Why We Only Rent Cars With a Driver
Every car we rent comes with a driver. It removes the security deposit and the licence check, it puts someone in the car who knows the route, and it means damage disputes do not happen. For intercity and northern travel it is also simply safer than driving unfamiliar roads yourself.
Updated 10 June 2026
What self-drive actually costs you
Self-drive rental in Pakistan comes with a security deposit, usually substantial, held against damage. It comes with a licence check and often a guarantor requirement. And it comes with an argument at the end about whether a scratch was there before.
None of that exists when the car comes with a driver. There is no deposit to lodge, nothing to reclaim, and no dispute about condition because the car never left our custody.
For overseas Pakistanis and visitors this matters more still, since an international licence and an unfamiliar road system add friction that a local driver removes entirely.
The road knowledge
On intercity routes the driver knows where the motorway exits are, which service areas are worth stopping at, and where the road narrows. That is worth real time.
In the northern areas it is worth considerably more than time. The Skardu road, the Kaghan valley and the Karakoram Highway are not places to be learning as you go, and our drivers on those routes have done them repeatedly.
In cities it is the difference between arriving and circling. Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar all reward someone who knows the shortcuts and the times of day to avoid particular roads.
What the driver's inclusion covers
The driver's wage is inside the fare. On overnight trips so are meals and accommodation, so there is nothing to settle at the end and no allowance to negotiate.
No tip is expected. Passengers often give one and drivers appreciate it, but it is not built into the pricing and nobody will ask.
For multi-day bookings we keep the same driver on the job wherever possible, because continuity is most of the value.
Where self-drive would genuinely be better
There are cases. If you live in the city, know the roads, and want a car for a week to run errands, a driver is capacity you are not using.
We do not serve that case and we would rather say so than pretend our model fits everything. Our work is journeys, events and travel, not vehicle leasing.
For everything else — airport runs, weddings, intercity travel, tours and corporate work — the driver is not an add-on to the car, it is the service.
What our drivers are
They are salaried staff who drive for us regularly, not people we found for the day. On the northern routes in particular, the driver assigned has done that road repeatedly.
On multi-day bookings we keep the same driver throughout wherever we can, because a driver who already knows your plan and your family is worth more on day three than a fresh one.
If a driver does not suit you, tell the office rather than enduring it. Changing the assignment is straightforward and we would far rather do that than have you unhappy for a week.