Car rental in Colombo

The police in Colombo are generally tolerant towards tourists and minor traffic violations, and fines are rarely issued, but you should not ignore the local rules:

• Traffic keeps to the left-hand side of the road.
• You should sound your horn if you are going to make any manoeuvre, for example when overtaking.
• When overtaking in the oncoming lane, sound your horn and use your headlights to warn oncoming vehicles.
• Pay particular attention to buses — they do not give way to any other vehicles.
• Do not exceed the legal alcohol limit and always observe the speed limit.

Although local drivers rarely follow traffic regulations strictly, you should not exceed the standard speed limits in Colombo. The limits depend on whether the road is within the city or outside it:

• In the city you may drive at up to 56 km/h.
• Outside Colombo the limit is 72 km/h.

There are enough parking spaces in Colombo, as the traffic regulations allow you to leave your car in many places. The main thing is to ensure there are no no-parking or prohibitory signs. You can also use parking spaces provided by hotels located in the city; naturally, this is available only for guests staying there. There is also a large car park at Colombo Airport.

The country and its capital have a low price policy for fuel used by vehicles. Fuel prices here are even significantly below the average. In Colombo there are filling stations with unleaded petrol and diesel fuel.

Average fuel prices:

• 1 litre of petrol costs 96 cents.
• 1 litre of diesel fuel costs 71 cents.