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Santiago · Chile

Car hire and driving in Santiago

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Chile traffic drives on the right. Picking up at SCL means 15 km (9 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648813 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648847 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648848.

Drives from Santiago

Car rental from Santiago: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Santiago to ColinaChile28 km (18 mi)about 26 min
Santiago to LampaChile28 km (18 mi)about 26 min
Santiago to RancaguaChile80 km (49 mi)about 1 h 13 min
Santiago to QuilpuéChile87 km (54 mi)about 1 h 19 min
Santiago to Viña del MarChile97 km (60 mi)about 1 h 29 min
Santiago to ValparaísoChile103 km (64 mi)about 1 h 34 min
Santiago to CuricóChile178 km (111 mi)about 2 h 43 min
Santiago to MendozaArgentina179 km (111 mi)about 2 h 44 min
Santiago to TalcaChile237 km (147 mi)about 3 h 37 min
Santiago to San RafaelArgentina249 km (155 mi)about 3 h 48 min
Santiago to RawsonArgentina287 km (178 mi)about 4 h 23 min
Santiago to San JuanArgentina292 km (181 mi)about 4 h 27 min
Santiago to Buenos AiresArgentina1,137 km (707 mi)about 17 h 21 min
Santiago to CórdobaArgentina648 km (402 mi)about 9 h 53 min
Santiago to AsunciónParaguay1,551 km (964 mi)about 23 h 39 min
Santiago to MontevideoUruguay1,339 km (832 mi)about 20 h 25 min
Santiago to RosarioArgentina933 km (580 mi)about 14 h 13 min
Santiago to Mar del PlataArgentina1,284 km (798 mi)about 19 h 35 min
Santiago to San Miguel de TucumánArgentina904 km (562 mi)about 13 h 48 min
Santiago to SaltaArgentina1,087 km (676 mi)about 16 h 35 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Santiago?

The right, as everywhere in Chile.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.