Bermuda for US Drivers 2026: Minicars, Scooters, 35 km/h

Looking for a car rental in Bermuda? You will not find a normal one. Under Bermudian law, non-residents cannot own, rent or drive four-wheeled vehicles, the U.S. State Department explains. The single exception is a limited number of all-electric rental minicars that seat two people. Everyone else gets around by rental scooter, taxi, bus or ferry. Traffic keeps to the left, and the top speed is 21 mph, dropping to 15 mph in Hamilton.

No sedan, no SUV: what is actually on offer

Bermuda sits far out in the Atlantic, so there is no driving there from the mainland either; whatever you drive on the island, you pick up on the island. The options for a visitor:

• Electric minicar. Two seats, a roof, and the closest thing to a car you are allowed. Supply is limited, so reserve before you fly, especially in summer.
• Rental scooter. The traditional visitor choice. Cheaper and easy to park, but you are exposed on narrow roads.
• No vehicle at all. The island-wide bus and ferry network covers the main sights. Daily and weekly passes are sold at the central bus terminal, the Visitors’ Service Bureau or the ferry terminal in Hamilton.

If the minicars are sold out for your dates, build the trip around buses, ferries and taxis rather than renting a scooter you have never ridden. A weekly pass makes the network cheap, and taxis cover the evenings when buses thin out.

Your US licence is the document

Canada’s government says visitors may drive the rental scooters and minicars on a valid home licence. The State Department, Canada and the UK all mention no extra permit, so a full US driver’s license is what you bring. A learner permit will not do. Rental firms set their own age and experience terms, so read them when you book.

21 mph feels slow until you see the roads

Americans used to 55 mph on a two-lane road may laugh at Bermuda’s limit. The road layout explains it. Lanes are narrow and winding, there is often no shoulder, and outside built-up areas the lighting is poor. Other governments express the limit as 35 km/h; the State Department’s mph figures are the same rule, with Hamilton lower.

Canada adds a second warning: local drivers often go faster than the limit. Let them. Pull over where it is safe and wave them by rather than speeding up on a road you do not know. Being passed is not a contest you need to win on holiday.

Left side, small vehicle, new habits

The State Department puts it simply: driving is on the left, British-style. On a minicar the steering wheel is on the right. At junctions, the dangerous instinct is to turn right into the right-hand lane. Say “stay left” to yourself at each turn for the first day. Roundabouts go clockwise.

On a scooter, the left-side habit matters even more, because there is no car body around you if you drift. The State Department notes that traffic accidents involving motorbikes are common in Bermuda and asks Americans to take extreme care, since road conditions and local driving practices are unfamiliar. The UK government is more specific: crashes between 50cc scooters and cars are frequent and have caused deaths.

Scooter or minicar?

If you have never ridden a motorbike, choose the minicar or the bus. If you do rent a scooter, wear the helmet properly fastened, avoid riding after dark, and do not carry a passenger until you are comfortable on the left. A narrow lane with no shoulder leaves little room to correct a mistake.

Emergencies

Call 911, the same as at home, for police, fire or an ambulance. Save your rental company’s number too, since a breakdown on a single-lane road blocks traffic quickly.

When your next trip includes a place where a normal hire car is possible, the Driving Permit Checker shows what your licence covers.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State, Country Information, Bermuda (left-hand traffic; 15 mph in Hamilton and 21 mph elsewhere; four-wheeled vehicle ban for non-residents with electric minicar exception; motorbike crashes; bus and ferry passes), last updated August 06, 2026: cadataapi.state.gov
• Global Affairs Canada, Bermuda travel advice (four-wheeled vehicle ban for non-residents, minicar exception, scooters on a home licence, 35 km/h, left-hand traffic, 911): travel.gc.ca
• GOV.UK, Bermuda travel advice, safety and security (tourists may not drive cars, 35 km/h, scooter crashes): gov.uk