Guangzhou - Post Report Question and Answers
What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
The requirements for importing your car are so crazy and the public transportation is so good that I would not recommend bringing a car. It's just not necessary. I know very few people who shipped their cars here. Everyone buys electric bikes or gets around on a normal bike. - Aug 2021
Unless you have a family and plan to travel outside the city, a car is not needed. Many officers get a car, and use it so rarely that they only put a couple hundred miles per YEAR on it. - May 2019
Not necessary unless you are a family. - Nov 2018
Only about 50% of people bring a car and you don't really need one. Taxis are cheap and easy to get unless it's raining. Uber is here and also very cheap. It can be handy to have a car to hit the big-box grocery store or go to the airport. Other than that, you can easily get around with a combo of taxi, metro, and trains. - Nov 2015
Something smaller and not too nice- Chinese drivers are kind of crazy and lot are very inexperienced, because most people haven't been able to afford cars of their own until the last decade or so. Last I heard, cars needed to be made within the last five years. I didn't actually own a car while I was in Guangzhou and got around fine, but it can make your life easier to have one. - Aug 2014
Nothing more than 5 years old is allowed. No security problems---no matter how nice a car you bring. There are Ferraris all over the place here. But be prepared to get dinged. - May 2013
Most people get along just fine without a vehicle, but if you choose to have one I think any make will be fine. You see all kinds of brands here. - Apr 2013
None. In a city of 16 million people with very fewrules of the road you don't want to be driving. Public transportation here is wonderful and most of it is brand new. Taxis are also easy to come by and cheap. - Jan 2013
Left-hand drive cars (same as US) and drive on the right (same as US). I would avoid a super small car (Fiesta, Avea, Cobalt). I would want a small SUV or a mid-sized sedan that meets American safety standards for my own protection. - Oct 2011
I see lots of Audis and Mercedes being driven by the military and government officials, so that's probably a good bet for parts and service availability. China is now the world's largest car market, probably anything is fine. Oh, but don't bring anything too nice or shiny -- people drive kind of crazy and you will almost certainly get dinged. - May 2011
Check with GSO, honestly. Regulations change here every month. Just because someone could bring a car here last winter doesn't mean the same car would be allowed now. The Chinese government restricts the use of diplomatic vehicles to a radius in Guangzhou proper, so a lot of people don't bring cars. The roads are well-maintained, however. - Jul 2009
A car is not necessary in Guangzhou. The subway system is very good and cabs are extremely cheap. If you wanted to bring a car something smaller is probably easier to manage. - Jan 2009
