Rent a Car at Islamabad Airport (ISB) — Arrivals Pickup and Departure Drop-Off
Convenient Car Rental Pick-Up at Islamabad International Airport
Finalrentals arranges car rental at Islamabad International Airport (ISB) from PKR 8,500 per day, with a meet-and-greet agent waiting at Arrivals rather than a counter you have to locate, and handover typically completed within 15 to 20 minutes of clearing immigration. Both self-drive and chauffeur-driven vehicles are available on every ISB booking, in both directions — collection when you land, and return before you fly out. Because Finalrentals works with vetted rental suppliers operating at ISB rather than running a single fleet, you are choosing between the vehicles several providers have on the ground on your dates, at rates quoted in Pakistani rupees before you commit. Confirmation is issued immediately; there is no callback, and no price that changes at the desk. Islamabad International Airport (IATA: ISB, ICAO: OPIS) sits roughly 25 km south-west of the capital and handles almost all air traffic for the Islamabad and Rawalpindi region. Rental collection happens in the public Arrivals area, after immigration and baggage reclaim, and then in the adjacent surface parking zone where the vehicle is waiting. Once you clear immigration and collect your baggage, follow terminal signage toward the Arrivals Hall exit. Your assigned agent waits near that exit holding a name board, which is the practical difference from a desk-based collection: you are not scanning a row of rental counters looking for the right supplier. Documents are checked on the spot, the rental agreement is signed there, and you are walked to the vehicle in the neighbouring parking zone. Before driving off you get a few minutes to inspect the car properly. Check the fuel gauge against the level recorded on the agreement, test the air conditioning, and photograph any existing marks on the bodywork. Those photographs are the single most useful thing you can do to make the return at ISB straightforward. From the Arrivals exit to driving out of the car park is normally 15 to 20 minutes, covering document verification, signature and vehicle inspection. During a heavy arrival window — when several international flights land inside the same hour — it can stretch toward 30 minutes, which is still faster than joining the ride-hailing queue at that moment, when demand at the airport spikes and pricing spikes with it. Returns at ISB are handled in the same surface parking zone used for collection, and the return is set up as part of the original reservation rather than arranged afterwards. Airport drop-off is available whether or not you collected the vehicle at the airport, so a departure return can be added to any booking. At handover the agent records the closing odometer reading and fuel level, walks the exterior with you, and closes the agreement. Where a refundable security deposit was taken, release is initiated at that point. Keep your final fuel receipt — it is the simplest evidence that the tank was returned at the agreed level. Allow 30 minutes at the airport for the return itself, on top of the check-in time your airline requires. For an international departure from ISB that generally means arriving at the parking zone about three and a half hours before scheduled take-off; for a domestic flight, around two hours. Traffic on the airport approach is heaviest in the early morning, so a dawn departure warrants an extra 20 minutes. If your outbound flight is rescheduled, the return time can be adjusted rather than cancelled — the same flight reference used for your arrival is used to track the change. Pickup at ISB operates 24 hours, which matters more here than at most airports because a large share of long-haul arrivals land between midnight and 06:00. Flights inbound from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Manchester and London routinely arrive inside that window, when city rental offices are closed. The airport road into the capital is well lit and maintained, so a late-night self-drive from ISB is realistic rather than something to plan around. That is a genuine advantage of collecting at the airport over waiting for an office to open the following morning. Flight delays are tracked against the flight number recorded on your booking, so the pickup time shifts with the aircraft rather than against your reservation. Reasonable waiting caused by a delayed arrival is not charged. If a delay is long enough to push you into the following day, or your flight is cancelled outright, contact support on the number in your confirmation so the reservation is moved rather than marked as a no-show. The ISB fleet spans five categories, and because availability comes from several suppliers rather than one, the specific models offered on your dates vary. The vehicles most often allocated to airport bookings are listed below. Economy and compact — Suzuki Cultus, Suzuki Alto, Toyota Vitz, Wagon R. Suitable for one or two travellers with cabin baggage; adequate for the run into the city, but not for a loaded drive to the northern areas. Sedan — Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Honda City, Toyota Yaris. The default choice for business arrivals at ISB: full-size boot, comfortable on the motorway. SUV and 4×4 — Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Prado, Land Cruiser V8 ZX. Necessary rather than optional for Naran, Skardu or Hunza, and requested most heavily through the summer. Van and group transport — Toyota Hiace, Hiace Grand Cabin, Honda BR-V, Toyota Coaster. Used for extended families, group tours, and Hajj and Umrah parties arriving together on one flight. Premium — Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series. Available on request for executive and event use; not held in standing airport inventory. SUVs and larger vehicles are the categories that genuinely run out at Islamabad Airport on peak days, and the reason is specific to ISB rather than general advice: because international arrivals cluster into similar windows, airport-based inventory is drawn down in bursts instead of evenly through the day. A traveller booking at the desk after landing is choosing from what is left, not from what was listed online that morning. Demand concentrates around Eid, the June to August window when the northern routes open, and wedding season. Booking five to seven days ahead reserves a specific vehicle rather than a category — the difference between the Prado you planned your route around and whatever compact remains. Two pricing models apply at ISB and they are not interchangeable. A daily rental prices the vehicle for the whole period you hold it. A fixed airport transfer prices a single journey from the airport to one destination. Travellers comparing quotes across providers are often unknowingly comparing one against the other. Indicative daily rates in Pakistani rupees, varying with season and booking lead time: Category Example models PKR / day Economy / compact Suzuki Cultus, Toyota Vitz 8,500 – 11,000 Sedan Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic 12,000 – 16,000 SUV / 4×4 Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser Prado 22,000 – 35,000 Van / 7-seater Toyota Hiace Grand Cabin 18,000 – 25,000 Premium Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series 40,000+ Rates rise during Eid, the summer holidays and wedding season. If your travel dates are fixed, booking five to seven days ahead usually secures better pricing than booking inside the same week. Where you need one journey rather than a vehicle for several days — the airport to your hotel, to a meeting, or onward to another city — a fixed one-way transfer price is quoted before travel and does not change afterwards. There is no meter and no post-trip adjustment. Indicative one-way transfer rates from Islamabad International Airport, chauffeur-driven, with tolls and fuel included: All figures in PKR. Rates are one-way and include the driver, fuel and motorway tolls. Return transfers, multi-stop itineraries and overnight halts are quoted separately. Hill routes toward Murree, the Galiyat and Naran are priced on an SUV basis in winter, when road conditions make a sedan impractical. Transfer pricing differs from daily rental pricing: a transfer covers one journey regardless of how long it takes, while a daily rate covers the vehicle for the period you hold it. If your itinerary involves several stops across a day, a daily rental is usually the cheaper of the two.
Rates shown are indicative and subject to change. Fuel price movements, inflation and seasonal demand — particularly during Eid, the summer months and wedding season — affect final pricing. Please confirm the current rate at the time of booking. Standard airport parking charges at ISB are included in confirmed airport bookings. Reasonable waiting time for a delayed flight is included. Chauffeur-driven bookings include the driver's fee. Fuel on self-drive rentals is not included. The vehicle is released at a recorded level and must be returned at the same level. Motorway tolls, parking away from the airport and traffic penalties are the renter's responsibility on self-drive rentals. Extras — child seat, additional driver, GPS — are added at booking. Requirements differ for Pakistani nationals and foreign travellers, and the practical experience at the airport differs more than the written rules suggest. Bring originals; photographs of documents are not reliably accepted at handover. Pakistani nationals renting at Islamabad Airport need a valid CNIC and a current Pakistani driving licence. Some suppliers additionally take a refundable security deposit on self-drive rentals, and a few ask for proof of address such as a utility bill. Chauffeur-driven bookings are the lighter path on documentation, since the licence requirement falls on the driver rather than on you. Foreign travellers and overseas Pakistanis landing at ISB need a passport, a valid Pakistani visa, and a driving licence from their home country. An International Driving Permit is not universally mandatory, but carry one if your licence is not printed in English — some agents will ask for it regardless of the strict legal position, and traffic checks on the M-1 and M-2 motorways are routine. Overseas Pakistanis holding NICOP or POC cards should carry that alongside the passport, as it simplifies verification at the airport. Where a licence has expired during a long period abroad, a chauffeur-driven booking avoids the issue entirely. Most categories require the driver to be 21 or older. SUVs and premium vehicles generally require 25 or older, and some suppliers ask for two years of documented driving experience. If you are between 21 and 24 and need an SUV for a northern route, confirm this before you fly rather than discovering the restriction in the car park at ISB. ISB connects directly to the motorway network, which is why a large share of rentals collected here are not city journeys at all — they are the first leg of a drive to Murree, the Galiyat, or across Punjab. Approximate distances and drive times from the airport: Destination Distance Drive time Islamabad city centre (Blue Area) ~25 km 35 – 45 min Rawalpindi (Saddar) ~27 – 30 km 40 – 50 min Faisal Mosque ~28 km 40 – 45 min Centaurus Mall ~26 km 40 – 45 min Taxila ~25 km 30 – 40 min Murree ~60 – 70 km 1.5 – 2 hrs Nathiagali ~90 km 2.5 – 3 hrs Peshawar (via M-1) ~160 km 2 – 2.5 hrs Lahore (via M-2) ~370 km 4 – 4.5 hrs Naran ~270 km 6 – 7 hrs The airport sits close to the M-1 and M-2 interchange, so Peshawar and Lahore are both reachable without entering city traffic. Both motorways use toll plazas; on self-drive rentals tolls are paid by the renter, and it is worth carrying small cash even where card payment is accepted. Declare your intended route at booking if you are heading toward Murree, the Galiyat, Naran, Skardu or Hunza. Some routes require prior notice for road and security reasons, and declaring the route also allows a vehicle suited to the terrain to be allocated — a compact hatchback booked for a Naran itinerary is a problem discovered on the road rather than at the airport. A meaningful share of ISB arrivals are not leisure travellers, and the requirements differ. Corporate delegations, embassy and diplomatic movements, and inbound groups arriving on a single flight can be arranged in advance, with multiple vehicles allocated to one arrival window and a single point of contact for the whole party. For these bookings the meet-and-greet at Arrivals is the operative feature rather than a convenience: a named board at the exit avoids the coordination problem of a delegation dispersing into the terminal. Chauffeur-driven vehicles are the norm here, and drivers assigned to corporate and diplomatic movements are briefed on the itinerary in advance. Extended families and Hajj and Umrah parties returning through ISB are handled the same way, using Hiace Grand Cabin or Coaster capacity rather than several separate cars — cheaper, and far simpler to manage on the airport approach. Bookings for Islamabad Airport are made online with instant confirmation, and the sequence is short: Set Islamabad International Airport as your pickup point, and choose your return point. Enter your dates, times and flight number. The flight number is what enables arrival tracking, so add it even though the form will accept a booking without one. Choose a vehicle category and decide between self-drive and chauffeur-driven. Add any extras — child seat, additional driver, GPS. Confirm and receive your booking reference immediately. Paying from outside Pakistan is where most overseas airport bookings stall, so it is worth being specific. Notify your card issuer before travelling, as a first-time Pakistani transaction is a common cause of declines. Where a card is used for a refundable security deposit, the pre-authorisation hold is placed at handover and released after the return is closed. Debit cards frequently cannot support the hold amount even where the rental fee itself is paid in cash, so a credit card is the safer instrument for self-drive bookings at ISB. Confirmation is issued at the point of booking rather than after a review call, and includes the vehicle category, rate, pickup and return points, and a support contact. Ahead of your arrival the supplier and agent details are finalised against your flight, so the person waiting at Arrivals already holds your name and flight reference before you land. If any detail changes — a rescheduled flight, an extra passenger, a different return time — amend the booking through the reference rather than making a second reservation. Booking ahead at Islamabad Airport is worth more than at a typical airport, for a reason particular to ISB: arrivals are concentrated rather than spread through the day, so inventory moves in bursts and the vehicles left for walk-in renters are whatever earlier arrivals did not take. Booking in advance locks a specific vehicle rather than a category. It also settles the two things that are awkward to resolve standing in the terminal — driver age eligibility for the category you want, and route declaration if you are heading into the hills. Five to seven days is the practical lead time; during Eid, summer and wedding season, longer. Car rental at Islamabad Airport starts at around PKR 8,500 per day for a compact, PKR 12,000 to 16,000 for a sedan, and from PKR 22,000 for an SUV. Rates move with season and booking lead time, rising during Eid, summer and wedding season. Fixed one-way airport transfers are priced separately from daily rentals. Yes — car collection at Islamabad Airport operates 24 hours, including late-night and early-morning arrivals. This matters at ISB in particular because many long-haul flights from the Gulf and the UK land between midnight and 06:00. You meet the agent in the public Arrivals area at ISB, near the hall exit, after immigration and baggage reclaim. The agent holds a name board, so you do not need to find a specific rental counter. From there you are walked to the vehicle in the adjacent parking zone. The handover at Islamabad Airport normally takes 15 to 20 minutes from the Arrivals exit to driving out, covering document checks, signature and vehicle inspection. During a busy arrival window it can extend to around 30 minutes. Yes — you can return the car at Islamabad Airport, in the same parking zone used for collection. Set the airport as your return point when booking, and allow about 30 minutes for the return itself in addition to your airline's check-in requirement. Standard airport parking charges at ISB are included in confirmed airport bookings, so there is no separate parking payment at collection. Motorway tolls and parking elsewhere during the rental period are the renter's responsibility on self-drive bookings. If your flight to Islamabad is delayed, the pickup is tracked against your flight number and the collection time moves with the aircraft. Reasonable waiting caused by the delay is not charged. For a delay long enough to cross into the next day, contact support using your booking reference so the reservation is moved rather than treated as a no-show. An International Driving Permit is not universally mandatory to rent a car at Islamabad Airport, but it is strongly recommended if your home licence is not printed in English. Foreign travellers need a passport, a valid Pakistani visa and a home-country licence. Traffic checks on the M-1 and M-2 motorways are routine, so carry originals. Pakistani nationals need a valid CNIC and a current Pakistani driving licence at ISB. Some suppliers also take a refundable security deposit on self-drive rentals, and occasionally ask for proof of address. Chauffeur-driven bookings carry the lighter documentation requirement. The minimum driver age for an airport rental is generally 21. SUVs and premium categories usually require 25 or older, and some suppliers ask for two years of driving experience. Confirm before travelling if you are between 21 and 24 and need an SUV. Yes — chauffeur-driven cars are available on every Islamabad Airport booking alongside self-drive. A driver is the more practical choice if you are unfamiliar with the capital's roundabout-heavy road layout, moving between back-to-back meetings, or heading toward Murree, the Galiyat or the northern routes where local road knowledge matters. SUVs and larger vehicles are the hardest to get at Islamabad Airport, because international arrivals cluster into similar windows and airport inventory is drawn down in bursts. Booking five to seven days ahead reserves a specific vehicle rather than a category. Yes — you can drive from Islamabad Airport to Lahore, Peshawar, Murree, Naran and other destinations, but declare the route at booking. Some routes require prior notice for road and security reasons, and declaring the route allows a vehicle suited to the terrain to be allocated. Fuel is not included on self-drive rentals at Islamabad Airport. The vehicle is released at a recorded fuel level and must be returned at the same level; keep the final receipt as evidence. Yes — you can book before arriving in Pakistan and receive confirmation immediately, which is the recommended approach for overseas travellers landing at ISB. Add your flight number so arrival tracking applies, and notify your card issuer before travelling to avoid a declined first Pakistani transaction. Book your ISB airport rental five to seven days in advance under normal conditions, and longer during Eid, the summer months and wedding season. Advance booking locks a specific vehicle rather than a category, which matters most for SUVs and larger vehicles. Yes — corporate delegations, diplomatic movements and group arrivals at ISB are arranged in advance, with multiple vehicles allocated to a single arrival window and one point of contact. Chauffeur-driven vehicles are standard for these bookings and drivers are briefed on the itinerary beforehand. Yes — a group arriving on one flight can be collected together using Hiace Grand Cabin or Coaster capacity rather than several separate cars, which is both cheaper and easier to coordinate on the airport approach. Extended families and Hajj and Umrah parties are handled this way.Collecting Your Car After You Land at ISB
Where the Meet-and-Greet Agent Waits
How Long the Handover Takes
Returning Your Car at Islamabad Airport
Drop-Off Timing Before Your Flight
Late-Night, Early-Morning and Delayed Arrivals
How Flight Delays Are Handled
Vehicles Available at Islamabad Airport
Which Categories Run Short at ISB
Rates for Islamabad Airport Car Rental
Daily Rental Rates
Fixed Airport Transfer Rates
Destination from ISB Sedan SUV / 4×4 Van / Coaster Islamabad sectors (Blue Area, F-6 to F-11, E-7, G-series) 4,500 – 6,500 7,500 – 11,000 8,000 – 12,000 Rawalpindi (Saddar, Chaklala, Bahria, DHA) 5,000 – 7,000 8,000 – 12,000 8,500 – 13,000 Taxila / Wah Cantt 5,500 – 7,500 9,000 – 13,000 9,500 – 14,000 Murree 10,000 – 14,000 16,000 – 22,000 17,000 – 24,000 Nathiagali / Galiyat 14,000 – 18,000 20,000 – 28,000 22,000 – 30,000 Peshawar (via M-1) 15,000 – 20,000 24,000 – 32,000 26,000 – 34,000 Lahore (via M-2) 28,000 – 35,000 42,000 – 58,000 45,000 – 62,000 Naran / Kaghan 35,000 – 45,000 50,000 – 70,000 On request What Is Included in the Price
Documents and Eligibility at ISB
Pakistani Nationals
Overseas Pakistanis and Foreign Travellers
Driver Age by Vehicle Category
Driving Onward from Islamabad Airport
Motorway Routes and Tolls
Corporate, Diplomatic and Group Arrivals at ISB
Booking, Payment and Confirmation
Paying from Outside Pakistan
How Your Booking Is Confirmed
Why Book Your ISB Airport Rental in Advance
Frequently Asked Questions About ISB Car Rental
How much does it cost to rent a car at Islamabad Airport?
Can I collect a car at Islamabad Airport 24 hours a day?
Where do I meet the agent when I land at ISB?
How long does the handover take at Islamabad Airport?
Can I return the car at Islamabad Airport before my flight?
Is airport parking included in the rental price?
What happens if my flight to Islamabad is delayed?
Do I need an International Driving Permit to rent a car at Islamabad Airport?
What documents do Pakistani nationals need at ISB?
What is the minimum driver age for an airport rental?
Can I get a chauffeur-driven car at Islamabad Airport?
Which cars are hardest to get at Islamabad Airport?
Can I drive a rental from Islamabad Airport to another city?
Is fuel included when I rent a car at Islamabad Airport?
Can I book a car before I arrive in Pakistan?
How far in advance should I book an ISB airport rental?
Do you arrange vehicles for corporate or diplomatic arrivals at ISB?
Can a group arriving on one flight be collected together?