Driving in Madeira: What Should You Expect as a Tourist?

If you’re considering driving in Madeira, buckle in. As I explain in my guide to getting around Madeira, driving is hands-down the best way to explore the island.

However, it doesn’t come without its challenges. Madeira may be small, but it’s incredibly mountainous: it has steep, curving mountain roads as well as fast-moving highways.

Public transport doesn’t reach many of the island’s most spectacular areas – especially the north, east and west coasts – so being well-prepared is key.

In this post, I’ll share my honest experience of hiring a car and driving in Madeira, as well as my best tips for renting a car, adapting your driving style, avoiding rookie errors and how to arrive prepared for the road and traffic conditions.

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.

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What to Expect When Driving in Madeira

Before you start driving on Madeira island, you need to know the basics:

• The Portuguese drive on the right-hand side of the road.
• To hire a car, you typically need a valid driver’s license in your home country, a passport and/or an international driving license.
• Road rules and signage may be different to your home country.
• Madeira has high-speed motorways and smaller, mountainous roads.
• There is no hard shoulder when you merge onto the highway.

Let’s delve into those points in a little more detail…

1. Driving on the Right-Hand Side of the Road

In Madeira, as in the rest of Portugal, drivers keep to the right-hand side of the road. In turn, this means that roundabouts are taken anti-clockwise, and the left lane on highways or expressways is used only for overtaking.

If you’re accustomed to driving on the left, like in the UK, Cyprus or Malta, this can take some getting used to. It’s especially important to stay alert at junctions and roundabouts.

When I was driving in Madeira, I came across a fellow UK tourist mistakenly going clockwise around a roundabout. It’s an easy but incredibly dangerous mistake, and a good reminder to stay focused.

💡 Tip for roundabouts: Drivers taking the first exit should use the outer lane only. However, don’t be surprised if you see some locals breaking this rule – pay good attention.

2. Navigating Car Hire in Madeira

Hiring a car in Madeira is straightforward, and in most cases, the smartest choice to get around the island if you want to follow your own schedule. Here’s what you need to know.

✅ Documents required to hire a car in Madeira

The documents required to hire a car in Madeira vary depending on where you’re from, but usually you will need:

• A valid driver’s license from your home country
• Valid passport
• Possibly an International Driving Permit (IDP)

For example, UK tourists can use a valid photocard driver’s license to hire a car for periods of up to 185 days without an IDP.

However, other nationalities (especially outside of the EU) may need to present an IDP, even for short-term car hire.

💡 Tip: Always check the up-to-date requirements on your country’s government or embassy website.

🕹 Manual VS automatic: Which should you choose?

As a rule of thumb, you should always hire a car type that you’re comfortable driving.

However, in Madeira, even experienced manual drivers might want to consider hiring an automatic.

Why? Many roads are steep and winding. If you’re stopping and starting in an automatic car, you don’t need to worry about changing the gears manually. Therefore, it’s easier to focus on the road (and the scenery).

🚗 How to hire a car in Madeira

It’s easy to hire a car in Madeira. There are many different big and small car rental companies on the island – my favourite is 7M Rent a Car.

However, a good place to start is by checking the availability on Discover Cars and Klook.

They will generate a list of cars available from different companies, along with costs and other important details such as the pick-up location.

3. Road Rules and Cultural Expectations

It’s likely that driving in Madeira will feel a little different to driving at home.

For one, the road rules (while similar to those elsewhere in Europe) may be different:

• Seatbelts are, of course, mandatory for all passengers.
• Speed limits typically range from 40–50 km/h on small roads up to 90 km/h on highways (check the signage).
• Drink driving laws are strict. The legal blood alcohol limit in Portugal is 0.05%.
• Mobile phone use is illegal unless you’re using a hands-free system.

In Madeira, most locals take a fairly aggressive approach to driving. It’s not always a common practice to gracefully let someone else into your lane.

I mostly found the drivers confident, fast and sometimes impatient. This might feel a little intense to begin with – especially if you’re used to the opposite – but you shouldn’t feel pressured by other people’s driving styles. It’s just a useful thing to be aware of.

4. Road Types in Madeira

There are several different road types in Madeira, from fast highways to mountain roads. There are a few main types of roads that you’ll encounter:

A) The Via Rápida (VR1)

Madeira has one primary highway, the Via Rápida (VR1).

It connects key towns and cities on the south coast, such as Funchal, Machico, Ponta do Sol and Santa Cruz, as well as the airport.

• It’s a dual carriageway featuring two lanes in each direction.
• There’s usually no hard shoulder, so it’s essential to be cautious when merging onto the highway.
• You may need to come to a complete stop in order to merge safely.

💡 Tip: Don’t assume you can “build up speed” before merging. Keep your eyes on both lanes and wait for a clear gap. Drivers typically will not slow down to let you merge.

B) The Expressways (Viaexpresso)

The Viaexpresso roads (VE1, VE2, VE3, etc.) are a secondary network of roads that connect smaller towns and villages in Madeira.

• These are typically single carriageways with one lane in each direction.
• Occasionally, an additional lane is provided for drivers to overtake slow vehicles.

These are also fairly fast-moving. However, it’s best practice to slow down when you’re rounding sharp corners.

C) Rural and coastal roads

That just leaves Madeira’s smaller roads (such as the ER roads – ER101, ER110, etc.) Most of these roads are small and winding. They may be steep or narrow, so it’s a good idea to drive cautiously.

• Some streets aren’t wide enough for two cars – you may want to look for easy passing places.
• Surfaces can be uneven in remote or mountainous areas.

D) Tunnels

Tunnels aren’t exactly a road type, but they’re something that you’ll come across very often in Madeira. Years ago, Madeirans had to navigate dangerous coastal roads to get around the island.

However, ever since tunnels were built into the mountains, driving around Madeira has become a lot quicker and safer.

Some tunnels are several kilometres long.

• Switch on your headlights (there’s always a sign to remind you).
• Be prepared for sudden changes in light, especially in the summer.

My Experience Driving in Madeira

I had a good experience driving in Madeira. I hired a car from 7M Rent A Car in Funchal, and drove it from Funchal to Ponta do Sol, Seixal and Porto Moniz.

Parked up in Porto Moniz

It was far more efficient than taking the bus to the north coast, which has limited departures and long journey times.

In hindsight, I wish I’d known more about the highway style in Madeira. When I approached the highway, I was surprised to find that there was no hard shoulder. This is something I take almost for granted in the UK.

On my second trip to Madeira, I also rented a scooter on the nearby island of Porto Santo.

This was also very successful – I’m an experienced rider who has used a scooter in Indonesia and Thailand. As a UK tourist over the age of 25, all I needed was a UK driver’s license and passport.

⏰ How Long Does it Take to Drive Around Madeira?

If you want to take a complete loop of the island of Madeira without making any stops (not advisable, of course – it’s so beautiful), it should take you approximately two hours.

You can easily do a lap of the island in one day by car, factoring in plenty of time to stop in a few destinations on the loop.

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I hope you found my guide to driving in Madeira useful – leave a comment below to let me know your trip plans. I’d love to hear from you.

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