4x4's

[KARATEKA]

I am looking to rent a car when i am there but a 4x4 as i like 4x4s what things do i need to drive legal and how much do the rent for ??

[kermit123]

i rented a nice toyota veos when i first came here just licence and deposit. I havent seen a 4x4 but im sure for price you can get one .Wont to borrow my altera very good on fuel gaz/maybs

[KARATEKA]

just need a good one to get about now i know they don't have the DISCOVERY but just a nice big 4x4 with climb power to look about

[darren-b]

The place that I use in Bacolod has 4x4s - I think they have Mitsubishi Pajero, though maybe others.

Though I've never hired one, I just tend to go for a Mitsubishi Adventure or similar which are 2 wheel drive SUVs with reasonable ground clearance. Last time I was in Bacolod (18months ago) I think it worked out at about £20/day.

You need a International Driving Permit to drive legally in the Philippines, though the hire car company I used never asked to see it.

[kermit123]

i think you have 3 months to use your uk licence. I might be wrong but thats what police man said when he pulled me :( gaz/maybs

[PeterB]

You do not need an International Licence, but I understand that most hire companies will ask for one. The truth is that you can drive on your UK licence for up to three months after your most recent arrival in Phils.

Most vehicles here are of Japanese manufacture - I drive a Mitsubishi Pajero - other common 4x4s are Isuzu, Toyota etc.

However, I would strongly advise you not to attempt driving in Philippines until you have had some experience of being driven by someone familiar with the traffic here. Filipino drivers have none of the discipline that we are familiar with in UK. There is no right of way indicated at most junctions - you just push your way out to make other traffic stop! Very few vehicles have adequate lighting - but it seems that all vehicles have a working horn! Vehicles frequently will drive the wrong way up a dual carriageway etc...

Driving here is not for the faint-hearted. In fact, most Filipinos express surprise that I drive myself ... many foreigners employ a driver.

The only accident I've been involved in resulted in threats of shooting and physical fighting .. even in the police station, in front of several policemen (this was the occasion on which I forced a woman to the floor, using an armlock). All witnesses, traffic police and bystanders, assured me that the accident was the fault of the other driver ... only two people disagreed - the other driver and his female companion.

[darren-b]

both the RAC and the AA websites suggest you need to get a IDP to drive in the Philippines, though maybe they are incorrect. A IDP is hardly difficult to get anyway - only about five pounds at a post office.

[vbkelly]

you can use your UK licence for 6months after that you take a re-test for philippine driving lesson

[somebody]

I would get to Phill and consider if you still feel the urge to drive.

1. your be jetlagged and confused

2. the usuals of driving abroad (in general on the otherside of the road to us Brits) various rules and ways of doing things slightly different.

3. If you have a crash I doubt they will hit and run if they see a whitey. Get the cheque book handy as you may need it. However big tough or "get on well with people" etc. Any accident or arguement is in general best avoided.

Other example once the wife, two aunts and I were in a people carrier, the Wife and one Aunt went to copy some pages the other Aunt parked up the car she bumped into a guys moped at first when she poped out he was like no harm done, the mintue he or possibly his friend saw me all hell broke loose. Luckily the Phills i was with sorted the situation, with a quick few words and we legged it. Im sure others can tell you other accounts of events like this, once you been a few times and understand a little better whats going on maybe, but way to much to exciment for most on the first visit.

4 Your there i presume to meet someone for the first time, trying to navigate around unknown roads will lead to lost talking time due to tampo's and a constant source of arguments and stress. Id rather look at my mahal than the road and what not.

A driver and car costs very little (that or fuel and to offer to service a family members car) and you can sit back and watch the world go by and learn more about the country and your Mahal. Id rather have funny talking with the missus and family about seeing nice scenery and things that make us laugh than sitting there concentrating on the road.
With my fingers crossed that they dont see pesos signs when they see a metizo behind the wheel..

Its your choice but for a driving holiday i would not recomend your first visit to Phill especially if meeting a date..

[KARATEKA]

EASY lol, i have been driving since 14 years old was a driver in the Legion i done loads of driving in thailand now that was fun

[scott&ligaya]

Your driving competency is not the issue, it is the crazy locals who drive and also the trike riders and pedestrians who are the issue, particularly in the provinces, you just have to be very aware of all that is around you all the time. When we are in Palawan I usually drive our Pajero but there are times I ask our care taker to drive just because I don't want the stress. Even the police and the local KA AK(sort of neighbourhood community police) have dodgy cars with crap lights, no brake lights, and do not obey what road rules they have in Puerto Princessa. All the expats here just keep a couple of thousand pesos in the glove box for when we bump a trike, kill a dog, or run over the foot of a pedestrian who just walks up the blind spot at junctions etc, etc. It does help that my wife and the chief of Police are from the same village and know each others families!!!!. if you want to drive good luck and keep the pesos handy

[somebody]

Your driving competency is not the issue, it is the crazy locals who drive and also the trike riders and pedestrians who are the issue, particularly in the provinces, you just have to be very aware of all that is around you all the time. When we are in Palawan I usually drive our Pajero but there are times I ask our care taker to drive just because I don't want the stress. Even the police and the local KA AK(sort of neighbourhood community police) have dodgy cars with crap lights, no brake lights, and do not obey what road rules they have in Puerto Princessa. All the expats here just keep a couple of thousand pesos in the glove box for when we bump a trike, kill a dog, or run over the foot of a pedestrian who just walks up the blind spot at junctions etc, etc. It does help that my wife and the chief of Police are from the same village and know each others families!!!!. if you want to drive good luck and keep the pesos handy

Word

[cheesewiz]

i have a driving license here in UK i feel more safe driving here than my own country unfortunately. Like people said here you need extra money in your pocket everytime you're out with your vehicle in Phils. I have encountered similar prob as some members here with my father owner type jeepney (sorry, not like your pajeros) he hit something that cost me 10k pesos I must admit partly its our fault but bec the person involved is threathening us with his gun...I gave in for the sake of our life

thailand and phils are totally diff country and totally diff traffic rules...just be prepared and be brave.

[PeterB]

It did cross my mind that, if it was your lady friend who suggested hiring a car, she almost certainly meant 'van and driver'. I was similarly mistaken on my first visit. You can hire a vehicle and driver for about 2000 pesos a day.

Also, be aware that there are no decent road maps here, and street signs are not all that common. Some signs appear to have been erected by the locals who get fed up with being asked directions all the time.

I have been driving for almost 40 years and consider myself to be fairly competent, experienced, and enthusiastic. I have frequently driven both lhd and rhd vehicles on both left and right of the road. However, I wouldn't have felt confident driving here on my first visit.

Another thing to be aware of is that the majority of vehicles on the roads here are 'surplus'. This generally means that they have been built from imported parts of many different vehicles. Unless you can find a really top class vehicle hire company, I suspect that the vehicle you hire will have been 'surplus'.

If you decide to drive here, I hope that you're a really quick learner! Such things as giving way to pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing will cause chaos - the pedestrians will be as shocked as the other drivers. Roundabouts are treated no different to any other junction - you just edge forward until you can create a gap in the traffic.

They use the american system here, where you may turn right on a red light ... most of the time - it's not always obvious when you aren't allowed to.

At many traffic light junctions you will see a 'Left turn - yield on green' sign. There is obviously a language problem here because, when I've tried turning left, the traffic police have become rather excited. It is clear that no local will turn left without having a filter arrow in his favour, regardless of the 'yield on green' sign.

It's not too bad here in Tagum and Davao, but in many areas (Metro Manila, for instance) the traffic police will detain a foreigner for no reason, and will keep talking until you hand over some cash. As soon as you do that, you will get a friendly smile and be waved on your way.

I've received one penalty notice for 'ignoring a no entry sign'. In fact, I drove part way up the street to visit the atm. As I left the bank, I turned round and went back the way I had come. Now, this street is always a two way street, except for certain hours on a Sunday. The only indication of the one-way being in force is that a temporary 'no entry' sign is place in the middle of the road at the far end. However, it was no use arguing with the police - the fact that I didn't go to the far end of the street and pass the no entry sign was immaterial as far as he was concerned. My licence (sorry, license - it's a filipino one) was confiscated, and I had to collect it (on payment of the penalty) from the police office the next day.