A car with driver for the Northern Areas costs roughly PKR 7,000 to 10,000 a day for a Toyota Corolla or similar sedan in 2026, about PKR 10,000 for a seven-seat Honda BR-V, and PKR 12,000 to 25,000 for a Toyota Prado, going by the rates that rental firms in Islamabad, Lahore and Skardu publish. That is the price of the car and the driver for the day. Fuel, tolls and the driver's food and room are usually extra, and on a week-long trip they can come close to doubling the bill.
This guide sets out the rates by vehicle, explains what the day rate does and doesn't cover, works through the full cost of a week to Hunza, and lists what to agree in writing before you pay an advance.
| At a glance (2026) | |
|---|---|
| Sedan, Corolla class | About PKR 7,000 to 10,000 a day |
| Seven-seater, BR-V or Karvaan | About PKR 8,000 to 10,000 a day |
| Toyota Prado | About PKR 12,000 to 25,000 a day, depending on the model year |
| Hiace Grand Cabin | About PKR 14,000 to 18,000 a day |
| A standard day | Usually 12 hours |
| Fuel | Usually extra, paid at what the car uses |
| Driver's food and room | Often a fixed allowance, around PKR 2,000 a night |
| Petrol | PKR 389.28 a litre from 25 September 2026 |
What does a car with driver cost per day?
These are the day rates published by rental firms in Islamabad, Lahore and Skardu in 2026, with the driver included. The passenger numbers leave the driver's seat out.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Rough day rate (2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suzuki Alto or Wagon R | 2 to 3 | About PKR 5,000 to 5,500 | Short trips; cramped for the long drive north |
| Toyota Corolla | 3 to 4 | About PKR 7,000 to 10,000 | Couples and small families on paved roads |
| Honda Civic | 3 to 4 | About PKR 10,000 to 14,000 | A quieter, more comfortable long day |
| Honda BR-V or Changan Karvaan | 5 to 6 | About PKR 8,000 to 10,000 | Families of five or six with light luggage |
| Toyota Prado | 4 to 6 | About PKR 12,000 to 25,000 | Rough tracks, snow, more space |
| Toyota Land Cruiser V8 | 4 to 6 | About PKR 22,000 to 35,000 | The top end of comfort |
| Toyota Hiace Grand Cabin | 10 to 12 | About PKR 14,000 to 18,000 | Joint families and groups |
| Toyota Coaster | 20 or more | About PKR 20,000 to 28,000 | Large groups |
Treat these as a way to judge a quote, not as a price. What you are offered depends on the model year, the season and how many days you book. The year matters as much as the model: a 2007 Prado and a 2022 Prado are both "a Prado", and one Islamabad firm's rates for the two differed by several thousand rupees a day. If you are weighing up the bigger car, our guide to Prado rent for the Northern Areas covers when it earns its price.
Three adults in the back of a sedan is fine in town and tiring on a long day through Kohistan, so a family of five is usually happier in a BR-V.
What the day rate covers, and what it doesn't
The day rate normally covers the car, the driver's wage and a working day of about 12 hours. Almost everything else is on top:
- Fuel, usually charged at what the car actually uses
- Motorway and highway tolls, and parking
- The driver's food and room on every night away from his home city
- Overtime, for hours beyond the standard day
- Charges made per vehicle, such as parking at viewpoints and some park entries
Every day the car is with you counts, not just the days you spend sightseeing. That includes the two days each way it takes to reach Hunza or Skardu from Islamabad, and the days it waits in the hotel car park while you walk or rest. Some firms also count a booking that runs past midnight as another full day, so ask how the days are counted before you compare two quotes.
Is fuel included?
Firms handle fuel in one of three ways:
- Fuel at actual cost. The most common arrangement from Islamabad and Lahore. You pay for what goes in the tank, usually by filling up together at the pump. Keep the receipts.
- Full tank to full tank. The car starts the hire with a full tank and you return it full.
- All-inclusive. One price with fuel built in. Local firms in Skardu advertise this for set routes, such as a day to the Kachura lakes or across Deosai. Ask exactly which route and how many kilometres it covers, because anything extra is charged.
Fuel is a large number on a long trip. At PKR 389.28 a litre for petrol from 25 September 2026, according to PSO's published prices, a sedan managing 12 km a litre on mountain roads costs about PKR 32 a kilometre to run. A week from Islamabad to Hunza with a day up to Khunjerab covers around 1,800 km, which comes to about PKR 58,000 of petrol. A Prado using a litre every 7 km would burn about PKR 100,000 on the same trip. Pump prices change often, so redo the sum the week you leave.
Who pays for the driver's food and room?
You do, one way or another. When the driver is away from home overnight, his meals and his bed are part of the cost of the hire, and firms deal with it in one of two ways:
- A fixed allowance per night, paid to the driver, who then finds his own room and meals. One Lahore firm's 2026 terms set it at PKR 2,000 a night unless the customer provides the room and food; other firms quote more, especially for remote places.
- You arrange it. You book the driver a room at your hotel, or near it, and cover his meals.
Either works, as long as it is agreed at the start. When you book your own rooms, ask each hotel how it can put up your driver and at what cost. In July, August and over Eid, a bed for the driver can be as hard to find as your own.
It is worth doing properly. A driver who has spent the night in the back seat is the same person driving the Kohistan stretch of the Karakoram Highway the next morning.
Hire in Islamabad, or where you land?
There are two ways to structure the trip, and they cost quite different amounts.
Hire in Islamabad or Lahore for the whole trip. You pay for the travel days, four of them on a return trip to Hunza or Skardu, plus the fuel for roughly 1,200 to 1,400 km of driving just to get there and back. In return the car is yours from your front door, you can stop where you like, and you are not tied to a flight.
Fly to Gilgit or Skardu and hire there. You pay for fewer days, and a local driver knows the local roads, the hotels and the jeep drivers. In 2026, local firms in Skardu advertised a Corolla with driver from about PKR 8,000 a day and a Prado from about PKR 12,000, with fuel for their listed local routes included. The catch is the flights: Gilgit and Skardu flights are cancelled for weather often enough that the car may be booked for a day you don't arrive, so ask what happens then.
Some places need a local jeep whatever you hire. Private vehicles are not allowed on the Fairy Meadows jeep track from Raikot Bridge, and for Deosai and the Naltar lakes most people use a local jeep with a driver who knows the track. Leave these out of the car hire and budget for them separately.
A worked example: seven days to Hunza
Here is what a week from Islamabad to Hunza and back might cost for the vehicle alone, with six nights away, a day to Khunjerab, and 1,800 km of driving. It uses mid-range day rates, petrol at PKR 389.28 a litre, a driver's allowance of PKR 2,000 a night and about PKR 2,000 in tolls.
| For the whole vehicle, 7 days | Corolla | BR-V | Prado |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car and driver | PKR 56,000 at 8,000 a day | PKR 70,000 at 10,000 a day | PKR 126,000 at 18,000 a day |
| Petrol | About PKR 58,000 at 12 km/l | About PKR 64,000 at 11 km/l | About PKR 100,000 at 7 km/l |
| Driver's allowance, 6 nights | PKR 12,000 | PKR 12,000 | PKR 12,000 |
| Tolls | About PKR 2,000 | About PKR 2,000 | About PKR 2,000 |
| Rough total | About PKR 128,000 | About PKR 148,000 | About PKR 240,000 |
Split four ways, the Corolla comes to about PKR 32,000 each; for a couple it is PKR 64,000 each. Fuel and the allowance come close to the cost of the hire itself, so compare quotes on the total, never on the day rate.
What to agree before you pay an advance
Most firms ask for an advance to confirm the booking. Before you send it, get the answers to these in writing. A single WhatsApp message listing them is enough.
- The exact car. Model, year, and whether the photographs are of the car you will get.
- The driver. Has he driven the Karakoram Highway, or the Skardu road, recently? A city chauffeur who has never done the north is not what you are paying for.
- How days are counted. From pick-up to drop-off, and what happens if you arrive back after midnight.
- Fuel. Included or not, and how it is paid.
- The driver's food and room. A fixed amount per night, or arranged by you.
- Tolls and parking. Who pays.
- Hours. The length of the standard day and the overtime rate. Agree, too, that there will be no driving after dark on the mountain sections.
- Delays. What you pay for a day lost to a landslide, a closed road or a cancelled flight. Check the Karakoram Highway road status before you set off.
- The advance and cancellation. How much, and what is refunded if you cancel or the car does not turn up.
- The car's condition. Tyres, including the spare, brakes, and a heater that works for the evenings at altitude.
Is a car with driver worth it?
It suits families who don't want to drive the Karakoram Highway themselves, couples who fly in and need a car for the valley, anyone new to mountain roads, and groups of five or six who can split a BR-V or a Grand Cabin. It also removes the riskiest part of a self-drive trip: a tired driver on the way home.
It doesn't suit a group of four with a good car and an experienced driver among them, who will spend a fraction of the money on fuel alone, or a solo traveller or couple on a tight budget, for whom the NATCO coach and local shared vans cost far less.
If you would rather not manage the car, the driver and the hotels yourself, our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour and our Skardu and Deosai trip both include all ground transport with an experienced mountain driver, from PKR 90,000 per person with twin-share rooms. To cost a trip with a car and driver around your own dates, start on our trip planning page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a car with driver per day for the Northern Areas?
In 2026, rental firms published rates of roughly PKR 7,000 to 10,000 a day for a Corolla, about PKR 10,000 for a BR-V and PKR 12,000 to 25,000 for a Prado, with the driver included. Fuel, tolls and the driver's food and room are usually extra.
Is fuel included when you hire a car with driver?
Usually not, when you hire from Islamabad or Lahore: you pay for the fuel the car uses. Some local firms in Gilgit and Skardu quote fuel-inclusive prices for set routes, so check which route and distance the price covers.
Do I have to pay for the driver's food and hotel?
Yes, on every night away from his home city. Most firms either charge a fixed allowance, around PKR 2,000 a night in 2026, or expect you to book his room and cover his meals.
Can a Corolla go to Hunza and Skardu?
Yes. The roads from Islamabad to Hunza and to Skardu are paved, and sedans drive them all summer. You will still need a local jeep for Fairy Meadows, Deosai and the Naltar lakes.
Which car is best for a family of six?
A Honda BR-V or Changan Karvaan seats six passengers on paper, but leaves little room for luggage. For six people with suitcases on a week-long trip, a Hiace Grand Cabin is more comfortable, and its cost per person is often similar.
Is it cheaper to hire the car in Gilgit or Skardu?
Usually, if you are flying anyway, because you don't pay for the four days of driving to and from Islamabad. Weigh that against the flights and the risk of cancellation.
