Don ' t rent one . Even for Cubans returning to visit their families driving in Cuba is a nightmare . These are some of the reasons why 1 People cross the streets rather carelessly sometimes . 2 Horsecars are 10 times worse than a truck going uphill at night in a twolane road with double yellow lines while going 20 mph under the speed limit you could add that it ' s raining badly too my point they are a pain . 3 In Cuba 30 mph is considered fast , 50 mph very fast , and 60 mph unbelievable fast my point you will be an oddball when going at the normal 2030 mph through residential streets and chances are that you ' ll at least get close to hitting someone when going at those speeds . 4 Roads have holes all over the place , bridge connections are very very bumpy you ' ll want to slow down , and most roads only have two lanes . 5 There is very poor lighting at night unless you are in the middle of a big city don ' t worry , there will be no deer that ' ll suddenly run into you ! , you ' ll get people , cats , and dogs doing that instead . My point just don ' t drive at night . 6 Rental cars are stupidly overpriced , and oftentimes dirty and patched up . Gas is much more expensive than the average price in the US diesel is more commonly used there . There are often people selling it on the backs of the government , but if you are not Cuban or have Cuban friends who can do this for you , don ' t even think about it . Also , at gas stations a designated person puts the gas in , not you , you don ' t serve yourself also , they ' re cash only , but you expected that . 7 Rental cars in nontouristic areas are magnets for the police , they will stop you for absolutely no reason though you ' ll often not get any tickets or warnings they are usually just curious . One thing to say about this is that because of the police being so nosy , you are pretty much untouchable , criminals won ' t even approach you . 8 Like someone else mentioned before , don ' t expect the abundance of signals you get here in the US . Also , if you see a warning sign telling you of road construction , watch out because the road construction will likely be right behind the sign you don ' t get the well spaced out warning signs that you get here when there is a highway closure , they will just do it and sometimes not even put signs up . So , watch out for that . On the plus side though if you are willing to put up with all of that , rental cars will get you womenmen mostly hookers . Also , if you do plan to experience the real Cuba and go to small towns , neighborhoods and any other area not tagged as touristic , a rental car will be very useful and yes , the police will nose around , but it ' s a police state after all right ? !. Also , just in case you were wondering , I am Cuban , went back to visit family , and rented a car , so this is all based on personal experience . At the end though , it ' s you who decides . Good luck and have fun down there !