Lijiang Car Rental Price & Car Type Comparison (2026)

When visitors from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia fly into Lijiang, the first questions are always: how much per day? Which car? How much deposit? Do I need a Chinese license? Is there a one-way fee? This guide breaks down our Lijiang rental fleet, prices, deposits, mileage limits, one-way fees and temporary license arrangement, so you know exactly what to expect.

I have been running local car rental for foreign visitors in Lijiang and Kunming for nearly six years. I have waited at the airport at 1 a.m. holding a sign, and changed a tire on a Shangri-La mountain road. This is everything I tell my guests every day.

We only have two cars — no fancy extras

Guests often ask: do you have a Tesla? A BYD? A Highlander? We have two cars: Volkswagen Lavida/Jetta, and Tank 300. We keep the fleet small because we do overlanding, not city commuting. The cars need to be reliable, easy to repair, and parts available in every county town.

Volkswagen Lavida 1.5L / Jetta 1.4T petrol: 260 RMB/day, 3000 RMB deposit, unlimited mileage, 92 octane petrol, 5 seats.

Tank 300 2.0T off-road SUV: 400 RMB/day, 5000 RMB deposit, 300 km/day limit, 92 octane petrol, 5 seats with big trunk.

Lavida or Tank 300?

I ask three questions before recommending:

First, where are you driving? If you are just doing Lijiang Old Town, Dali, Erhai Lake, Tiger Leaping Gorge, the Lavida is enough — cheap to run, easy to park on narrow old-town streets. If you are going on the Yunnan-Tibet route to Shangri-La, Deqin, Meili Snow Mountain, or western Sichuan and Qinghai, the Tank 300 is much more comfortable — high seating, good visibility, rough roads no problem.

Second, how many people? Solo or a couple, Lavida is fine. Three or four people with lots of luggage, Tank 300 has the trunk space.

Third, do you want the off-road look? The Tank 300 is a boxy hard-core SUV, great for photos. The Lavida is a quiet family sedan.

Real example: three Taiwanese guests from Taipei wanted the cheaper Lavida at first. I asked where they were going — they said Deqin to see Meili Snow Mountain. I talked them into the Tank 300. They told me afterwards it was the right call: there was a stretch of road work where a sedan would have scraped the undercarriage.

How the deposit works

Lavida/Jetta: 3000 RMB deposit. Tank 300: 5000 RMB deposit. We inspect the car together when you return it, but we do not refund the deposit immediately — traffic violation notices take 5-7 working days to show up in the police system. We wait that period, confirm you have no unpaid fines, then refund the full amount to your original payment method.

We film the car walk-around at pickup and again at return. No hidden deductions.

Taiwan/Hong Kong license not valid — temporary permit arranged

Taiwan driver licenses, Hong Kong driver licenses, and International Driving Permits (IDP) are all not valid in China. You must get a Chinese temporary driving permit. We arrange it for 1500 RMB, you do not need to appear in person, just send us scans of your passport (or Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents) and your home license. It takes 1-3 working days, valid 3 months, nationwide.

Send us your documents a week before you land. When you pick up the car at Lijiang airport, the permit is already inside the car.

One-way rental: Lijiang to Dali

Many guests fly into Lijiang and out of Dali. Our one-way fee is 1500 RMB. You pick up in Lijiang, drive to Dali, drop the car there, and we send someone to drive it back. Dali is about 200 km from Lijiang, two hours on the highway.

No electric cars

We get asked about Teslas and BYDs. We do not rent them. On the Yunnan-Tibet route, western Sichuan, or Qinghai, charging stations are sparse and unreliable. We do overlanding, not city commuting. Petrol cars fill up for 500-600 km and every county has a gas station.

Booking deposit and cancellation

You pay a 600 RMB booking deposit to hold the car. If you cancel for personal reasons, the deposit is non-refundable — we held the car for you and turned down other bookings. If we cannot give you the car for our reasons, we refund double the booking deposit.

Pickup and return process

1. Send us your dates, group size, route. We quote and send car photos. 2. Pay 600 RMB booking deposit. 3. Send passport and license scans for the temporary permit. 4. We meet you at Lijiang Sanyi airport exit holding a sign. 5. Sign the contract, walk around the car filming existing scratches. 6. You drive off, WeChat us any time. 7. Return the car, we inspect it, deposit refunded in 5-7 working days.

How much per day, total?

Example: two Taiwanese guests, Tank 300, 5 days:

- Car: 400 x 5 = 2000 RMB
- Temporary permit: 1500 (one driver)
- Fuel: about 600 RMB for 800 km
- Deposit 5000 (refunded, not a cost)

Two people, 5 days: about 4000-5000 RMB all in. Compare that to renting an SUV in Taipei — it is good value.

Who we are

We are Yunnan Province International Travel Agency (Group) Co., Ltd., a licensed outbound travel agency with a 1.6 million RMB quality bond with the tourism bureau. We have been doing this for nearly a decade. WeChat qxzj7557 (WhatsApp +86 13759155671), email [email protected]. Peak season Tank 300 bookings fill up two weeks ahead — book early.