Safety & Insurance Guide
Last updated 13 September 2026 · Rent & Drive operates the marketplace at rentacar.uthpalax.com
A short, practical guide for both sides of a rental in Sri Lanka. Use it before you book, at handover, and if something goes wrong on the road.
Before you book
- Licences: foreign visitors need their home licence or an International Driving Permit, plus a temporary Sri Lankan driving endorsement from the AAC (Automobile Association of Ceylon) or DMT. Ask hosts flagged with “permit assistance” to pre-arrange it.
- Insurance: check that the host’s insurance covers renting the vehicle to you, and ask about the excess (deductible). Your own travel insurance may cover part of the excess — read the fine print.
- Know the terms: fuel policy, daily kilometre limit and excess-km rate, deposit amount, and (for driver rentals) whether the driver’s food and accommodation are included. All of this is shown on each listing before you request dates.
- Look at the evidence: photos and any walkaround video on the listing are your first signal. Hosts with the verified badge have completed identity checks.
At handover
- Inspect the vehicle together and use the platform’s handover record: a short video walkaround plus photos of any existing dents or scratches, the fuel level, and the odometer reading.
- Count the deposit in front of the host and log the amount. On return, record the deposit returned — this is the record that protects both sides if anything is disputed later.
- Agree the return time, place, and what to do in a breakdown. Save your host’s WhatsApp contact from the booking page.
On the road
- Emergency numbers: Police 119, Tourist Police 1912, Ambulance (Suwa Seriya) 1990.
- What voids most insurance: driving without the correct licence or endorsement, driving under the influence, racing, off-road use not covered by the policy, or letting an unlisted driver take the wheel.
- In a breakdown: move to safety, put hazard lights on, and contact your host first — they can arrange local roadside assistance. If the road is unsafe, call 119.
- In an accident or any dispute: photograph everything before moving vehicles if it is safe to do so, and keep all handover and message records in Rent & Drive — they are timestamped evidence.
What Rent & Drive does not do
- We are not an insurer and do not provide roadside assistance or recovery. Insurance and assistance come from the host and their providers.
- We do not inspect vehicles physically. The verified badge confirms a host’s identity, and every listing is reviewed before it goes live — but you should still inspect the vehicle yourself at handover.
Something not covered here? Write to support@uthpalax.com.