How to Lease a Car in Hong Kong

While Hong Kong is very easy to get to, and widely accessible with its extensive public transportation networks, there may be times that you need to lease a car for various needs and functions. These may include individual rentals, business rentals, and cross-border rentals.

To rent a car individually, you must be 25 years old and above, and have a valid license of over 2 years that is accepted by Hong Kong. Only short-term visitors with a visitor visa in Hong Kong can drive with their overseas passport and international driving license.

Others are expected to rent with a Hong Kong Identification Card (HKID) and a valid Hong Kong driving license. The same goes for any additional driver.

Once you have your documents ready, present them and complete the forms at a car rental office.

Generally, car rental rates vary depending on your duration of lease, car model, and special requirements, such as baby seats, 7-seaters, etc.

Here are some rental companies that offer diverse and flexible packages for your needs:

Individual Rentals

Carshare.hk: If you are looking for immediate, short-term, and economic car rentals, Carshare.hk may be the ideal solution for your needs. Similar to Airbnb for cars, simply download the Carshare App onto your smartphone and sign up for an account to view the cars available for rent.

You can streamline your options by price range, number of seats, and additional features, such as bike racks and baby seats, and browse for further details on your desired model’s profile pages. Afterwards, select your pickup and rental time, and message the car owner to confirm.

All vehicles are examined before rental and are covered by DirectAsia’s insurance policy, and the insurance charges will be included in the total of your rental. Payment for fuel and 70% of the rental price by cheque will be requested on the website every second week of the month.

This is an innovative and ideal solution for last minute, hourly, and day rentals at reasonable rate, but it is presumed that you have a valid driver’s license or equivalent in Hong Kong.

AVIS: AVIS offers a diverse range of services for local and international rentals in Hong Kong and cross-country. Payments are based on every 20 days for individual rentals, depending on your rented car model, and the same rates apply to longer annual packages as well.

All rates under annual packages include registration and license fees, insurance, maintenance, and a replacement car. Advanced booking online is recommended due to the availability of models.

However, rates do not include fuel charges, parking charges, or traffic penalties. If you rent with AVIS, you and/or additional drivers will be asked to sign an AVIS standard agreement with proof of your identification.

With AVIS, records are kept to show a balance of unused days, and there are often promotions. Surcharges apply to rentals on public holidays, and vehicles must be picked up and returned within normal hours. AVIS also offers chauffeur services and point-to-point rental services.

Dah Chong Hong Motor Leasing (DCH): Like AVIS, DCH offers a variety of self-rental services, with long-term and short-term services available. Depending on the class of vehicle that you would like to lease, DCH offers flexible rental packages, including weekends only, daily, weekend, and monthly packages at competitive rates for their short-term services.

All rentals include registration and license fees, with regularly repairs, maintenance, and free cleaning and replacement throughout your rental, as well as pick up and drop off services. DCH also offers limousine, transfers, and hourly on-hire services. Simply prepare your documents and email DCH.

Hertz: Hertz also has competitive long-term and short-term leasing packages for Sedans, MPVs (7-seaters), and SUVs at daily, weekend, weekly, and monthly rates. Each rental includes insurance, annual license fee, first registration tax, maintenance services, and replacement services.

Self-drive and pick up services are available, and with each rental, there are benefits from Frequent Flyer programs, fuel discounts up to HKD $1 per minute, and free Hertz Gold club membership.

Chauffeur services, airport and cross border pick ups and drop offs, and business rentals are also available.

While the companies mentioned above provide an array of rental services, you may want to drive on a specific type of model, such as Toyota. Toyoto offers short-term rentals for its eco-friendly, MPV, sports cars, and luxury cars under Crown Motors, and Audi has its monthly rental programme.

Business Rentals

If you are renting for business purposes, such as airport pick up and drop off or a tour of business sites, then renting vehicles with chauffeurs may be a more ideal option.

Aside from AVIS, DCH, and Hertz, Crown Motors offers short and long-term leasing of Toyota, Lexus, and Daihatsu vehicles, with specially designed models for elderly and people with disabilities. Audi also has a fleet programme for businesses.

In cases with a chauffeur, you do not need a Hong Kong driver’s license, but be sure to check the suitable models and communicate any specifications, e.g. English-speaking chauffeur or elderly, and confirm with the rental companies beforehand.

What if I/we would like to go to China?

Hong Kong is conveniently situated close to Shenzhen and Guangdong in China, as well as Macau, so it is definitely tempting to take your rented vehicle to these places. Nevertheless, because Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) in China and follows different laws, your rented vehicle will not be registered in China.

Thus, you may want to consider taking public transport, such as train or ferry to China borders, or to arrange chauffeur services that will provide vehicles with registered licenses and insurance coverage for individual and business needs when traveling to China.