Prado Rent for the Northern Areas: Daily Rates Explained

Prado rent for the Northern Areas runs from about PKR 12,000 to 25,000 a day with a driver in 2026, depending mostly on how old the car is, and fuel is usually charged on top. A Prado earns that price in winter, on snow, and on rough tracks such as the one across Deosai. On the paved roads to Hunza, Skardu and Naran in summer, a sedan covers the same ground for a little over half the total cost.

This guide explains what drives the day rate, what a week in a Prado really costs once fuel is added, where it is worth having, and the cheaper ways to get the same trip.

What does a Prado cost per day?

Rental firms in Islamabad, Lahore and Skardu published these Prado rates with driver in 2026:

• Around 2007 models: from about PKR 8,000 to 9,000 a day at one Islamabad firm, and PKR 14,000 at another.
• 2015 models: about PKR 18,000 a day.
• 2021 to 2022 models: from about PKR 12,000 to 13,000 a day at one Islamabad firm, and PKR 18,000 in the city and PKR 25,000 for outstation trips at a Lahore firm.
• Local hire in Skardu: about PKR 12,000 a day for a Prado TZ, with fuel for the firm's listed local routes included.

For comparison, a Land Cruiser V8 was advertised at roughly PKR 22,000 to 35,000 a day, and a Corolla at roughly PKR 7,000 to 10,000.

Two things explain most of the spread. The first is the model year: "Prado" covers everything from a car nearly twenty years old to a recent face-lift, and the rate follows. The second is the outstation rate: many firms charge more for a trip out of the city than for local use, so make sure the figure you are quoted is for the north, not for a wedding in Islamabad.

What a week in a Prado really costs

The day rate is only part of it. A Prado is heavy and thirsty, and on a long trip the fuel can cost nearly as much as the hire.

PakWheels lists the petrol 2.7-litre Prado TX at about 9 km a litre in the city and 11 on the highway. Owners report 6 to 8 km a litre in real driving, and climbing the Karakoram Highway with a full load is harder work than either. Plan on about 7 km a litre. Diesel Prados go further on a litre, but diesel cost PKR 412.12 a litre from 25 September 2026, against PKR 389.28 for petrol, so ask which you are getting before comparing quotes.

A week from Islamabad to Skardu and back, with Shigar, Khaplu, the Kachura lakes and a day on Deosai, is roughly 1,800 km of driving. Here is how the Prado compares with a sedan plus a local jeep for the Deosai day:

These use September 2026 petrol prices and mid-range day rates, so treat them as proportions rather than quotes. The difference, around PKR 90,000 to 100,000, is the price of having a 4x4 on the days you don't need one. Split among four people, that is still more than PKR 20,000 each.

Is fuel included in Prado rent?

Rarely, when you hire from Islamabad or Lahore. The usual arrangements are:

• Fuel at actual cost. You fill up as you go and pay at the pump. This is the most common.
• Full to full. The car leaves with a full tank and you return it full, paying for whatever you used.
• Fuel included. Mostly offered by local firms in Skardu and Gilgit for a set route, such as a Deosai day. Ask what distance the price covers and what happens if you go further.

Whichever it is, look at the fuel gauge when you collect the car, and fill up whenever you pass a proper town rather than running low. Sost is the last fuel before Khunjerab.

Where a Prado is worth the money

Winter. From December to February the Karakoram Highway through Hunza is kept open, but side roads can stay icy for days after snow. Our guide to Hunza in winter recommends a 4x4 with an experienced local driver and snow chains, and a Prado is the obvious hire.

Deosai, in your own vehicle. The road from Skardu is paved only as far as Sadpara Lake, then becomes a stony track that turns to mud after rain. A high-clearance 4x4 is the standard advice. A Prado with a driver who knows the plateau does the job, though most people simply hire a local jeep for the day; our guide to the road from Skardu to Deosai covers the track.

Comfort on long days. A Prado rides the broken stretches and diversions of the Karakoram Highway far more comfortably than a small car, which matters with older parents on a long day. That is a real benefit, but it is comfort you are paying for, not access.

Several rough days in one trip. If your plan has two or three days on jeep roads in different valleys, one 4x4 for the week can be simpler than arranging a string of local jeeps. Price both before deciding.

Where you don't need one

• The main routes in summer. The roads from Islamabad to Hunza and on to Khunjerab, to Skardu, and over Babusar to Naran are paved, and sedans drive them every day of the season.
• Skardu's everyday sights. The roads to the Kachura lakes, Katpana, Shigar and Khaplu are paved.
• Fairy Meadows. Private vehicles are not allowed on the jeep track from Raikot Bridge to Tato; everyone uses the local jeeps. A Prado gets you only as far as the bridge.
• The Naltar lakes. Local advice is to leave your own vehicle in the village and take a Naltar jeep with a driver who knows the track.

Cheaper ways to cover the same trip

1. A sedan all week, and a local jeep for the one rough day. The comparison above shows why this is usually the best value. Local jeep drivers usually know the tracks better than a driver from Islamabad.
2. Hire the Prado locally, only for the days you need it. If you fly to Skardu, local firms advertised a Prado with driver from about PKR 12,000 a day in 2026, sometimes with fuel for local routes included.
3. A seven-seater for a family on paved roads. A Honda BR-V or Changan Karvaan with driver was advertised at about PKR 8,000 to 10,000 a day, and uses far less fuel. Luggage space is the limit.
4. A Hiace Grand Cabin for six or more. At roughly PKR 14,000 to 18,000 a day it carries more people and more bags than a Prado for a similar day rate.
5. A Revo or Hilux double cabin. Advertised at around PKR 10,000 a day by some firms. It is a capable 4x4, but a firmer ride for the back seat on long days.

Our guide to hiring a car with driver for the Northern Areas compares day rates across these vehicles and explains how drivers' allowances work.

What to check before you book a Prado

• The year and the photographs. Ask for the model year in writing and photographs of the actual car.
• That the four-wheel drive works. On an older Prado it is worth asking directly.
• Petrol or diesel, so you can compare fuel costs.
• The tyres, including the spare, and whether chains are provided for a winter trip.
• The driver's experience on the roads you plan to use, not just the motorway.
• The outstation rate, the driver's allowance and how the days are counted.

Is a Prado worth it?

For a winter trip, or a summer trip with several days on rough roads, yes. It is also a reasonable choice for a family that wants one comfortable vehicle for older parents and can afford the fuel.

For a first summer trip to Hunza, Skardu or Naran on the main roads, it usually isn't. The same week in a sedan, with a local jeep on the day you need one, costs roughly PKR 90,000 to 100,000 less and sees the same places. Our seven-day Skardu and Deosai tour includes all ground transport with an experienced mountain driver, the Deosai crossing among it, from PKR 90,000 per person. If you want a vehicle plan worked out around your own dates, start on our trip planning page.

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