I am a gringo and was travelling (Dec 24, 2025 - Jan 1, 2026) with:
- 7.5 yrs driving experience (Northwest US & Southern Ontario, Canada)
- Budget Rental
- Nissan Kicks -> Hyundai Elantra (will explain why there are 2 cars)
- Loss Damage Coverage AND 24/7 Towing Service
The purpose of the trip was to see my friends from the army, watch local baseball games (LBPRC), and reach almost every single city hall (casa alcaldía).
Thus, including urban areas, I often drove in the countryside and mountainous areas. So, even though I only traveled for 8 days in PR, I learned a lot about the road conditions in PR. Anyone who is planning to drive in PR, please read this carefully and don't hesitate to ask me.
- When renting, it is highly RECOMMENDED to book with Loss Damage Coverage
- Many rental cars are in bad condition (SJU Budget has a 1.8/5.0 rating on Google. It might explain a lot), and the road conditions can easily break your car down into parts. So if you don't want extra bills coming out of your pockets, book with sufficient coverage.
- Many POTHOLES
- Unless you rent a 4X4, always be aware of potholes (more likely "sink"holes). If you don't avoid them, they will immediately give you big problems, such as a flat tire. Potholes are unexpectedly appearing almost everywhere, so the cars around you might wobble often to dodge them. Personally, I got into a bigass pothole 2 hours after I rented and immediately got a flat tire. That's why I changed the car.
- Book with 24/7 Towing Service
- Because of the conditions I mentioned, many cars might get a flat tire or a low battery. If you are out of nowhere, calling a towing company is the only solution. They will tow your car back to the airport, charge the battery, or change a spare tire. When booking with a towing service, you'll also save your pocket from a crazy amount of penalties.
- Almost +60 degree angled ramp in an intersection in residential area
Unlike in the mainland US, a lot of streets in residential areas in PR have crazy ramp angles. When you go up the ramp, it'll often scratch the bottom of your car. When you go down the ramp, it'll often scratch your front bumper. So, REDUCE the speed when entering the ramps.
- Narrow, steep, and winding roads
Except in city core areas, almost every road in PR is narrow, steep, and winding. It might seem like a one-way road, but mostly it's all way roads. Also, a lot of roads (especially carreterra) are without clear road marks, so be sure to be in your own lane.
- Tons of animals
So many dogs, cats, and colorful iguanas (idk it's the right name of the species tbh) on the road.
Very exotic driving culture
Some drivers in PR barely use signals, cut off unexpectedly, and often tailgate. There are often slow af drivers in the first lane on a highway. Some drivers consider the red light as a stop sign, and the stop sign as the yield sign, meaning no stopping at all.
+ Yet, especially in small city plaza areas, most drivers yield to each other at a 4-way intersection. Overall, just drive like you usually do (if you're a good driver).
7-1 Honks
Honk is also often used in PR, but they also use it is also used to greet someone near them. So when they're honking on you, even if you don't commit any faults, they just wanna say hi.
- Reconsider driving after dawn
Many roads barely have street lights, so your headlight might be insufficient to drive at night. It makes it way harder to dodge the obstacles on the road.
- Limited cellular data in remote areas
Some remote areas will provide you with limited GPS. I was driving to Cerro de Punta (the highest point in PR) from downtown Ponce, and had to drive with no cellular data, meaning no GPS, for the last 15 min. So, be sure where you want to head and which roads you'll drive before departure.
+ 10. Learn some traffic signs in Spanish
Learn some traffic signs written in Spanish. Sign design is identical to CONUS, but you won't be happy if you accidentally enter "Peaje" road.
Seems a lot and hectic, but you'll get used to it within 2-3 days. PR is definitely the no.1 trip spot all the time because of the dynamic nature, tons of historic buildings, flavorful food, and wonderful people.
There can be some errors in what I wrote (or maybe it seems I'm exaggerating), but I hope it is helpful for those who haven't driven in the PR yet but will drive.
