What does it cost to rent a car in China?
About 385 EUR / 440 USD for ten days and 1,000 km in a standard sedan, including insurance, tolls and fuel. The figures behind that number, and what changes it.
A standard sedan for ten days and 1,000 km costs about 385 EUR / 440 USD in total: rental, insurance, tolls and fuel. That is around 38 EUR / 44 USD a day for everything to do with the car. Here is where the number comes from, and what makes it higher or lower.
Prices are for 2026, outside the holiday weeks. We convert with the European Central Bank reference rates of 18 September 2026: ¥1 = 0.130 EUR = 0.149 USD, so 1 USD = 0.87 EUR. USD figures come from the yuan price, EUR figures from the USD figure, and every figure is rounded.
The worked example: 10 days, 1,000 km, standard sedan, standard insurance
| Item | How it adds up | EUR | USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental | 17.50 EUR / 20 USD a day × 10 days | 175 | 200 |
| Insurance and services | 8.70 EUR / 10 USD a day × 10 days | 87 | 100 |
| Tolls | 0.06 EUR / 0.07 USD × 1,000 km | 61 | 70 |
| Fuel | 7 litres per 100 km × 1,000 km = 70 litres, about 0.90 EUR / 1 USD a litre | 61 | 70 |
| Total | about 385 | about 440 |
An electric car on the same route brings the fuel line down to about 17 EUR / 20 USD, so roughly 330 to 350 EUR / 380 to 400 USD in total.
The four costs, one by one
Car rental: 13 to 44 EUR / 15 to 50 USD a day for a sedan
Prices move with three things:
- Season. The holiday weeks (Chinese New Year, early May, early October) push rates up a lot. Summer in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia is also high season.
- City. Big cities and airports are usually cheaper than a small pick-up point in the remote town.
- Car class. A compact or mid-size sedan is the cheapest and is fine for the expressways. For Xinjiang, Qinghai and the plateau roads we book an SUV, which costs more. Automatic is standard.
Insurance and services: 7 to 13 EUR / 8 to 15 USD a day
Every rental car carries the compulsory third-party cover the law requires. The rental company then sells its own packages, and this is where the excess and the deposit are decided. The basic full-damage waiver package costs a few euros or dollars more per day and removes the excess for damage to the car in most cases. We take it.
Tolls: about ¥0.5 per km, or 6 EUR / 7 USD per 100 km
Expressways are tolled by distance, about ¥0.5 per km for a car. Mountain sections and long bridges cost a little more, the west a little less. A 300 km day on the expressway is about ¥150, or 19 EUR / 22 USD. Most scenic roads, including the Duku Highway and the mountain roads of Yunnan, are free. Many of our days use those, so the real toll spend is often below the estimate.
Fuel: about ¥7 a litre, or 0.90 EUR / 1 USD
92-octane petrol was around ¥7 to ¥8 a litre in 2026. A sedan uses about 7 litres per 100 km on the expressway, more in the mountains and in city traffic. Electricity at public chargers costs ¥1 to ¥2 per kWh with the service fee, so about ¥20 to ¥30 per 100 km against ¥50 to ¥60 for petrol.
A gas station in Shaoxing city, Zhejiang province
What is not in the 385 EUR / 440 USD
- The deposit. A hold on your card through Alipay or WeChat Pay at pick-up, released after the car is returned. The hold covers traffic fines and is released about 30 days after return. It is not a cost unless you damage the car or get a fine.
- Parking. City car parks usually charge ¥5 to ¥10 an hour, about 1 EUR / 1 USD, and more in big cities like Shanghai. Hotel's own parking site is usually free.
- One-way rentals. Possible between branches of the same company, for a small fee that grows with the distance. Most of our routes are loops, so the car goes back where it came from.
- Fines. A camera fine is charged to your deposit by the rental company, plus a handling fee. The usual amount starts from ¥200, about 26 EUR / 30 USD. Serious speeding can result in fines up to ¥2,000.
A typical unstaffed car park entrance, where the barrier reads your licence plate and lifts automatically.
Questions we get asked
Is it cheaper to rent from a small local company?
A little. The cars are older, the insurance is thinner, and the staff have often never seen a temporary driving permit. A dispute at a small shop happens in Chinese, with nobody to call. The big chains cost a little more per day and remove all of that.
Do I pay tolls in cash?
With an ETC device in the car, the toll gates open by themselves and the tolls go on the rental bill. Without one, you take the manual lane and pay with Alipay, WeChat Pay or cash. Ask for an ETC car when you book.
Is an electric car cheaper?
To run, yes: about a third of the fuel cost. It is the right choice for Yunnan, Guizhou and the east, where chargers are everywhere. For Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and the Silk Road we still book petrol, because the gaps between chargers are long.
Why is the car not included in a Dragon Roads trip price?
The rental company requires the booking in the driver's own name, so the contract is between you and them. That also keeps the cost down: you pay the rental company's price, with no margin on top.
Next step
The booking itself, the app and pick-up day: How to rent a car in China.
Where we can help
If you book with us, we'll walk you through setting up the rental app: installing the English app, creating your account, and finding the right pickup and drop-off locations and times based on your itinerary, for the best convenience and efficiency. Then we'll support you all the way, from booking the car you want on the platform to returning the key at the end of your trip.
