Jeju Road Trip: 5 Easy Tips You Need To Know For Jeju Car Rental
Want to visit hidden gems in Jeju Island without the constraint of public transport? Jeju car rental is the best thing to do if you want to experience a Jeju Island road trip at your own time and pace.
Personally, I rented a car every time I visited Jeju Island. It is a great way to venture out on your own outside of the usual tourist hot spots. As Jeju Island is small, it is also quite manageable for drivers who are not used to driving long distance. In fact, you can drive around the whole island in about 4 hours.
In this post, I will share some tips to get you started with renting a car for your Jeju Island road trip.
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1. Decide the type of car and rental company to book with
How much space do you need for passengers and baggage?
If you are going in a group of 5, you might need to book an SUV. As you might be driving from one accommodation to another, you will need enough space for all of your baggage to fit in the car. On the other hand, a small car will be perfect for 2 people.
Auto or manual transmission car for Jeju Island?
Most of the car rental options in Jeju Island are for automatic transmission cars. You will be able to see the type of transmission when you look at rental car listings.
Electric vehicle (EV), hybrid/petrol car for a Jeju Island trip?
One of the fun things about renting a car for your holiday is that you get to try out different types of cars. In our recent Jeju trip, we rented a Tesla Model 3. It is an electric vehicle and we were always curious about how the experience would be like. Moreover, Jeju Island is trying to do its part for the environment by encouraging people to drive electric vehicles.
There are some advantages of choosing an electric vehicle for your Jeju Island road trip.
- It can be cheaper to charge an electric vehicle than to refuel
- Charging stations are everywhere on the island
Nevertheless, you might want to choose a hybrid/petrol car for the following reasons.
- Cost of booking a hybrid/petrol rental car can be lower
- It might be tricky to use the charging stations for foreigners and those without charging cards
- More availability on rental car platforms
Our experience with renting a Tesla Model 3 in Jeju
We only had to charge our Tesla car once during our trip around Jeju Island. We drove around the coast from Jeju City to Seogwipo. By the time we reached Jungmun, our car battery was at around 35%.
There was a Tesla Supercharger beside Lotte Hotel which was unbelievably easy to use. However, do check with your car rental company if you are allowed to use Tesla Superchargers. This is because each car needs to be linked to a credit card in order for the recharging cost to be billed to the car owner.
The last I checked in October 2023, Lotte Rent-a-Car has a promotion in Jeju where foreigners get to charge rental EVs for free. They will provide charging cards which you can use during the rental period, and just return it together with the car at the end. In case the promotion ends, just check with the service representative if EV charging is available for free.
If you ask me, I think we might rent a hybrid/petrol car the next time we go to Jeju. We did not have too much driving distance in our itinerary (at most 2 hours per day) to benefit much from the cheaper charging cost. We paid S$80 (60 USD) per day for the Tesla rental and had a fun time driving nonetheless.
How old you need to be to drive in Jeju?
The minimum age is 21 years old and you will need at least 1 year since obtaining your driver’s license. This is likely due to insurance specifications. There might be a different price for drivers below 25, so just be sure to double check this when booking.
Best Jeju car rental companies and booking platforms
There are several reputable car rental companies in Jeju. We have always gone with Lotte Rent-a-Car for their customer service and ease of pick up/drop off. Alternatively, you can search on broader sites like Rentalcars.com and Klook. Most people will pick up their car after they arrive at Jeju Airport.
Make sure to check if collision damage waiver (CDW) coverage is included in the price, and indicate any add-ons you might need. Some companies offer free GPS devices, unlimited mileage, etc. With regards to snow chains, they are usually provided free of charge.
At the time of booking, make sure that you use a credit card that has the driver’s name on it. You will also need this card for verification when you pick up your card. Next, let’s prepare the required documents and get on with trip planning.
2. Prepare documents and plan your road trip
Don’t forget to prepare these items for your Jeju road trip:
- International driver’s license
- Original driver’s license from home country
- Credit card used for booking the car
If you are in Singapore, you can easily obtain an international driver’s license via this link. However, if you have stayed in Korea for more than 1 year, you are not eligible to rely on the international driver’s license.
Depending on the time of the year, processing and courier delivery time can go up to 10 working days. You may request for an expedited pickup through walk-in appointments. Do note that they will not be able to send your international driver’s license overseas.
When planning your itinerary, do give enough buffer to allow for a slow drive as the speed limit is usually around 50-80 km/h. It would be good to have a phone holder so that you can reference Naver Maps if the car does not come with a GPS. It also doesn’t hurt to have a good road trip playlist!
3. Rental car pick-up after arrival
Taking the shuttle bus from Jeju Airport to Rental Car Pick-up Point
Once you have arrived at Jeju Airport and cleared immigration, look for Exit 2 which is where most of the rental car booths are. There, you can get specific instructions on which shuttle bus to take in order to get to the rental car pick-up point. Take note to only take the bus that has the logo of the company you booked with.
When we rented from Lotte-Rent-A-Car, we received this instruction to head out via Gate 5 of Jeju Airport to parking area 1. When we visited in January, the shuttle buses were scheduled to run on a 10 to 15 minute interval from 6am to 10pm daily. This might change depending on the time of year.
Pick up and inspect your car
Once you get to the rental car pick-up point, you need to retrieve a queue number and wait to be served at the counter. You will need to present your international driver’s cicense, domestic driver’s license, passport, and credit card. Do check that everything from your booking matches with what will be provided before signing any agreements.
It is also a good practice to take pictures and videos of the car’s condition, especially if there are any existing scratches or defects. If you have chosen the like-for-like fuel policy, take a photo of the starting fuel level so that you can show that you have refuelled up to the initial tank level upon return.
4. Navigate Jeju Island with GPS or Naver Maps
As Jeju Island is not that big, it is easy to do a road trip without needed to refuel many times. There are gas stations all over the island and are usually shown in GPS maps. If you are driving an electric vehicle (EV), there are more and more charging stations being added all across the island as well. This makes it incredibly easy to refuel or charge your car through the day.
When it comes to navigating, Google Maps will not be useful for road trip planning in Jeju Island. Your best bet is to download the Naver Maps application, which is also available in English. You could even search for nearby restaurants or attractions and see reviews for each place.
If the location does not have an English name, you could either input the Korean name or use its telephone number in the GPS system. The car rental staff is usually able to show you how this can be done.
5. Tips for Driving in Jeju Island as a Foreigner
Lastly, read up a little on driving rules and etiquette to help you prepare for what to expect. The cars here are left hand drive (i.e. driving on the right side of the road), so it might take a while to get used to it.
Almost all the road signs are in English, making it an easy decision to embark on a road trip to Jeju. You may also turn right at the red lights, unless there is a turning arrow light indicating otherwise. There are many speed cameras as well, and your car GPS may inform you of it and prompt you to slow down.
All in all, it can be relaxing to drive outside the city as there is no pressure to drive quickly. Many people are here for holiday anyway.
Driving in Jeju during winter
Although Jeju’s winters are usually mild, there are sometimes periods of heavy snow. If you are planning a winter trip, do take note of the weather forecasts. You will be required to use the snow chains in the rental car when you are approaching icy roads especially near the mountainy parts.
On our previous trip to Mount Hallasan, a group of friendly Koreans helped us with putting on the snow chains. To be safe though, it’s better to watch some YouTube tutorials on how to do this.
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Janice
Janice, a California-based travel writer from Singapore, discovered her love for hiking and camping during her studies in Los Angeles. Through her blog, she now shares detailed itineraries for adventures in California, Asia, and beyond. She also talks about gear recommendations and tips for beginners, hoping to inspire them to explore the great outdoors with confidence.
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