Tools
Driving in Chile
The rules of the road as our desk recorded them, native unit first.
Right
50 / 100 / 120 km/h · 31 / 62 / 75 mph
urban / rural / motorway
Recommended · Geneva 1949
Rentals accept EU licences, but Carabineros at checkpoints expect the IDP with a non-Spanish licence - carry both, always with passport.
0.03% - and 0.08% is a criminal offence with jail exposure (Ley Emilia); checkpoints common
Santiago urban highways are free-flow electronic (TAG - confirm the rental includes it); intercity Ruta 5 has conventional cash/card plazas.
Low beams mandatory 24/7 on rural roads and highways; enforced.
Children under 9 need an appropriate child restraint and under-12s ride in the back; rentals stock seats with notice.
The Carretera Austral is the great drive - much of it gravel (ripio), so book a high-clearance car, carry two spares south of Coyhaique, and reserve the ferries (Hornopirén, Puerto Yungay) days ahead in season. Patagonian crosswinds genuinely move vehicles.