and so does the excess you would be left with after a claim. The excess amount is not something the listing shows, so put the question to the supplier while you are still booking. Exclusions follow a familiar pattern: driving under the influence, using the car for anything the terms call prohibited, or reporting damage late can each put a claim outside the cover entirely, however comprehensive the policy looked at booking.

Only the drivers written into the rental agreement may take the wheel, and that includes the partner who was going to do the second half of the airport run. You add anyone else through the supplier, who checks the extra licence the same way, and some companies charge for doing it. Sorting this at booking costs a few minutes; discovering it after an incident costs the cover.

Unlimited mileage is close to standard on Mauritian listings, and the allowance appears on the card either way. Considering fuel: most rentals run full-to-full, where you take the car away full and hand it back full. If you return it with less fuel, refuelling charges may apply.