Car Rental in Turkey

Hi! My name is Daniel. I’ve been traveling for over 10 years and visited 36 countries. Almost all of them I’ve experienced with car rentals.

Of all the countries I have visited, Turkey is my favourite. But I look at it not as a five-star hotel, an excellent beach and Ultra All Inclusive food format.
I prefer to rent a nice car and go along an excellent road to watch something interesting it terms of places or architecture.

For me, it’s like the variation of an old saying: “Without a goal, without a plan, without a final destination. Only me, several hundred horses under the hood and the road that is going somewhere beyond the horizon.”

But the article is not about that. It’s about renting a car and ways to save money on it. And how exactly you will use the car is entirely up to you.

It’s up to you. You can travel all over the country, or you can just drive to the nearest seesights, paying 3-5 times less for it than for tours in Turkey. Both options are good!

Are you interested in details and advice from an “experienced” guy? Well then read on.

Where and how to rent a car in Turkey?

Over the years of traveling around Turkey, I’ve collected a small selection of reliable websites where you can get a good, decent car without much effort:

1. Localrent.com — they help you find a car from small Turkish companies. A unique marketplace with strict selection of companies, friendly English-speaking support and reliable customer protection.

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   What’s good: I’ve never had any problems with cars rented through them in Turkey. Once in Montenegro, the distributor began to do something shady. I wrote to Localrent and they sorted out everything without my involvement.

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   The prices on their website are not only lower than those of international brands, which is logical. It is even cheaper here than if you go directly to the supplier. Why so — I do not know. But a fact is a fact. I checked it myself and was very surprised.

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   You can rent a car here without a deposit and without a credit card. And the deposits themselves are often much smaller than on other sites.

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   This site has the simplest and most understandable user interface without pitfalls, small print and various “tricks”. They are more honest. I can describe it like this:

If you scratch a car rented through Localrent.com, everything will be “ruled out” in fairness. And if you take it on other sites, at best, the situation will be resolved according to the law. You understand what is best for you.

As a result, I use Localrent.com about 70-80% of the time.

• International Brokers. Those are Discovercars, Rentalcars, Economybookings. Everyone is doing pretty much the same thing. They receive huge “wholesale” discounts from car rental companies. And then they resell the cars to you cheaper than if you take it directly at the small car rental company. You may say they share the discount with you.

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  What are they good at: you can find cars from international brands with good European service. Usually these machines are slightly more expensive. But not always. Sometimes you can find very interesting options. You need to check all 3 sites. Prices for the same car may vary.

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  I used these sites actively before Localrent.com entered the Turkish market. Now I book here less often, because it usually turns out a little more expensive.
• «Direct» rent from the local companies. Oddly enough, a rather bad option. Arriving in Turkey in the summer, you suddenly find that there are no available cars. They are all scheduled between tourists who booked online. And right now they can only offer a convertible or BMW. At triple the price.

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  You can try to book a car online. But almost always, some kind of prepayment fraud begins. Or they book a car without prepayment, and then give out a completely different one: worse and more expensive.

But the worst thing is that you won’t know in advance is it a good rental or some kind of crooks in front of you.

They can also deceive you, taking fines almost more than the cost of rent.
The most annoying thing is when next year you directly come to an already “tested” rental company, where you rented it earlier through Localrent. And they don’t treat you that well. They cheat, offer unfavourable conditions and greatly inflate the price.

Why is that — I don’t know. I have a feeling that Localrent tightly controls them and does not allow to offend their customers. The case when it is better to have someone to stand behind you.

• «Direct» rent from the international companies. In general, a solid option. Nothing to criticise it for. You’ll fet the same car and with the same service as when renting through brokers or aggregators.

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  But why? Brokers like Economybookings, Rentalcars or Discovercars are really cheaper. Sometimes by 5%, and sometimes by 30%. What’s the point of paying more?

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  Just one of the beautiful places to visit with a rental car. It's called Erciyes Mountains, that are even more beautiful in winter.

This is how my personal rating of rental companies in Turkey came out. It is based on the experience of 23 rentals in Turkey over 11 years. And I don’t know how many times I took a car in other countries. I can’t even count.

What do you need to rent a car? Will they give you a car?

The terms of the lease for each car will be different. Only Localrent.com has standardized them for each of its vehicles. Therefore, I will explain it on their example. To get a car, you will need:

• Passport.
• Driver license.
• You are over 22 years old.
• You got your driver’s license at least 2 years ago.
• Any bank card for prepayment.

Turkey does not require international driver’s license. National ones are enough, but they have to be duplicated in Latin (English letters).

On Economybookings, Rentalcars or Discovercars websites, conditions will be slightly different for each car. Just click on the button “Terms of rent” or “Important information” and read carefully.

There could be anything. Someone issues cars even to very young drivers. Others require an age of 25 and 5 years of experience. So compare before booking.

Is it possible to rent a car without a deposit, franchise and credit card?

The deposit can be paid with any card. On Localrent, it doesn’t matter if it’s credit or debit card, which payment system is used it and what’s your country of origin. Discovercars.com, Economybookings.com and Rentalcars.com do not require that you pay with a credit card too, but your card should have embossed (raised) symbols.

But when receiving a car, nuances may arise. Most distributors prefer not to deal with cash, but “freeze” the deposit on the bank card. And for this you need a credit card in the name of the person who renting a car. That is, it should have three-dimensional characters and your name.

If you don’t have a credit card and you are too lazy to get one for this trip alone, you can take a car with cash payment. Or no deposit at all.

Only Localrent.com allows this. Set up filters like this:

• Cash payment. You can pay in cash for deposit and the cost of rent. To make a prepayment, you still need at least some kind of bank card.
• Without a deposit. No deposit needed. The rental price can be paid with any card (except for Russian ones, of course). Either debit or credit cards. Some distributors may accept cash payments, but not 100%.
• Cash payment + No deposit. Choose this combination of options if you don’t even have a debit card and don’t want to leave a deposit.

Why is it worth renting a car without a driver in Turkey?

Because it is the most convenient and cheapest way to see the country. And it doesn’t even really matter which route you choose:

• Istanbul → Izmir → Antalya → Cappadocia → Istanbul route, with a stop at interesting places along the way (more than 2500 kilometers, two weeks).
• Or you just want to travel around the area while relaxing on the coast.

You will be given a car even without an international driver’s license. The roads are good. The traffic rules are understandable and the police are not biased towards tourists. In the city centers, inexpensive parking lots are located, where there are always free places and a valet. And a couple of blocks away from popular places you can leave the car for free.

And most importantly, car rental in Turkey is cheap compared to all other ways to go somewhere and see something.

Low prices for car rental in Turkey

Car rental in Turkey is quite inexpensive. Especially if you just want to see the country. It would be a great idea to fly to Antalya in the spring and have a good ride along the coast. Yes, it will be cold to swim in the sea. But the vacation budget will turn out to be two times lower than in August:

• Car rental in August starts from 35 € ≈ 36.75 $, 30.1 £, 135.1 Dh, 638.4 ₺ per day. I checked the price on Localrent.com, you need to look for a car in advance. And in April, you can rent a good car there even for 12 € ≈ 12.6 $, 10.32 £, 46.32 Dh, 218.88 ₺ per day. That’s three times cheaper!
• Almost the same situation with hotels. Compare yourself on Booking.com how much the same room costs in summer and spring. The difference is great.
• There are also many discounts on excursions with guides in the spring. But they are smaller. Usually it is 10-30%, which is also a lot, by the way.

The weather is good in spring. There is no sweltering heat yet. You can relax for almost a month and it will be cheaper that just a week in August.

What determines the cost of car rental?

Car rental rates depend on many factors. Main ones:

1. What car do you need? The larger, more comfortable and premium the car, the more expensive it’ll cost. And if you take a large crossover, you will also have to spend money on gasoline. I’m not even talking about convertibles.
2. For how many days do you rent a car? Renting for a week is more profitable than for one day. The price per day will be significantly lower. It’s like a bulk discount.
3. Where do you pick up and return the car? There are a lot of cars in some cities and this pulls the price down. Antalya and Istanbul, for example. Other cities have so few cars that they’ll have to get it from the nearest large city. And this is a paid option.
4. When do you rent a car? Demand is high and cars become 2-3 times more expensive in summer. In winter, spring or autumn, there are few tourists and cars are given out for a penny.
5. What kind of insurance do you want? Maximum insurance often costs almost more than the entire car rental. And TPL is given for free.
6. Early booking. The sooner you start looking for a car, the cheaper it will be. In the summer, you should take care of the search at least two weeks before the start of the vacation. Ideally, book a car a month or two in advance.

Parking lots, gas stations, roads and traffic rules

It is comfortable to drive rental cars in Turkey. Everything is ready for your comfort:

• Parking lots. There are paid parking in the centers of major cities and near the most popular sights. The price is about 0,25 € ≈ 0.2625 $, 0.215 £, 0.965 Dh, 4.56 ₺ per hour. There are enough places to put your car. You pay to a live person, no need to deal with the parking meter.

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  You can also park for free, but a little further from the center.
• Roads. Excellent asphalt, clear signs. Even in the wilderness. Lots of tunnels so you don’t have to wind through the mountains for a long time.
• Familiar road signs. Only the STOP sign can be confusing, as it’s signed as DUR. But it matches in terms of form and red color.

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    Typical Turkish road. Decent asphalt, good road markings and a tunnel so that you do not have to wind through mountain serpentines.

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    Turkish version of the STOP sign. Signed as DUR. Works similarly.

• Gasoline and diesel are relatively inexpensive. For example, the petrol 98 will cost about 1,05 € ≈ 1.1025 $, 0.903 £, 4.053 Dh, 19.152 ₺ per liter. Which is much cheaper than in Europe. There are a lot of people at gas stations. Feel free to fill anything and in any quantity.
• Traffic Laws are practically indistinguishable from the usual. In the city you can drive up to 50 km/h. On the road – up tp 90 km/h, on the road with at least 4 lanes – up to 110 km/h, on the highway – 120 km / h.
  There is no penalty for exceeding speed limits less than 10%.
• Police in Turkey sort of like “watchful”, but they don’t focus on tourists, and don’t sit in ambush. They stand open and can stop you to check documents.
• Traffic on the roads is rather calm. If you live in a metropolis, there will be no difficulties even in cities. And outside the city it’s easy even for beginners.
• There are many attractions outside the city and they are varied. From ancient ruins to beautiful mountains, lakes or beaches. There are places to go.

In general, driving around the country is very pleasant.

Disadvantages of car rental in Turkey

Of course, there is always a fly in the ointment, one way or another. Now I will talk about the shortcomings of car rental in Turkey that I encountered:

1. Toll roads, tunnels and bridges. I don’t even know if it’s negative. There is always a free alternative. The payment is small, I don’t even remember the last time I paid more than 1-2 € ≈ 1.05 $, 0.86 £, 3.86 Dh, 18.24 ₺ for a ride. And it saves a lot of time.

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   Only the Osmangazi or Canakkale bridges are expensive (about 12 € ≈ 12.6 $, 10.32 £, 46.32 Dh, 218.88 ₺), but they are useful. They’ll save you at least 3 hours of travel. It’s good. There are several roads here with a price of more than 10 € ≈ 10.5 $, 8.6 £, 38.6 Dh, 182.4 ₺. But they are straight up long and save a lot of time and fuel. There is a free alternative. But it will be more expensive – you will spend a lot of time and a dozen or two liters of gasoline.

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     Entrance to the toll bridge of Sultan Mehmed Fatih in Istanbul.

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     There are not always such traffic jams. But there are usually a lot of cars.

   If you rent a car, there is no problem with paying for roads. All of them are equipped with special HGS boxes. Just remind the rental company to activate it. Even if suddenly something does not work, you have, as I recall, 15 days to pay the fare. Managers will help with this.
2. Turks drive chaotically. It’s a little annoying at first, but then you get used to it. They can run red, they can cut, they don’t slow down in front of pedestrians. The latter is dangerous if you let pedestrians to come through – they can hit you into the back. You have to watch the mirrors. Some guy can suddenly “appear” from behind.

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   In general, be careful even if you are calmly driving at a green traffic light. A Turk can even fly off the side of the road – to bypass the traffic jam.

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   It’s easier to drive outside the city. There are almost no problems and you can enjoy a good road and beautiful views outside the window.
3. Traffic lights in major cities are set up rather strangely. There is no so-called “green wave”. Sometimes every 100-200 meters you have to stop on red. There are traffic jams because of this, and some drivers lose their nerves and they begin to drive even if the red is on.
4. There will be no guide. I have to admit that it will be more interesting to go to Ephesus with a guide than by car. So they will explain to you what all these picturesque ruins are famous for. But they’ll charge 3-5 times more than a trip in a rented car cost.

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   I personally went to Ephesus with Ilmira for 730 € ≈ 766.5 $, 627.8 £, 2817.8 Dh, 13315.2 ₺. Yes, the tour was great. The guide is very interesting. I learned a lot about what I actually see and how this place used to be. But if the vacation budget is limited, I prefer to drive around by car for this money.

Despite these small disadvantages, I can say with confidence that I will continue to travel around Turkey in rented cars. It’s a pure thrill. Much better than bus tours. Even trips with guides, for all their fascination, are in second place for me. Maybe because of the high price.

Step-by-step instructions for car rental in Turkey

Thinking about renting a car for the first time and don’t even know where to start? Well, let’s try to lead you through all the cheap tricks and pitfalls.

We start by opening all popular car rental sites:

And now we will compare different options, choosing the best one.

How to choose a car for rent?

Select your car according to the budget and task. Everything is clear with the budget. In theory, I want a Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Passat or Mercedes-Benz E class.

And purely in terms of performance, this is a very good choice: comfortable large cars with a powerful engine, excellent handling and 5 stars in EuroNCAP. I am sure that my wife and I will be very comfortable in such cars.

But after looking at the prices, I understand that it’s worth to look again at my Wishlist and rent Citroen C-Elysee. It’s cheaper. You can take it for the whole holiday for only 350 € ≈ 367.5 $, 301 £, 1351 Dh, 6384 ₺. For this money, “premium” cars are available for only a couple of days.

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  If there is no "extra" money for rent, you can choose a "simpler" car.

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  The view from the window is still amazing. Here you can see the Taurus Mountains.

If the budget for car rental is limited, you should choose wisely:

1. Manual or automatic transmission? In Turkish car rentals, about half of the cars with manual transmission. Because it’s cheaper. Yes, sometimes it saves only 5%, but for many, even such a small saving will be a decisive factor. And sometimes you will save 50%. Depends on what kind of car you are looking for.

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   I drive an automatic transmission. And I rent a car only with such gear. If you are used to driving a manual transmission, take it. “Retraining” on a rental car is a so-so idea. You will need to feel the dimensions and the other rhythm of the road, don’t overwhelm yourself with different transmission too.
2. Subcompact, sedan or crossover? Depends on why do you need a car. Each car type will have its pros and cons:
   • Small car: it’s cheaper and easier to find parking. Low fuel consumption. But it will be tight inside. Especially for tall people. It have small trunk – so suitcases will not fit in. The air conditioner often does not cope with the heat. If you go to the mountains, the car may not be powerful enough.

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     As for me, a small car is worth taking for short trips to the beach.
   • Sedan: As for me, the best option for Turkey. Sufficiently spacious and comfortable car, adequate fuel consumption, reasonable price. I almost always rent sedans for my trips.
   • Crossover: big car with lots of space. But it costs more and consume more gasoline. It makes sense to take it only if you plan to go to the mountains or places where there may potentially be no good roads.
   I want to clarify right away that you can easily drive to most popular attractions by any car. Even on the three-door car.
3. Price category. Having traveled on different cars, I came to the conclusion that it’s worth focusing on which car you usually drive:
   • The car that is cheaper than yours. Only if you need to save money. After all, you will spend half of the day on the road. And it would be nice not to listen to the whining of the family about uncomfortable chairs and how cramped they are.
   • Car that costs as yours. Good option. Everyone will be comfortable enough and you will not have to overpay much.
   • More expensive car. If you need a car for only 3-4 days and plan to travel a lot, you should take a cool car. The money you spend for a few days will not be so big, but you will enjoy driving a brand new BMW. And the wife and kids will love it.
   Personally, I try to avoid very cheap cars. They often have problems. Either it’s crowded, sometimes the suitcases don’t fit, or the air conditioner doesn’t work.
4. Is it worth it to take a convertible? If budget allow, absolutely. There is nothing better than a ride along the sea in a convertible. But if you haven’t free money, then it’s better to take a regular car for the whole vacation than a convertible for 2 days.
5. What engine size to take? In Turkey, big engines are not very common. And in recent years, this indicator doesn’t reflect so clearly how well the car accelerates.

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   However, I rent cars with an engine of 1.4 liters and above. Otherwise, there is a risk that even with a couple of passengers and suitcases, the car will start to “suffocate”. It’s a situation when the car “does not go” and the air conditioner does not cope with heat.
6. Diesel or gasoline? I would not purposefully look for a car with a specific type of fuel. Yes, choosing a diesel can save a little on fuel. But often you can find a car on gasoline cheaper than diesel. So the total cost will be the same.
7. For how long to rent a car? The more days you rent a car, the cheaper the rental day will cost you. Calculate your route. If it takes at least half of the vacation, take the car for the entire vacation in Turkey.

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   If you get a car right at the airport, you will save on transfers. It will be possible to alternate tiring 400+ kilometers trips with rest or short trips to gorgeous beaches outside the city.
8. What year of manufacture to choose? Turkey does not have this problem. In normal rentals, you’ll have to try very hard to find a car older than 10 years.

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   I don’t remember that they ever gave me an old, “wrecked” car. And I traveled quite a lot and took cars from a variety of offices.

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   The only focus point – beginners should avoid brand new cars. It is likely that you will scratch the car or make a dent. When the car is more than 2-3 years old, repairs will be cheap. But for the damage to a brand new car, you will have to pay a tidy sum.

When to start looking for a car?

The ideal time is right now. The sooner you start looking for a car, the cheaper your rental price will be. Especially if you are going on holiday in the summer.

I’ll explain why this is the case:

1. While renting online on websites like Localrent.com, Economybookings, Rentalcars or Discovercars people first take the most profitable cars. What I mean, they take the cheapest cars or optimal in terms of price / quality.

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   The best options are taken about a month before the start of the holiday. In two weeks, just good cars begin to “disappear”. If you decide to look for a car “for tomorrow”, you will overpay at least 1.5 times. Or even more.
2. Rent a car “on the spot”. Not good at all. Believe me, I’ve tried more than once and it always ended sadly. In summer, all options have long been scheduled between tourists who booked online. So they can only offer you a convertible or a premium car.

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   The trick is that most rental companies are well aware that you still need a car. That is why they calmly give the triple price tag. And people have to agree.

I also noticed that Turkish distributors are pretty good at long-term planning. First, they set adequate prices and create a kind of “backbone” of bookings. And closer to the summer, they gradually raise price, getting small excess profits and filling the spaces between bookings that were made earlier.

Which insurance to choose?

There are quite a lot of insurance options in Turkey. But the most common ones are:

• TPL is given with all cars. If you are not to blame for the accident and the culprit did not ran away, you should not pay anything.
• TPL + CDW. Comes free with some cars. Even if you are at fault, the insurance will cover part of the damage.
• TPL + CDW + Super CDW. Even higher protection level. They even pay for damage to wheels, windows and the bottom of the car.
• «Full coverage» — the maximum level of protection, but insurance is quite expensive. Often you pay even more for insurance than for a car itself.

You can see what kind of insurance the car of your choice comes with and how much additional protection costs on booking sites. Just open the car you like and find the “Insurance” section on Localrent.com.

For Economybookings and Rentalcars click the “Important Information” button. On Discovercars — the “Terms and Conditions” button. A box will appear with a lot of text. There will also be conditions for insurance.

Deductible in insurance, what is this?

If you buy a car with CDW or Super CDW insurance, then it may be deductible. It is easiest to explain with examples. Let’s say you crushed the bumper:

• If the repair is worth 100 € ≈ 105 $, 86 £, 386 Dh, 1824 ₺ and deductible is 200 € ≈ 210 $, 172 £, 772 Dh, 3648 ₺, then the insurance company won’t pay anything.
• If the repair is worth 3000 € ≈ 3150 $, 2580 £, 11580 Dh, 54720 ₺ and deductible is 200 € ≈ 210 $, 172 £, 772 Dh, 3648 ₺, then the insurance company will pay 2800 € ≈ 2940 $, 2408 £, 10808 Dh, 51072 ₺, and you — 200 € ≈ 210 $, 172 £, 772 Dh, 3648 ₺.
• If the repair is worth 20 € ≈ 21 $, 17.2 £, 77.2 Dh, 364.8 ₺ and there is no deductible, then the insurance company will pay the whole amount.

That is, the deductible is the amount that you risk in the event of an accident. There are insurances without a deductible at all (ideal one). But they are expensive, and therefore are not always used.

The size of the franchise can be viewed directly on the car booking sites:

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  Most popular car rental websites clearly state all insurance conditions.

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  The deposit size is often equal to the deductible amount on Localrent. But it's not always the case. To be sure, you need to click on the “Insurance Comparison” button and it will be written there.

I want to draw your attention to the fact that each car will have its own conditions for the franchise and insurance. I chose cars at random on the screenshots. So don’t think that Discovercars has the lowest deductibles and Economybookings has the highest. This is wrong.

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On Localrent.com you can rent a car without a deposit, but with big deductible. The way to do it:

This is a slightly non-obvious point. Many people think that since there is no deductible, they do not risk anything. In practice, the opposite is true. They risk even more than others.

If you want insurance without a deductible, you have to check each car manually. Open it, click on the “Comparison of Insurance Policies” button, look to see if there is a deductible and which one. Usually you can only take a “Full Coverage” car without a deductible. And it’s expensive.

Is it worth it to overpay? If you drive around the metropolis for ten years without accidents, then you may not pay extra for insurance. Take the most common TPL. It is better to choose a more interesting and comfortable car for the money saved.

Well, think it through. In a foreign car, and even in an unfamiliar country, you will drive as carefully as possible. What is the probability of getting into a serious accident? And the insurance company won’t pay for small scratches, that’s how deductible works.

And I have never met a green card for traveling abroad in Turkey. Most rentals do not allow to drive their cars outside the country.

Additional rental options

In addition to extended insurance, car rental sites offer other useful options. Some of them are really helpful. Others are either niche or were needed a long time ago.

To begin with, I’ll tell you about the most useful ones that will be at any rental office:

1. Renting a child seat or booster. If you are traveling with children, child seats are a must. They give out only the most basic models. But overall it’s OK.

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   The easiest to find are child seats, not boosters. Boosters are not so popular in all rental companies.

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   Discovercars, Economybookings or Rentalcars usually have all kinds of child chairs, Localrent isn’t so good at it, but there are good options too.
2. Second driver in the contract. So that you and your wife can legally take turns while driving. If you ask me, this is medium utility option. If your wife loves to drive, take it. If not, then you can skip it.

All other options will depend on where exactly you take the car.

As a result, I can say that I consider only renting a child seat and, maybe, a second driver as really useful options. Everything else is rather niche stuff that few people need, but are often included in the “default” price. Keep this in mind when booking.

Car with pick-up at the airport or delivery to the hotel

The easiest way to get a car is at one of the major airports. For example, at the new Istanbul Airport or Antalya Airport. Most often it is free, as there are many distributors based at airports.

Sometimes they ask for a surcharge of 10-20 € ≈ 10.5 $, 8.6 £, 38.6 Dh, 182.4 ₺ for delivery to the airport. This will be seen at the booking stage. You can usually find exactly the same car without surcharge.

On Localrent.com you can ask to have your car delivered directly to your hotel. Quite convenient, especially if you get a car in Istanbul. No need to go through half the city to the office of the rental company.

You can find out how much it will cost to deliver a car to the airport or city you need after clicking on the “Book now” button. It looks like this:

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  At the booking stage, you can find out how much your delivery will cost and at what place they can deliver your car. Here is a rather rare case: you can pick up a car for free at Sabiha Gokcen Airport, at the new airport - for an additional payment of 25 euros.

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  Yes, the office is located on the very outskirts of the city. If you fly to Sabiha Gokcen Airport, it's profitable. If you want to pick up a car in a city or a new airport, look for another option with free delivery.

If suddenly delivery to your place is unreasonably expensive, you can always find exactly the same car from another distributor. And get cheap or even free delivery. Feel free to compare the price of 3-4 cars at once.

Having chosen the place and time of picking-up the car, all that remains is to fill in your contact details and make a small advance payment for the car.

How to take a car from a rental company?

Let’s now fast forward a little. At the moment when you are already in Turkey and, together with a representative of a car rental company, are standing at a nice car, which in 15 minutes can be yours for the next few days. What to do then?

So, one of the most crucial moments begins. You need to check everything and get it right. Usually the manager takes care of all the formalities. But Turks are not always responsible. Therefore, it is recommended to control them. To do this, I have made a step by step guide.

I say once again that the checklist may look scary and complicated, but in practice the process is as simple as possible. It takes about 15 minutes. It’s just better to do everything “wisely” from the beginning than to deal with the consequences later.

How to return the car to the rental company?

Returning a car is always much easier than receiving it. Usually you drive up to a predetermined place, the “receptionist” will go around the car in a circle and nod that everything is OK. If you scratched the car – he will immediately notice it.

Now let’s talk about Turkish peculiarities:

1. What kind of tank should I return the car with? See what is written in the contract. There can be “full”, “as much as it was” or “empty”. You do exactly what is written down there. Otherwise, the cost of the missing gasoline will be taken from you with a double price.

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   The “empty” system is a bit of a scam. Because it is almost impossible to calculate everything in such a way to return the car with an empty tank. You have to give the distributor 10-15 liters. They know about it and count on it.
2. Should I wash my car? If the distributor did not say anything about this when he gave out the car, then the car can not be washed. If the car is very dirty, it is better to wash it before you hand it over. Otherwise, they can take a significant fine.
3. Should I take a photo? I always take pictures and film the car right before I drop it off. Sometimes right in front of the manager. If then they “find” scratches or other damage, there will be proof that I had nothing to do with it.
4. Documents. Ask the distributor to give you some piece of paper that he have no complaints. Not everyone agrees to it. But what if they will? It is better to keep all the documents that you have left after the lease for 1-2 months. Just in case.
5. When the deposit on the card will be “unfrozen”? It is a pure luck. It depends on which bank you have and which one the distributor has. The money can “return” the very next day after the rental. But usually my process takes 15-30 days. The record was almost two months, but it was only once.

• 

  I really like the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge in Istanbul. I will show it from the "beautiful" side.

If you rent a car from a large company (Rentalcars.com, Economybookings.com, Discovercars.com), then if you return it not during business hours, they may ask you to leave it in a special parking lot and will explain where exactly.

Usually the procedure is simple. You arrive at a special parking lot, put your documents in the glove compartment, lock the car and put the keys into a special box.

Try to avoid this if possible. For example, if you want to return your car in the middle of the night, book it on Localrent.com. There, for a small surcharge, a person comes to take the car.

Returning the car “from hand to hand” to the car rental manager is slightly more reliable option. You will definitely not be accused of a dent, which may appear after you return the car. You never know. This is Türkiye.

If you need to return the car at night and there is no one to take it, just turn on the video, go around the car in a circle. Try to “capture” all the places where damage often appears, as you did when you received the car. And then, without interrupting the video, throw the keys into a special box.

Car rental scam in Turkey: what is common, what is not?

There are two opposing opinions on the Internet. Some shout that in Turkey there is a lot of deceit and the Turks do nothing but cheat gullible tourists. Others write that this is not true and that they have never been deceived over the years of travel.

And the truth is somewhere in the middle. The rule for an ideal rent is simple:

Do not mess with assholes and “muddy” offices and everything will be okay. Just don’t be fooled by suspiciously low prices. And look at the reviews.

If you book a car on Localrent.com, Rentalcars, Economybookings or Discovercars, no one will deliberately deceive you. But this does not mean that they will not try to legally capitalize on your mistakes:

1. Inattention when booking. This is especially true for international brokers: Rentalcars, Economybookings, Discovercars and others.

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   The bottom line is that first you see the normal price of the car. And then, during the booking, by default, they add more or less necessary options like “Full Insurance”, and 100% rubbish like “Road Assistance” or “Convenient Rental Cancellation” to the order both. I think they are counting on you not to notice.

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   Such options are expensive (sometimes a car becomes 3 times more expensive!), And there is little benefit from them. You have to be careful and cancel everything that you do not need.

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   At the time of this writing Economybookings has given me the most of this “special offers”. The price of the car was 53,60 $ ≈ 50.92 $, 43.952 £, 196.712 Dh, 930.496 ₺, but if I don’t take off all the “profitable” offers, then it would cost me 151,53 $ ≈ 143.9535 $, 124.2546 £, 556.1151 Dh, 2630.5608 ₺.

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   On the contrary, Rentalcars.com did not try to force too many “options” on me. Well done, guys. But interfaces are constantly changing. Today, some companies are pushing it, and tomorrow others will.
2. Scratches and dents. If the bumper / door is scratched and the insurance does not cover it, you will have to pay for the repair.

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   But exactly how much will depend on the particular distributor. Someone takes purely symbolic money, while others take quite a lot.

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   For example, many distributors from Localrent.com often turn a blind eye to small scratches and dents – they will hand over the car to the paint shop anyway.

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   International companies are more pedantic and require you to pay for literally every scratch you make. But they almost never make you pay for “extra”.

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   Tourists are indignant at situations where they are not to blame for the damage. For example, a pebble flew into glass. Or some “eccentric guy” hit the car in the parking lot and left. Or hubcaps were stolen. But think for yourself. And if it was your car, would you change the windshield at your own expense? That’s why they make you pay for it.

If you book a car through a hotel guide or in local offices, it is likely that you will run into a “deception”:

• They may add scratches to your receipt that were already on the car before you received it.
• You won’t get compensation in case of theft or a serious accident due to tricky insurance.
• The cost of repairing a small dent can be inflated by 2-5 times.
• And a thousand and one more ways, like emptying the tank when you pick up the car, playing games with the exchange rate, and trying to give you a completely different car than the one you booked.

Not all local offices in Turkey deceive tourists. There are also great guys who work honestly. But I haven’t figured out how to tell them apart yet.

How to save money on car rental

I won’t tell you any super-secret methods here. Well, you can’t get a car without risk many times cheaper than its market value. On the contrary, if you see a price significantly lower than the market price, they definitely want to deceive you.

However, it is still possible to save some money. Let me tell you about some ways:

• Manual Transmission. Such cars are cheaper and more fuel efficient compared to the basic automatic transmissions that are usually installed in inexpensive cars.
• Fiat Egea. This is a Turkish assembly car. Similar to Fiat Tipo. Not the best car I’ve rented. But in Turkey it can be rented at the price of a small car. But this is a full-fledged middle class. Yes, and it is a diesel.
• Book in advance. The sooner you start looking for a car, the cheaper it will cost you. Better start booking right now.
• Book in major cities. For example, you want to relax in Alanya. The distributors will ask 50-150 € ≈ 52.5 $, 43 £, 193 Dh, 912 ₺ for the car delivery to the city. But you can pick up the same car at the Antalya airport, where you arrived, for free.
• Transfer savings. Are you coming for just a week? Pick up and book a car with pick up and drop off at the airport. Then you will not have to pay about 50 $ ≈ 47.5 $, 41 £, 183.5 Dh, 868 ₺ for a transfer or taxi to the hotel.
• Compare prices. Check the price not only on a Localrent.com. See what Discovercars, Economybookings and Rentalcars has to offer. Sometimes you can find a car a little cheaper there.
• Take it with a full tank. Returning a car with an empty tank is quite difficult. I’ve never been able to do it. And therefore, several times I gave 10-20 liters of gasoline to rental companies “for free”.

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  The normal fuel policy is “full-full” or “with what amount of gas I get a car, that’s how I return it.” “Empty-empty” is bad.
• Look at fuel consumption. If you plan to travel a lot, you will spend more money not on paying for a car, but on gasoline. Different cars have different fuel consumption. Sometimes you can find budget and small fuel consumption car.

Popular questions about car rental in Turkey

I will answer a few questions that my friends often ask me. Well, at the same time I will explain the things that are asked in the comments to other articles on car rental abroad. They are usually quite similar everywhere.

If you also have questions, feel free to ask in the comments.

Is it possible to get a car in one city and return it in another?

Certainly. But don’t take it as a cheap way to get from one city to another. Most likely, the rental manager will take a taxi to get there too.

That is, saving in this way will not work. It depends on the destination, but usually the return fee in another city will cost about the same as a transfer. So, taking into account the cost of gasoline, you will be in the red.

Why is this option needed then? It is usually used to plan complex, interesting routes. For example, you can fly to Istanbul and pick up a car at the airport there. Then in a week you will pass through half the country. You will return the car in Antalya and stay for another week sunbathing.

So I can’t drive to another city?

Of course you can. Your movements in Turkey are not limited in any way. You can take a car and at least go around the whole country in a circle. The main thing is not to drive on particularly broken roads (roads to all popular places are good) and remember that insurance ceases to be valid as soon as you move off the asphalt.

There is also a nuance with a mileage limit. If there is only 150 km / day, then you can go to another city. But you run the risk of not meeting the limit and overpaying heavily for it. If you plan to go not only to the beach, do not take cars with such restrictions. The price savings are almost always not worth it.

May I visit Bulgaria?

No, you may not. Most likely, these are some Turkish troubles, but over the years of traveling around the country, I have not met a single rental company that would provide a green card for their cars and allow them to travel abroad.

You can’t go to Bulgaria, or to Georgia, or to Armenia. Therefore, you will need to get there by train or minibus, and rent a car there with local numbers. Fortunately, there are detailed instructions on this website:

• Car rental in Armenia
• Car rental in Bulgaria
• Car rental in Georgia

If suddenly, due to some strange necessity, you are going to Syria or Iraq, read the general article on car rental abroad.

How does the “mileage limit” work?

Türkiye is a pretty big country. Many local car rental companies don’t want you to rent a car for 2-3 days and drive it for 2000 km.

Therefore, the “limited mileage” trick was invented. For example, 150 or 200 kilometers a day. This option has both pros and cons:

• Pros: cars with limited mileage are cheaper. If you don’t plan to drive very much or you won’t use the car every day, you may save some money. Well, or you will take a higher class car for the same money.
• Cons: if you have to travel a lot, it will be very expensive.

Vacation canceled: will they return the money?

The return policy depends on the company where you will rent a car, and even on a specific car. For example, they are as following on Localrent.com:

• If canceled at least 24 hours before pickup, you will receive a full refund. Excluding bank charges.
• If you cancel the rental less than a day in advance, the prepayment is not refundable. But this is also not so scary, since it is only 15% of the price of the car. Losing 10-20 € ≈ 10.5 $, 8.6 £, 38.6 Dh, 182.4 ₺ is also a shame, but hardly so critical.

There are no general cancellation policies on Rentalcars, Economybookings or Discovercars. They will be different for each car and each distributor. It is necessary to look at what is written under the buttons “Important information” or “Terms of rent”.

Just press the button and read what is written there. For example, something like this:

Conclusion: as soon as you find out that you are not flying on vacation and you do not need a car, cancel your reservation immediately. The sooner you cancel, the more money you will get back.

Which cities are the most popular for car rentals?

Perhaps the most popular destinations are:

• Istanbul. It’s the most touristic city in the country. Basically, people rent for a long time in order to travel around the country.
• Resorts on the Mediterranean Sea (Antalya, Kemer, Belek, Side, Alanya). There are many tourists and not everyone is ready to stay in a hotel for weeks.
• Aegean Sea Resorts (Bodrum, Marmaris, Izmir). There are almost no good group tours here. People take the car to see at least something.

Most often, cars are picked up directly at airports. Just because it’s convenient. No need to look for a car rental office in the middle of Istanbul. And at the same time you do not overpay for transfers or delivery of the car to the door of the hotel.

At the time of writing, the cheapest cars you can rent in Antalya. It is even more profitable than in Istanbul. But the world is changing fast. It is not certain that this trend will continue for long. Check prices on Localrent and other sites.

What is the best way to plan a travel itinerary in Turkey?

Türkiye is a very large and diverse country. Don’t aim to see everything in one go. Nothing good comes from these ideas.

The only exception is the route Istanbul → Izmir → Antalya → Alanya → Cappadocia → Istanbul with sightseeing of the main attractions along the way. But it only makes sense if you plan to travel around Turkey for about a month. So you have time to swim in the sea and see interesting places. All in all, not a budget option.

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  Ancient Ephesus near the Aegean coast.

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  Alanya. If you go by car, it's not quite on the way, but it's worth stopping by.

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  Cappadocia: rocks and hot air balloons

It would be much wiser to choose one region of interest to you and watch it normally. For example, you arrive in Antalya and look at the surrounding sights. There, for a week or two, you can ride only to the most interesting places. Or, as an option, you can go to Cappadocia for around 5 days.

If you live on the coast of the Aegean Sea (Marmaris, Bodrum, Izmir), you should go to the ancient city of Ephesus and see the library of Celsus and the Temple of Artemis, which is included in the list of the Seven Wonders of the World.

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  A similar picture in Pamukkale can only be taken if you come here by car. If you go with a sightseeing bus, it will be full of people everywhere.

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  Just a beautiful Duden waterfall, which is located literally in Antalya. And there are enough such interesting places in Turkey. No matter how many days you rent a car, there will still be places to go and things to do.

In general, instead of “embracing the immensity”, just look at the immediate surroundings without any haste. This will be enough.

Is it worth it to rent a car on the spot?

To be honest, it’s not worth it. All adequate Turkish rentals put their offers on the Internet. On Localrent.com, Economybookings, Rentalcars, Discovercars and their own websites. And therefore, everything “good” is booked at least a week in advance, or even two.

No one really keeps “extra” cars. It is very expensive. They buy exactly as many cars as they can definitely rent at least 90-95% of the time.

You can only find cars on the spot that other tourists did not want to take for some reason. Usually these are all sorts of unusual cars: convertibles, minivans, premium class, SUVs, luxury cars. It goes without saying that the price tags on them are, well, completely “not for the regular people”.

If it so happened that you forgot to book a car in advance, first go to Localrent.com and look at the cost there. Yes, you can rent a car there for today or tomorrow. Not all cars are available, but in general there is such an option. If you don’t find anything, at least remember the average price.

Well, now you can search for a car rental on the spot. You don’t even have to ask at the hotel. They don’t have their own cars. The manager will simply “stick” his percentage to the price of some rental company.

The most you can do is walk through the nearest offices. You will understand that it turns out to be cheaper to rent on Localrent or similar companies and gladly pay for any car that they can find you by this time.

Is it possible to extend the car rental if you like it?

Depends on when exactly you rent a car. Most distributors are likely to agree, if you rent the vehicle from October to April. It is unlikely that someone else will book your car – you can extend it.

In the summer, most likely, none of this idea will work. All cars are scheduled literally by the minute, and if you extend your rental, someone else may be left without a car. This does not mean that you will be 100% rejected. It needs to be clarified. But the probability that you’ll succeed is clearly less than 50%.

To increase your chances, you need to book the following cars:

• Localrent.com — cars with the addition “or equivalent”.
• Take a car with the addition “or equivalent” on Rentalcars, Economybookings or Discovercars, choose mainly international brands.

Is it possible to return the car earlier?

No problem. But most likely, no one will give you back the money. So returning the car ahead of time makes sense only if your plans have changed dramatically. For example, you have to suddenly interrupt your vacation.

Otherwise, it will be easier if the car just stands in a free parking lot. You never know what happens, maybe you’ll suddenly ou change your mind?

Turkey car rental reviews

I analyzed the reviews on forums and blogs. Naturally, not all of them, but many. And here are the conclusions I managed to draw from them:

1. Almost all tourists are very happy that they decided to rent a car. Many even write that next time they will also take a car.

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   Some are even slightly upset that they did not think of renting a car earlier. It is directly evident from the review how a person feels sorry for the time he wasted on boring bus excursions, or money spent for guides.
2. Many people write that renting a car is much more profitable and more convenient than going on excursions. Especially if you have children.
3. They either drive along the big route “All Turkey at once”: Istanbul → Izmir → Antalya → Alanya → Cappadocia → Istanbul or take cars on the coast to see the sights in the surroundings:
   • Pamukkale, Salda Lake, Taurus Mountains, waterfalls and the city of Mira from Antalya, Kemer, Belek, Side or Alanya. All this can be seen in five days, if you plan to travel literally every day.
   • Ephesus (you will find there one of the 7 wonders of the world) and Pamukkale from Marmaris, Bodrum and Izmir. There is also where to travel for at least 3-4 days.
   • Cappadocia from any popular resort. They even travel from Istanbul. This is a full-fledged route with 1-3 overnight stays in Cappadocia.
4. The rating of branded rentals like Avis, Alamo, Europcar, Sixt, or Hertz in Turkey is higher than in other resort countries like Cyprus, Montenegro, Georgia or Bulgaria. And the reviews are better than most local offices.
5. Feel free to book with Discovercars, Rentalcars or Economybookings. There will be a good car and decent service. I think it makes sense to pay a little extra and take the car from a brand with great experience and a good reputation.
6. They write that local companies (Localrent.com website) practically do not pay attention to small scratches on the bumper and do not fine tourists for them.
7. Tourists recommend booking a car in advance. Because it is difficult to pick up something on the spot: it is expensive and there is no choice at all.
8. There are bad reviews too. As in other countries and about any service. But in Turkey their number is smaller, I guess.

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   As I have said more than once – do not consider yourself the most cunning. Do not mess with crooks who promise a wonderful car for a penny. And you’ll be happy.

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  I was most impressed by the review, where the girl described with incredible enthusiasm how the man proposed to her. He rented a convertible and drove her along the coast. And he gave the ring when they rode in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia. This will definitely be remembered for a lifetime.

Other people’s reviews are, of course, very good. But I figured out how to make them even cooler. Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments. Help others!

I think this is the end of the article. I’ve already told almost everything I know. There are all sorts of subtleties and nuances that few people will be interested in. But if I suddenly forgot something – ask in the comments. That’s what they were designed for. I will try to answer everyone as much as possible.