China self-drive Q&A

[steven]

Please leave all your questions and reports about driving a car or motorbike through China below.

We summarize all travel intelligence at Self-driving in China: the guide.

[ThomasRobyn123]

Hi,
My partner and I are planning to drive through China mid 2020, entering from Laos and exiting Kyrgyzstan.
I am struggling to find a tour company that does group self drive tours to reduce costs for the guide.
Any suggestions/help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Thomas

[murg]

This will be ridiculously expensive.... Expect few hundred € / day.

I don't know an agency, maybe you should contact
tibetmoto.de

They do quite a lot of tours in China.
I CANNOT recommend them, but maybe they can giv you a quote or name some other agencies.

Good luck

[James Chan]

I gather driving my own car into and out of China requires a significant paperwork, fees and a mandatory guide at present. I'm not sure why China has not signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic...

When I complete my road trip across Kazakhstan, Would it be cheaper and simpler to leave my car near the Nur Zholy border, cross into China by bus/foot, and once inside, collect a Chinese provisional driving license and then hire another car for a month or so?

What car hire companies are there that will allow me to drive this car across China, and finishing in Guangdong?

[Lovetheworld]

They are not going to sign that convention, because they keep strict control over their border areas (usually involving minorities which they keep under control) and no free travel is allowed in a lot of those areas. And those border areas are where foreigners would come in with their cars.

Once you are in parts of China that are in fact Chinese and not under this heavy control, it would be interesting to know how easy it is to rent a car and get around.

While still in the border areas under control, it is even hard to find a hotel that is allowed to take foreigners, renting a car without driver would be out of the question.

But please note, I have never been to China, only planned it once and read about it from time to time.

So yeah, tour groups are your best shot if you want to get in with driving your own car. Not cheap, but perhaps worth it.