This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in El Salvador: 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
Free
There is no motorway charge for a car.
Salvadoran roads are free and in good condition, and the country is small enough to cross in a morning.
Free roads, a well-maintained network, and very short distances.
Roads are free and among the better maintained in Central America; the coastal highway and the Ruta de las Flores are both easy drives.
The country is 270 km across. San Salvador to the beaches at El Tunco is under an hour, to the Guatemalan border two.
The alcohol limit is zero.
Police checkpoints are routine and documents are checked; hire papers should stay in the car.
Night driving on rural roads is still avoided by residents, mainly for road rather than security reasons now.
Fuel stations are frequent on the main routes and take cards in the cities, cash in the villages.
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