A while back, I drove 3,000km on a Saudi Arabia Road Trip. Solo. And yes, I lived to tell the tale. The roads are excellent, the landscapes are extraordinary, and the driving is genuinely one of the best parts of the trip.
But before I left, the single thing everyone kept raising wasn’t the heat, or the distances, or the driving itself. It was fuel. Friends, colleagues, various people on the internet – all genuinely alarmed about the possibility of me running dry somewhere between Riyadh and AlUla There’s an irony in there given what Saudi Arabia is known for exporting, but alas…
Here’s the honest version: yes, gas stations can be far apart on remote stretches. Yes, the distances are huge. But with a bit of planning, it’s entirely manageable, and I never once felt stranded. These are the things that kept me calm and fully fuelled while driving across the Kingdom.
1. Take cash. Seriously, take cash.
Most remote and highway gas stations in Saudi Arabia only accept cash, or local Saudi cards. International cards are unreliable at best and flatly rejected at worst.
Before every long drive, make sure you’ve withdrawn enough from an ATM in a major city – Riyadh, Jeddah, AlUla. ATMs in smaller towns exist but are hit and miss with foreign cards, and you do not want to be standing at a broken ATM in 40-degree heat trying to work out how to get 50 riyals together.
I heard a story of someone waiting hours in the desert for someone to bring them the equivalent of a few pounds. Don’t be that person.
2. Download offline maps before you leave
Mobile signal across long desert stretches is patchy. There are sections where you’ll have nothing for a long while.
Google Maps lets you download massive areas for offline use – do this before you set off. Honestly do it for the whole area you’re driving for several days. Do it for the whole country if you can. It means you can still see your route, your location, and your pins even with zero signal. Without it, you’re navigating blind and guessing at distances. Not ideal.
3. Pin your gas stations before you drive
Before every long drive between cities, I checked the route for gas stations and pinned them on Google Maps. This sounds fussy until you’re four hours in with no signal and no idea when the next one appears.
The key insight: if you see a station 90 minutes into a seven-hour drive, stop there. Even if you only need a top-up. The next one might be 200km further on. Any you might not make it.
4. Fill up at half a tank. Half is the new empty.
My personal rule the entire trip: when the gauge hit halfway, I prioritised stoping at the next station regardless of how far along I was. Even if I knew there was another in an hour. Honestly, it doesn’t matter.
It sounds overcautious. It isn’t. Remote stretches eat through fuel faster than city driving, and that second half of the tank disappears much quicker than the first. In my mind anyway. Also you never know if a gas station might actually be out of gas (it happens more often than you think). The half-tank rule means you always have a comfortable margin.
5. Use your range display – but don’t trust it completely
If your car shows estimated range in km (or miles), use it actively to plan. I’d check how much range I’d burned in 15 minutes and extrapolate from there to know how I was doing for gas ahead of my next planned stop.
One important caveat: if your gauge says 100km remaining, do not plan to drive exactly 100km to the next gas station on the assumption you’ll be fine. Driving 1km does not always equal being 1km less on the range. I don’t understand the science, but you’ve got to be cautious. Gauges drift, especially at the bottom end. Running a tank completely dry can also affect fuel system performance for a few fills afterwards. Treat the displayed range as a rough guide, not a guarantee.
6. Missed a station? Turn back.
If you pass a station on the wrong side of the road and decide to push on, only do so if you’re genuinely confident about where the next one is.
If you’re not sure, it’s worth turning around at the next legal u-turn point and backtracking. Yes, it might add 45 minutes to your drive. That is a significantly better outcome than spending the night on the side of a desert highway.
7. Ease off the accelerator if you’re running low
If for whatever reason you haven’t been able to do the above, and the fuel situation starts looking tighter than you’d like, slow down. Driving at a slightly lower speed can meaningfully extend your range on long flat highway stretches. Not a substitute for planning, but a useful buffer in a pinch.
8. Fuel grade: 91 vs 95
If your car normally takes 95 octane, you need to know that it’s not always available between major cities. particularly on the routes between Riyadh and the west coast.
Topping up with 91 is fine, including if you already have 95 in the tank. It’s marginally cheaper, and you can switch back to 95 in the next big city with no issues. Don’t hold out waiting for 95 if a station only has 91. I can almost guarantee you will not find one with 95 and you’ll run out while looking. Just fill up.
Should you do a Saudi Arabia road trip?
Yes. Absolutely yes. Even solo. Even as a female traveller. And even as a solo female traveller!
The Kingdom has landscapes that most people have genuinely never seen. Vast desert plains, dramatic escarpments, ancient Nabataean ruins, and roads that go on forever in the best possible way. With a bit of fuel planning, the logistics stop being scary and just become part of the trip.
Check out Visit Saudi for more. I have more Saudi content coming, and this is part of a longer Saudi Arabia road trip guide I’m working on . More coming soon! Keen an eye on my Middle East blogs for more.
Frequently Asked Questions: Saudi Arabia Road Trip
Do I need cash for petrol stations in Saudi Arabia? In remote areas, yes. International cards are unreliable at most highway and desert stations. Withdraw enough cash in Riyadh, Jeddah, or whichever major city you’re departing from before you set off.
What fuel is available on Saudi highways? 91 octane is widely available. 95 is less consistent between major cities. If your car usually takes 95 and a station only has 91, just fill up. It’s fine to mix and you can switch back in the next big city.
How far apart are petrol stations in Saudi Arabia? It varies enormously. On busier routes they’re reasonably frequent, but on remote desert stretches you can go 150–200km between stations. Always pin them before you drive and never assume one will appear when you need it.
Can I use Google Maps in Saudi Arabia? Yes, and you should. It works perfectly. Download the relevant areas for offline use before you leave each city – signal drops on long desert drives and you don’t want to be navigating blind when you’re also watching the fuel gauge.