Driving in Jordan. Everything you need to know for a safe trip

Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by

Want to drive in Jordan but don’t know where to start? You are in the right place! In this guide you will find some useful tips for driving in Jordan, learn what you need to know before your adventure and know more about our experience with the Jordanian streets.

Want to know more about our 7 days itinerary to Jordan? Read here!

Some people I know, told me we were crazy driving in Jordan but from one that comes from Sicily, driving in Amman felt no different than driving in Catania. Large and busy streets full of undisciplined drivers. Cities in Jordan are bustling with cars and people crossing at every corner. This requires plenty of quick reflexes and a bit of patience. However, when you get out the urban areas into the Desert highways or the Dead Sea route, the scenery looks wonderful and you’ll barely see any other car.

Taking those beautifully isolated streets, reminded me a bit of our driving in Iceland but with a more desert landscape.

What do you need for driving in Jordan?

Per law, you’ll need an international driving licence to drive in Jordan ( if you leave in the UK, you can simply request this as “1949” permit at the Post Office). In practice, no one will ask you about it (even at the check points). We did one before departure and it was pretty useless. At the car rental they asked only for our passports and driving licence.

Car documents

A separate, important, issue for driving in Jordan are the car documents. These will came with your rental and include a Certificate of Road-worthiness. A small white card similar to a driving licence that will always be asked at the police check-ins. Usually, you can find this in the glove compartment on the passenger side of the car.

Age restrictions

You should be over 25 years old to drive in Jordan.

Side of the road

In Jordan you will drive on the right side of the road.

Road Signals

In Jordan there are 2 types of road signals. The ones written in Arab and the ones written both in Arab and English. The signals in Arab (unless they are accompanied by an understandable international symbol for drivers) are not of your competence. They are most for local drivers and of no interest for tourists.

The signals in English and Arab are those you need to pay attention while driving. These are generally indications for main attractions and directions, signal for safety or indications for when you’ll see a police check-point.

Driving in Jordan. Is dangerous?

Driving in Jordan is generally safe (e.g. not much risk of meeting criminals along the road). However, road tripping comes with some unexpected “dangers” that it’s better to know in advance.

Check your car

You need to check the condition of your car carefully. Do this in the most serious and thoughtfully way as possible. For more details about this, see the paragraph below Renting a car in Jordan.

Police Check-points

Pay attention to the Police check points and stop if asked. These are located mostly near the Dead Sea, Aqaba and Petra and you must slow down and stop if someone is waving at you. In some check-points you need also to let them inspect your car (we’ve been inspected in Aqaba). So, be patient and let them do their job. Check-points in Jordan are not as inquisitive as in Egypt. However, is always better to have all the documentation ready in case the police ask for it.

Some car inspections are made also by the security at the big resorts.

We were advised to not drive late night (not sure why). I have to say, we’ve been around late in Amman (with the taxi) and the situation looked pretty safe for drivers in general. However, I would still take the advice and won’t venture out into the desert roads after sunset.

Potholes and speed-bumps

Watch out for the potholes. Particularly in Petra and in the King’s Highway. Roads are not well-maintained and it’s easy than you think to get a flat tyre. Moreover, look for the speed bumps. These are not always signalled on the road and they are annoyingly in every single street you’ll drive. We almost broke out our car with an unnoticed speed bump, so keep your eyes wide open.

Warm temperatures make the not signalled speed bumps almost invisible when driving. So, just for precaution, don’t drive too fast in streets where you previously found speed bumps.

Tips for Driving in Jordan -Renting a car in Jordan

Renting a car in Jordan is a painful topic as we personally had a bad experience, but I’ll try to keep this as objective as possible. Being one of the most reliable way to explore the country for tourists, renting a car is quite a straightforward process. 99% of the time you can book a car directly online from home before going to Jordan. I would advice to book this as soon as you know your arrival and departure days because rates (especially during peak period) go up very quickly.

Rental car rates

Most of the rates you’ll see online will be in JD or USD dollars. These vary between 30 and 50 USD per day, depending on the period but it is possible to find also lower prices if a good bundle is done with your flight. We paid a total of JD 213 ( 253 GBP circa) for 7 days. However, this price is considered for a car rented in low season. It is likely that prices will be much higher in peak periods like November or March-May.

What is the best rental car in Jordan?

There are 2 different types of rental cars. International rental cars (big names like EuropeCar, Sixt, Avis etc) and local rental cars with unlikely names (e.g. SurPrice). Our first big mistake was thinking that big names meant better quality. Well, it’s not the case. Indeed, it’s actually the exact contrary as most of those big names try to scam tourists with old cars and pumped prices. Lesson n.1 learned.

Our second mistake, was thinking that the free “upgrade” corresponded to a better quality car. Also here, it wasn’t the case, as the car they gave us didn’t look better than the one we rented originally.

What type of car should I rent for driving in Jordan?

I would say that, if well maintained and good conditions for long drives, any car would be OK for driving in Jordan (unless you plan to hit rocky, desert roads). However, while driving around, we noticed mainly 2 things:

First, most cars in Jordan are old. This includes the one used for rental cars. None of the cars we saw at the airport for rental had less than 5-10 years old. Our first car didn’t even have a USB socket or electric windscreens! Second, many western car brands are not available in Jordan. Not sure why but a good 90% of the cars we saw around were Dacia Duster or Chevrolet.

Knowing what I know now from our experience with rental cars in Jordan, I would probably rent a Dacia Duster. You don’t need a 4×4 for driving in Jordan (these are mostly used by the Bedouins in the desert). BUT knowing what type of cars they have available the Dacia Dusters looked a bit newer and more appropriated for long-distance road tripping in not-always paved roads.

Should I buy a full cover insurance for driving in Jordan?

Yes yes yes! Buy always a full-cover insurance because you never know what could happen and road conditions are not the best you can find. When you will read more about our experience below, you will be 100% sure that what you need is a full-cover insurance.

Pump Stations

Pump stations is not something you should worry much about. They have pump stations almost everywhere. Even in the most remote areas. The only place we didn’t see as many pump station was the King’s Highway (part of it) just before arriving into Petra. There is a long drive through the mountains where is not possible to locate a pump station. So, just in case, before venturing into long drives is better to fill up the car. Most petrol stations you will see in Jordan are the “Jo Petrol”. These serves in all the areas near Amman, Petra and the Dead Sea.

Around Amman city centre, Wadi Rum and Aqaba we saw also some Manaseer Petrol that are a bit newer and better serviced than Jo Petrol.

Petrol is a bit cheaper than Europe but not the cheapest you can find. Although it’s still a good price if you compare it to the London prices.

Tips for driving in Jordan. Are there service stations in Jordan?

Service stations can be found all around Jordan. Some of them belong to the petrol station, some others are simple mini markets on the road with toilets that can be used by drivers. As I said before the Manaseer Petrol stations are the better serviced and most of them have newer services where to stop for food or a trip to the loo. Some Jo Petrol have these as well but not all of them you’ll find on the road.

We stopped along the way in one mini market that had some toilets in between Aqaba and Madaba and it wasn’t too bad. We also had a chat with the owner who was so happy to see tourists that he showed us the photos of his trip to the Pyramids in Egypt.

Our bad experience with Sixt

We rented a car with Sixt thinking that it would be reliable in Jordan. Big mistake. The guy at the counter seemed nice with all his “welcome to Jordan we are giving you a free upgrade” but it was just facade. The car we originally booked was a Citroen C3 with gears. The “free upgrade” consisted of a 90′ Chevrolet without mirrors and automatic. Apparently, even after asking an explanation, it was the only car they had available. Suspiciously, the guy told us the tank was only a half filled so we needed to return it the same way. We initially didn’t pay attention to this detail but it was REALLY important.

Misadventure n.1

Unable to change car, we drove straight to Jerash and we strangely noted the carpets of the car were wet. Did they wash them? I asked Alessio. Who knew. Returning in Amman, we left the car parked for 2 consecutive days because we preferred going around walking or by Uber. When it was time to drive towards the Dead Sea, Alessio thought it was good to fill the tank. Here came the drama. While filling the car, the guy at the pump station said he was having problem filling the tank.

So, at one point he called Alessio out of the car in a very alarmed way. He started saying “Sir, look under the car!!”. There was a lake of fuel going out from somewhere under the car. The guy started panicking and shouting “BOOM, BOOM!!!”. We immediately understood the situation could turn very dangerous as the “half filled tank” wasn’t like that for a case. The tank had a hole and we were spilling fuel around the roads with 38°. Basically, we were very lucky we didn’t explode somewhere between Jerash and Amman. The guy offered us to call the car rental to explain the situation and request another car. We needed to wait 2 hours at the pump station before someone came to change our car.

Misadventure n. 2

Two days after our first misadventure, our plan was to drive from the Dead Sea to Petra, in time for Petra by Night. A long way that was smooth enough except for a few speed bumps, one of which almost made us fly out of the car (it was not signalled and almost invisible). Arrived in Petra safe and sound we had a lovely dinner at our hotel and went straight to Petra by Night.

Everything looked finally going well but when we were parking the car in front of the hotel we hear a loud sound. Was it our car??? I jumped out of the car and a strange sound was coming out from one of the wheels. We had a flat tyre. It was the middle of the night, so any possibility of fix this was impossible. As well as our plan to visit Petra in the early morning the day after.

The day after, Mr Mohamed, who worked at the Infinity Lodge hotel, helped us to fix temporarily the tyre and brought us to a tyre repairing. The guy at the workshop told us the tyre was so old that even a very small stone could break it and we were lucky this happened in Wadi Musa and not in one of the desert roads. He also added that, with a local rental company this wouldn’t happen, but this happen often with big rental names. I was honestly so shocked I didn’t know how to reply. Luckily our spare wheel was in a better condition that the one mounted on the car so we switched the two.

Best roads to drive in Jordan

Jordan has certainly no shortage of great roads to drive. Places where the surrounding landscape it’s so beautiful that you have to stop every few kilometres for taking pictures! Here below you will find a selection of the best roads you can drive in Jordan.

The Dead Sea Highway

The Dead Sea Highway (famous also as Dead Sea Road or Jordan Valley Highway) is probably one of the most unique roads to drive in Jordan. Passing along the rocky coast of the Dead Sea it happens to be one of the lowest roads on Earth were you will ever drive. The view on the turquoise waters of the Dead Sea are unbeatable and you will probably find yourself dreaming of floating among the white crystals emerging from the shores.

The road conditions of the Dead Sea Highway are pretty good. Most of the route is smooth with not big problems for driving. You may find some signalled speed bumps.

Attractions on the Dead Sea Highway

The Dead Sea Highway (on google map can be found as Highway 65) is a pretty long road that goes from Mughatyir to Aqaba. Therefore, you can find many attractions along the way. These include the Ruins of Tabquet Fahel, the Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve, a few free access points to the Dead Sea and Aqaba.

King’s Highway

The King’s Highway is one of the oldest historical routes of Jordan dating back to more than 5,000 years ago. Part of it belonged to the Transjordan trade route running from Egypt to Syria. It was crossed by then Nabateans, Romans and later by Pilgrims going to Mecca.

The modern version of the King’s Highway is famous as Highway 35 and goes from Irbid to Aqaba. The Highway is famous for its breathtaking landscapes across the mountains and deserts of Jordan. Nevertheless, the route doesn’t cross only the mountains. Indeed, it goes also through small villages and farm areas.

The conditions of the road on the King’s Highway vary depending on the section of the road. The inner part when you pass literally through the mountains, is in good conditions. However, parts of the road, particularly close to the villages or the farm areas are unpaved with potholes and not signalled speed bumps.

Attractions on the King’s Highway

The road is an attraction by itself for its incredible view points. However, if you search for some places to visit along the way, the best are the Crusader castles of Karak and Shobak, Wadi Musa and, of course, Petra. We driven the King’s Highway on our way to Petra and we were stunned about the incredible landscape.

Desert Highway

The Desert Highway (also named as Highway 15), starts in Aqaba and goes towards Ma’an in the north of Jordan. We drove only the part between Aqaba, Wadi Rum and Madaba, so can’t say about the northern part. However, the part we drove was better maintained than the King’s Highway and Dead Sea Highway. Most of the route pass through by the beautiful mountainous landscape typical of Jordan. When you arrive close towards to Wadi Rum, you will see the red mountains and sand of the desert appearing in the background looking stunning from the window of the car!

You will find many petrol and service station on this road and we noticed also that is quite a popular spot fro buying watermelons. Not joking! There are people selling watermelons every 2 meters or so.

Driving in the Jordanian cities

Before going to Jordan, I’ve heard mad things about driving in the Jordanian cities, particularly Amman. We were preparing for the worse but it wasn’t actually that bad. This doesn’t mean that it’s easy to drive into the cities of Jordan but our “driving training” in Sicily when we grew up made us a bit more prepared to deal with indisciplinated drivers.

Driving in Jerash

Driving in Jerash wasn’t that bad. This because the Archaeological park is located almost out of the main urban area so it’s likely that you won’t drive any massively crowded street.

Pay attention to the cars parked in double or triple lane and motorists that like to pass you from both sides.

Driving in Amman

We don’t recommend driving in Amman to inexperienced drivers and to people who at least once had driven in Southern Italy. Amman is a very busy city at any time of the day. The external residential areas are easier to drive as they have large boulevards and clear directions.

However, when you venture in the older part of the city, closer to the Roman Theatre. Driving becomes a nightmare. It actually reminded me the street of Jaipur in front of the Hawa Mahal for the level of chaos and loudness.

We driven in Amman only a couple of times but for venturing inside the city and for the sake of our car, we decided that it was better (even for us!) to use Uber.

Driving in Wadi Musa

Driving in Wadi Musa felt like a breeze compared to Amman! The city is lovely and definitely less busy than the capital. Nevertheless, being located on a mountainous valley there are a lot of VERY STEEP roads that didn’t get on well with our automatic car (that’s why we wanted to drive a manual one!).

Parking in Wadi Musa can be a little tricky. Particularly in Tourism St. Indeed, this is the road that leads to the Petra Visitor Centre and guess what? It’s forbidden to park here. Don’t be temped only because you see other cars parked (they are probably of the shop owners on the street). We saw the police taking fines to tourists!

If you want to park nearby and for free, just beside the Petra Visitor Centre there is a free parking. However, please note the parking is unpaved so be careful of the stones (especially if the car looks old).

Driving in Aqaba

Driving in Aqaba is an hybrid between Amman and Jerash. The city is pretty busy but most of the roads are modern and we had a better driving experience than Jerash. The city is however very busy with long queues at the traffic lights and people crossing at any point.

Driving in Madaba

Driving in Madaba is not the best. Being the city quite old, most of the streets are small, with lots of speed bumps and nonexistent drivers discipline. While going at the airport, we almost got hit by a vehicle which didn’t stop at his stop signal while we were in the middle of the road. Luckily my husband had super quick reflexes but our holiday could end up very bad!

The best thing to do in Madaba is find a parking space and go around walking (as we did) even for a bit longer distances.

Plan your trip to Jordan

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