Self-Drive Car Rental in Pakistan: Requirements & Documents

Self-drive car rental in Pakistan used to mean phoning rental offices and negotiating at a counter. On a peer-to-peer marketplace like HireACar it's a checklist you can finish from your phone: verify your identity once, pick a car, and book. Here is exactly what you need and how the process works.

The checklist

• CNIC — your CNIC number and a photo of the front of the card, given once when you sign up. Sign-up currently needs a Pakistani CNIC; visitors from abroad should email info@hireacar.pk first.
• Valid driving licence — the one extra thing you need to drive the car yourself.
• A HireACar account — a verified phone number and your CNIC, so the owner knows who is renting.
• Security deposit (owner-dependent) — HireACar does not hold deposits. If an owner asks for a security deposit, the amount and how it is returned are agreed with the owner before pickup.

How verification works on HireACar

Renters sign up with a verified phone number and their CNIC before booking. Insurance is the owner's responsibility: HireACar does not insure trips, so ask the owner about the car's cover before you book. Read the car's reviews on its listing page before committing.

Trip rules worth reading first

Every car page has a Trip rules box: return the car with the same fuel level, what returning late costs, and whether the car can leave the city (only if the owner allows it; say where you are going in your request) — relevant if you're planning a northern-areas trip in an SUV. Two minutes with these rules is the difference between a smooth return and a dispute.

Cancellation and refunds

Requests can be cancelled free of charge until you have paid. Hourly bookings can’t be cancelled once paid. Bookings of a day or more can be cancelled up to 3 days (72 hours) before pickup. Refunds go back by bank transfer and usually arrive within 2–5 business days. Hosts cannot cancel a paid booking within 72 hours of pickup, so a confirmed car stays confirmed — see the full cancellation policy.

Self-drive or with-driver?

If you would rather not drive in an unfamiliar city, some owners also offer their driver, and their car pages say so. We compared the two in Car with Driver vs Self-Drive in Lahore.