Blog, France, Reunion Island | 15 April 2025 | 5 MIN READ
Renting a Car in France (Reunion Island)
2 days ago
I’ll keep it short. The best way to travel the beautiful island of Reunion is by car.
With a car, you will be able to visit the smallest cities, experience the winding roads through La Place des Palmistes or on the way to Cilaos.
And—it’s the only way you will be able to experience and drive through the lunar landscape—essentially a volcanic desert—on the Plaine des Sables.
Deets
The car rental center at Roland Garros Airport (the airport you will be arriving at) is a brief several-minute walk away. In reality, I wish it were a lot closer, like the rental car center at the Mauritius airport.
You will find your usual car rental agencies from mainland Europe ranging from SIXT, Europcar, Avis, to Hertz/Thrifty. There’s also Rent a Car Reunion and Jumbo Car.
Note: When booking online, the city where the airport is actually located is Sainte-Marie. So don’t be confused when you see that when booking; other car rental agencies will say “Saint Denis Airport” or “Roland Garros Airport.”
I chose (as I do most of the time) Hertz as a car rental agency since I can usually get a car rental upgrade due to status, and I get Delta miles credit to my SkyMiles account that I can later use for travel.
The downside is that sometimes it can cost more than other rental agencies. For instance, the total with Hertz was €157.88 EUR ($167.24 USD) for a Renault Twingo vs. €80 EUR ($84.75 USD) with Jumbo Car for the same time period.
However, once you start to add different add-ons, even “Free Cancellation” that are default with Hertz, the cost comes out the same or more. And as an American traveler—it’s a lot easier to negotiate with a U.S. company or even an EU company versus regional and local ones when issues arise.
As always, I recommend using an American Express, preferably a Platinum card, to pay for the car rental. That way, you can easily dispute charges if they occur, and AmEx offers comprehensive car insurance for the entirety of the trip at $24.95 USD (€23.54 EUR).
Gear Used
Picking the Car
As an American driver—Reunion, like France and much of Europe, drives on the right side. Mauritius drives on the left side (like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand).
Why does that matter? In Reunion, unlike Mauritius, you will be driving on winding roads. You want to make sure you have a car that you’re comfortable driving. On top of that, most cars come in manual transmission or “standard.” That means that you should be relatively comfortable with a stick shift.
You can, of course, select an automatic transmission vehicle in some cases, but that will result in a higher cost. That was definitely the case in the Azores Islands—where renting an automatic was $1,000 USD (€942.70 EUR) more than just getting a manual.
As a car person, I love trying out and driving vehicles that we don’t get in the States. I would prefer to have a true driver’s car—maybe a Mazda RX8, Mazda Miata, or Ford Fiesta ST. I should have said affordable driver’s car.
In France, you have a list of car companies we don’t get—Renault, Citroen, and my favorite, Peugeot.
But I read all over the internet about the tiny and windy roads on Reunion Island. So, I thought about having a tiny vehicle that was capable of whipping through the mountains and small enough to fit in tiny spaces.
Enter the Renault Twingo. When I was younger, studying in Paris, I hated the Twingo. I thought it was a ridiculous car every time I walked by one on the way to school, even if I thought it looked cute.
Fast forward 20+ years later, I’m staring at a mustard “moutarde” yellow Renault Twingo III that’s redesigned and quite honestly looks quite lovely. I wish it were the Renault Twingo GT with a little more oomph. But, unfortunately, this rear-engine, 5-door hatchback that’s basically a poor man’s Porsche 911 came with a whopping 69-hp and 67 lb-ft of torque.
You may think that might be okay for a city car. Which it is. But—when you’re merging and winding up the roads of Reunion—sometimes first gear is a chore, and you’re like, “c’mon, c’mon, c’mon!!!” And your foot is floored!
Sometimes it can be the case that people think you’re purposely holding up traffic or being “that guy” or “that tourist,” when in reality, you’re just trying to get up the hill.
However, the car made for an excellent background with the Reunion scenery and all in all was a very, very fun drive. I felt more in control and more at ease when shifting than with the Suzuki S-Presso in Mauritius, but the Suzuki definitely had better real-world gas mileage.
Across 3 days of driving on Reunion, I spent €31.57 EUR ($33.46 USD) (compare this to driving 5 days in Mauritius spending 1,399.03 Rs MUR ($31.77 USD, €29.94 EUR)).
Note: When you’re traveling with your checked luggage in your vehicle, you should not have any problems. And if you have an Apple AirTag in one of your luggages, you can keep track of the position of your car and your luggage.
Car Hire Mauritius
Tips, Tricks, and Logistics
- Location Confusion: The airport rental car center is in Sainte-Marie, not Saint Denis. Don’t get confused when booking.
- Right-Side Driving: Like mainland France, Reunion drives on the right side. This is important for American drivers unfamiliar with left-side driving (like in Mauritius).
- Manual vs. Automatic: Most cars are manual, so be prepared to drive standard transmission. Automatic cars cost more and can significantly increase rental fees.
- Insurance: Pay with an American Express Platinum card to access car rental insurance and to make disputing charges easier.
- Local Road Safety: Roads can be narrow and challenging in Reunion, so driving may take extra focus. Be aware of local traffic and drive conservatively.
