Driving in Argentina: Ruta 40, tolls and Patagonia

Overview

Argentina is a country where the road day changes character as soon as the landscape changes. Buenos Aires has dense lanes, one-way streets and paid parking. The long corridors toward Córdoba, Mendoza and Rosario use toll systems. Patagonia adds wind, large gaps between services, gravel and sudden winter restrictions. A route that looks short on a map can require a fuel stop, a surface check and a daylight buffer.

The car is useful for the lake districts, wine country and Patagonia. It is less useful in central Buenos Aires, where a hotel garage and public transport can remove several stressful decisions. Argentina drives on the right and uses kilometres per hour. The national legal defaults below are a starting point; signs, provincial rules and temporary road orders always control the road in front of you.

Licence, IDP and documents

• Convention licences: Argentina’s official guidance says a foreign visitor should carry a valid national or international licence, a passport showing entry or a valid MERCOSUR identity document, and meet one of the recognised convention routes. Licences issued by 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna convention parties can be used for up to one year from entry. Read the official international-licence guidance before travel.
• MERCOSUR visitors: Drivers from MERCOSUR countries have a separate recognition and document framework. The MERCOSUR guidance lists the identity and licence documents to carry and the one-year tourist period.
• When to bring an IDP: Bring one when your licence uses a non-Latin script, lacks Spanish or an agreed convention format, or your rental company lists it as a pickup condition. An IDP supplements the original licence; it does not replace it.
• At the rental desk: Carry the physical licence, passport, entry record, booking, credit card, insurance certificate and the vehicle’s registration papers. Ask the named-driver, border-crossing, gravel-road and tyre rules before signing.
• Age: The legal minimum for driving a car is 17. Rental companies generally set a higher minimum, often with a young-driver surcharge and a minimum licence-holding period. The contract controls the vehicle handover.

Rules that change a road day

• Keep right and overtake on the left. At an unmarked urban junction, the national rule generally gives priority to traffic from the right, but signs and markings can change it.
• Speed: The national law sets 40 km/h on urban streets and 60 km/h on avenues. For cars and light pickups it sets 110 km/h in rural areas, 120 km/h on semiautopistas and 130 km/h on autopistas. An unmarked urban crossing has a precautionary ceiling of 30 km/h, and school or railway approaches can require 20 km/h. See the updated National Traffic Law.
• Alcohol: Argentina’s current national rule is zero alcohol. Do not use a drink-count estimate to decide whether to drive.
• Lights: Dipped beams or DRLs must be on while travelling on national routes, both day and night. In rural areas, use high beam only when visibility and oncoming traffic make it legal and safe.
• Belts and children: Everyone must use a seat belt. Children under ten travel in the rear seat with an appropriate child restraint; the National Road Safety guidance explains the age, weight and height decision.
• Phone and passing: Put a handheld phone away, keep a generous following distance and pass only with a clear view, legal markings and room to return. A long empty straight can still hide a vehicle, cyclist or animal.

Buenos Aires traffic, parking and tolls

Driving from Ezeiza or Aeroparque into the capital is a separate task from a Patagonian road trip. Use a confirmed address, save the access route offline and expect lane changes around interchanges. If the itinerary begins in the city, collect the car after the urban sightseeing days or choose accommodation with a garage.

In CABA, paid parking is concentrated in named neighbourhoods and uses the Blinkay app. The city’s parking page lists the current paid area and hours. Read each sign, keep the plate number handy and avoid bus stops, yellow lines, ramps and tow-away areas. A ticket or a quiet-looking kerb does not override the sign.

Tolls are corridor-specific. National concession notices cover routes such as the Buenos Aires approaches, Buenos Aires to Rosario and Buenos Aires to Córdoba, while other provincial operators use their own arrangements. The official TelePASE service says foreign drivers can register a foreign plate and international card. A rental car may already be associated with a tag, so ask:

1. Is the plate or tag already registered?
2. Are cash, card and manual lanes still available on the route you will use?
3. Does the company add a processing fee to every passage?
4. How are free-flow or plate-read passages shown on the final invoice?

Keep the route name, date and toll receipt until the deposit is released. Check the Vialidad Nacional route and toll pages shortly before a long departure because tariff tables and collection systems change.

Ruta 40, the Seven Lakes and Los Glaciares

Ruta 40 is a national route, not a single road surface. The official Seven Lakes guide describes a 96-kilometre paved scenic section between the Nahuel Huapi and Lanín national parks. That is a helpful, manageable first Patagonia drive. It does not describe every kilometre of the route toward Santa Cruz or Tierra del Fuego.

Before each stage, check the live national route status. Save the route number and affected kilometre markers, then compare them with the rental company’s surface permission. A navigation app can offer a shortcut that uses gravel, a seasonal branch or a private road.

The Los Glaciares access plan illustrates the difference between a trunk road and a park branch. The park authority identifies Ruta 40 as the main approach, RP 11 toward El Calafate, and separate branches toward the glacier and El Chaltén. It also warns that some central approaches turn to poor gravel. Read the current Los Glaciares access and parking guidance, then confirm park entry, opening hours and parking before leaving town.

For a long Patagonia day:

• Put the fuel stop on the itinerary before the landscape becomes empty. Fill up in a staffed town when the tank still has room for wind, detours and a closed pump.
• Leave the room and the luggage plan flexible. A 200-kilometre stage can become a full day once viewpoints, park queues and a slow gravel surface are included.
• Treat wind as a driving condition. Slow down before a gust reaches a high-sided vehicle, keep space beside the doors and park clear of loose objects.
• Keep water, a warm layer, food, a headlamp, a paper address and an offline map inside the cabin. Mobile coverage is uneven outside towns.
• Never stop on the carriageway for a photograph. Use a signed pull-off and leave the road edge clear for buses, recovery vehicles and passing traffic.

Fuel, vehicle choice and insurance

Fuel is commonly labelled nafta for petrol and gasoil for diesel. Cities and principal routes have more options; southern Patagonia has longer gaps and occasional single-station towns. Ask the rental desk which stations accept foreign cards and whether a temporary card authorisation is expected. Download the YPF station map or save two alternatives before leaving a city.

Choose the car from the confirmed surface, not from the scenery in a brochure. A compact car can suit the paved Seven Lakes corridor. A remote gravel branch may need higher clearance, a full-size spare and written permission. Four-wheel drive does not cancel the need to slow down or check a closure.

Read the insurance exclusions line by line. Tyres, glass, underbody damage, wind damage and unpaved-road use may be handled differently from collision damage. Photograph the tread, wheels, spare, fuel gauge, glass and bodywork in daylight. At return, ask for an attended inspection and keep the signed condition record.

Electric charging is growing in major cities and tourist centres, but it is not a dependable assumption for a long southern loop. Check the connector, opening hours, payment method and backup distance for every planned charge. A petrol or diesel plan with a reserve is still the simpler choice for remote Ruta 40 stages.

Winter, gravel and route decisions

Vialidad Nacional’s winter plan covers thousands of kilometres in Patagonia and Mendoza. Its advice is practical: read the daily route report, check the forecast and the car’s brakes, lights and heater, avoid night travel in snow, and keep the tank full. The winter-maintenance guidance also notes that chains or studded wheels can be required when the competent authority orders them.

Ask the rental branch whether chains are supplied, which wheels they fit and whether the contract allows the vehicle onto the route. If snow, standing water, crosswind or darkness removes your margin, turn around at a legal place. A prepaid excursion or hotel reservation is not a reason to continue onto a closed or unsafe road.

Emergencies and roadside recovery

Argentina’s emergency numbers vary by province. The national health guidance lists 107 for Buenos Aires City and many provinces, 911 for Buenos Aires Province and 106 in Neuquén. Save the local number for each region, and use the rental company’s roadside line for a breakdown.

Service	Number	Use it for
Medical emergency	107 in most listed provinces	Injury or urgent medical assistance
Buenos Aires Province emergency	911	Police and emergency dispatch in the province
Neuquén medical emergency	106	Medical assistance in Neuquén
National route information	Check Vialidad Nacional	Road status, closures and incidents
Rental roadside assistance	On the rental contract	Breakdown, tyre or recovery request

The official emergency guidance recommends giving the exact location, injuries, number of people and hazards. On a remote road, move the car fully off the lane if it is safe, turn on hazard lights, keep people visible to approaching traffic and do not leave the vehicle to walk for fuel or signal unless local responders advise it.

Sources and review date

This page was reviewed on 17 August 2026. Legal and document details were checked against Argentina’s international-licence guidance, the MERCOSUR licence page and the updated National Traffic Law. Road, toll, winter and park planning were checked against TelePASE, Vialidad Nacional route status, winter-maintenance guidance, the Seven Lakes route guide, Los Glaciares access information and the Buenos Aires parking page. Recheck route status, tariffs, park access, weather and rental terms for your travel dates.

Related Argentina guides

• Argentina rental cars, tolls and Patagonia roads
• Argentina Seven Lakes: a seven-day road trip
• International Driving Permit guide
• Car rental insurance guide

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