Driving in St. Thomas: Keep Left in an American Car
St. Thomas keeps left, and most rental cars have the steering wheel on the left. Your US license works. The habit is the part to practice.
If you're renting a car on St. Thomas, two facts shape the drive. You keep left. And your rental will most likely have the steering wheel on the left, just like at home.
Your US license covers the paperwork. The habit is the part to practice.
Which side of the road St. Thomas drives on
St. Thomas drives on the left. The National Park Service puts it plainly: "We drive on the left here in the Virgin Islands." St. Croix and St. John keep left too.
The Virgin Islands Police Department says it to visitors directly. Its safety tips for St. Thomas Carnival 2025 include this line: "Visitors, remember to drive on the left."
The US Virgin Islands are one of the 20 territories on our list of countries that drive on the left.
The steering wheel is on the left
Discount Car Rental, a St. Thomas rental company, says "most rental cars are standard U.S. vehicles with the steering wheel on the left." The US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism says the same of most vehicles on neighboring St. John.
So inside, the car is the one you drive at home. Outside, traffic keeps left, so you sit at the edge of the road and your passenger sits next to the center line.
The tourism office puts the two together in one sentence: "Most vehicles have the steering wheel on the left, so take extra care when turning and entering traffic."
Your US license works
The Department of Tourism says that if you rent a car, "a valid U.S. or foreign license is accepted for 90 days." For an American, there's no permit to order before the trip.
Two more things to know before you pick up the car:
- Bring the physical card. Budget's St. Thomas office says it doesn't accept paper or digital copies of a license.
- Buckle up and leave the phone alone. The tourism office says seat belts are required by law, and it's illegal to drive while speaking on your cell phone.
Taking the car to St. John
The National Park Service's directions to St. John start at the St. Thomas airport: rent a car, drive to the east end of the island, then take the car barge or the passenger ferry.
Ask your rental company first. Budget's St. Thomas office says you can take its cars on the car ferry. My Car Rental VI doesn't allow sedans on the ferry.
On St. John itself, the tourism office describes "steep grades, tight curves and narrow roads, sometimes without shoulders or guardrails."
The part your license won't fix
The first time I drove on the left, I had an accident while taking a right turn. I looked the wrong way for oncoming traffic.
I knew the rule. The problem was habit.
A familiar car doesn't change the road. The Park Service's advice: "Pay extra attention when making turns, pulling out into traffic or crossing the road." Those are the moments where a habit from home shows up:
- Right turns. On the left, a right turn crosses oncoming traffic. That's the turn I got wrong.
- After the turn. Your instinct pulls you toward the right side of the new road. You keep left.
- Pulling out. Leaving the airport lot or a parking space, there's no traffic to copy, so you choose the left side yourself.
Practice before you fly
LeftLane rehearses those moments in your browser. Its car is right-hand drive, so the seat probably won't match your St. Thomas rental. The side of the road will, and so will the turns.
Start with First Drive, then T-Junction Right Turn, Main Road to Side Road Right Turn and Parking-Lot Exit. All four are free.
Ten scenarios are free forever, no signup and no card. Twenty more come with a one-time pass. It runs in your browser on a computer, tablet, or phone held sideways.
Quick answers about driving in St. Thomas
What side of the road does St. Thomas drive on?
The left, like the rest of the US Virgin Islands. The National Park Service says, "We drive on the left here in the Virgin Islands."
Is the steering wheel on the left or the right in St. Thomas?
Most likely the left. A St. Thomas rental company, Discount Car Rental, says most rental cars are standard U.S. vehicles with the steering wheel on the left, and the territory's Department of Tourism says the same of most vehicles on St. John.
Can I drive in St. Thomas with a US driver's license?
Yes. The Department of Tourism says a valid U.S. license is accepted for 90 days when you rent a car, so there's no permit to order. Bring the physical card.
Can I take a rental car from St. Thomas to St. John?
It depends on the company, so ask when you book. Budget's St. Thomas office allows its cars on the car ferry, and My Car Rental VI doesn't allow sedans on it.
Where should I be most careful driving in St. Thomas?
At turns and when pulling out. The National Park Service says to pay extra attention when making turns, pulling out into traffic or crossing the road.
Where these facts come from
- National Park Service, "Basic Information", Virgin Islands National Park, on keeping left and on turns and pulling out.
- National Park Service, "Frequently Asked Questions", Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, St. Croix, on keeping left across the US Virgin Islands.
- National Park Service, "Directions", Virgin Islands National Park, on the car barge to St. John.
- U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, "Travel Tips & Frequently Asked Questions", on the 90-day license, seat belts and phones.
- U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, "St. John Car & Jeep Rental Tips", on steering wheels and St. John's roads.
- Virgin Islands Police Department, "Traffic Advisory for St. Thomas Carnival 2025", on keeping left.
- Discount Car Rental, "St Thomas Rental Car Tips: What First-Time Visitors Need to Know About Driving", on rental cars' steering wheels.
- Budget Rent A Car St. Thomas, "Rental Policy", on the physical license and the car ferry.
- My Car Rental VI, "FAQ", on sedans and the ferry.