This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Ecuador: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
Licence plus an IDP
Your own licence works with an International Driving Permit beside it. Get the permit at home before you fly - no country issues one for another country's licence.
Motorways
Tolls by distance
Motorways charge for the distance driven, at barriers or by camera. Budget for it on a long drive; it is rarely trivial.
Ecuador has frequent peajes, a plate-based restriction in Quito, and roads that cross the Andes several times.
Peajes on the main routes, a plate restriction in Quito, and mountain roads in every direction.
Pico y Placa applies in Quito on weekday peaks by the last digit of the plate, and it applies to hire cars.
Toll booths on the Panamericana take cash; the amounts are small.
The alcohol limit is 0.03 % with immediate detention above a low threshold.
Roads climb and descend continuously. Quito to the coast drops 2,800 m in a few hours, and fog on the passes is routine in the afternoon.
The Galapagos are not driven. Cars there are taxis, and inter-island transport is by boat and plane.
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