The island is small, but it is vertical. Almost any drive has a stretch that climbs or drops hard, and the old villages have streets at angles you will not believe until you are on one. A small car with a decent engine is the right choice; automatic if you are not used to hill starts.
The fast road (the VR1 along the south, the VE roads across the middle) is modern, two lanes each way, and goes through tunnel after tunnel. Lights on, sunglasses off. It is the quickest way between towns and it is free.
- Roundabouts everywhere: traffic already on the roundabout has priority.
- Speed limits: 90 km/h on the fast road (100 only where a sign with a sun and "+10" says so, and only when the road is dry), 90 on open roads, 50 in towns. Cameras exist and fines follow the rental company home.
- Parking in Funchal: use the car parks (Almirante Reis by the old town, Anadia, São Tiago, Praça CR7 by the marina). About €2 an hour, €16 a day at most. Street parking is scarce and metered.
- Petrol stations close early in the countryside. Fill up in the towns.
- The old coast roads (ER101, ER222) are narrow, slow and beautiful. Take them when the audio tells you to, not to save time.
- Fog and cloud sit on the mountains most afternoons. Above 1,000 m expect to be inside it. The live webcams in this app (Explore, then Weather & live webcams) show you before you drive up.