Car hire in Turkey is very popular among tourists. In this case, you can take a car in many cities. We will talk about our experience, but the rental principle and tips are relevant throughout the country. Our article will be useful to those who take cars in Antalya, Alanya and Istanbul. Also car rental is popular in such destinations as Side, Belek, Kemer, Kaiseri (Cappadocia), Kas. The article is also relevant for these cities.
Car hire in Turkey – our feedback and experience
We have rented cars many times in different countries and we can share our knowledge.
Website for car rental in Turkey
Our articles about car rental in different places:
We lived in Turkey(Alanya) more than a month and decided to look at other cities in the south by car. We were thinking of renting car in Alanya or at Antalya airport.
There are a lot of rentals in Alanya, almost at every step. The airports of Antalya and Istanbul are also have a lot of rentals. Usually we book a car in advance and also advise you to do the same. When you book in advance, you can easily choose different rental options and learn all about the necessary surcharges and insurance.
If you choose a car on the spot or in the hotel – you will surely be offered a lot of additional services and the price will only initially seem small.
Where to book a car:
- Localrent. We used this company to rent in Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece. There were no complaints about renting. They also work in Turkey.
- Autoeurope. We used them in the U.S. They work in Turkey.
- Economybookings. Used them in Romania.
Most often, car rentals are offered by large brokers who work with well-known global brands such as Avis, Europcar, Hertz and others. Localrent works with local medium-sized rentals. On previous rents we liked their quality control very much – the service was impeccable everywhere. Going forward, we booked cars in Turkey, and we were happy.
Popular questions about car rental in Turkey
- Is it possible to book a car without deposit and franchise?
This is one of the most popular questions. Yes, you can. The situation in this case depends on the insurance (about this detail below). If you take full insurance – in most cases, no deposit is required. Without full insurance, a deposit is requested for almost any car. - What driving licence is required for rental?
To hire a car, only a valid national driver’s licence with a transliteration in Roman letters is required.American and Canadian driving license should be additionally supported by international driving permit (IDP). - Do they give cars to young drivers?
Cars give drivers with 22 years of driving experience from 2 years. - Is it possible to take a car at the airport?
That’s exactly what you need to do. The cheapest rental in our case was at the airport. - Is it possible to take a car in one city and return it in another?
Yes, it’s possible, but most likely the cost of rent will increase. The amount will be very significant if you take a car in Istanbul, and return in Antalya (cities are far from each other). If the cities are located nearby, the surcharge for the change elsewhere may be small.
How to find a car
This is very simple. Localrent has a much more convenient site than large rental companies. You go in, you pick a city to rent, dates, and you see the best options. Then there are the details of the choice – the type of insurance, the size of the deposit, the limits on the mileage and so on. Each car has a clear description – the year of production, the cost of insurance, the size of the franchise, the cost of driving to the hotel and even the technical parameters of the car.
What cars can be rented
We were not looking for anything special. In general, in Turkey, very expensive cars with large engine volume, and ordinary cars are also expensive. Therefore, the vast majority of cars in rentals – with engines 1,2-1,6.
The most popular color is white. We got the FIAT Edga 2021 model year, with the petrol engine 1.4 (95 hp) although in the original order was the Renaul Clio with the engine 0.9 liter (or equivalent). Although in other countries Localrent gave us the car that was indicated in the booking. Here was a postscript “analogue”. If there is no indication of an analogue – you will be given the car that you booked.
The most popular cars in Turkey (in rentals too) – FIAT, all French manufacturers, Hyundai. Other brands in rentals are rare.
We liked the FIAT – the 1.4 engine is quite cheerful, the cabin is spacious and the trunk is large. For trips for 9 days it is quite enough.
How to book a car
After you have chosen a car – order is very simple. There are two options:
- Instant confirmation. In this case, you immediately pay 15-20% of the total rental cost. In case of unforeseen circumstances, the reservation can be cancelled and the money will be returned to you. The rest of the booking is paid on the spot (can be bank card).
- Confirmation during working hours. We had this option. We booked in the evening, but the confirmation came in 10 minutes with a link to the payment. After payment, a voucher immediately arrived in the mail.
Book a car in the season you need to beforehand. In the summer, closer to the start of the rent price is rising and the choice of cars is very small.
See our video about car rental in Turkey:
Car rental prices in Turkey
How much does it cost to rent a car in Turkey? The cost depends very much on the season, the number of days, the type of your insurance. We took a car in the winter and the cost was very nice. We paid 144€ for 9 days of rent (16€ per day). At the same time it was possible to take a car at the airport of Antalya from 9€ per day. In summer, the cost can increase 2-3 times (depending on demand).
Note: Do not rush to the lowest price. Check also the terms of insurance. In our car base CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) has already been included and the franchise was small, the cheapest options can only be TLP (Third Liability Protection) and expensive additional insurance. No wonder rentals make more money on insurance than on rent.
Insurance and deposit for rent in Turkey
About the deposit: Most rentals in Turkey ask for a deposit. This is normal. I liked that most cars had option with any kind of insurance (TLP, CDW and Super CSW, full coverage). The most expensive, but the most reliable – take full coverage and then deposit is not necessary at all. The cost of full coverage is quite acceptable – about 10€ per day. In general, the choice of insurance is excellent for any wallet.
We chose an intermediate option – took a car with a CDW, but with a small deposit of 350€. For those of you who think there’s less deposit, I’ll say it’s Antalya Airport. We took more expensive in Alanya, just because we did not want to return to Antalya and waste time on these moves.
How to get and return a car
The process of getting a car was very simple: we came by taxi to the district of Mahmutlar, here we found a cheap rental, where there was a small amount of deposit. You could order a car service to the address, but it cost 15€. The taxi was only 3.5€. We left bags at the apartment, and then we picked it up on the way back.
As soon as we got out of the car – we noticed the guys from the rental and called. We entered to their office and immediately gave them the documents: driver license, passport and credit card.
The contract was signed in a few minutes. At Localrent it is very convenient that the contract template is sent to you after booking and there is no need to waste time, but only need to check the highlights.
The contract was checked, signed. After that, the credit card was charged the final rent (in euros) and deposit (in lire). After signing the contract we inspect the car. Ask, just in case, indicate all scratches. They can even be photographed and filmed on video. Usually, owners know their cars along and across and sometimes mark all the scratches in advance.
In the same documents, where we indicate scratches – note the level of the fuel.
Almost all Turkish rentals are plays the fox – give away the car not with a full tank of fuel.
We had 3 divisions out of 8 and pretty quickly after leaving became 2 divisions out of 8. The trick is that to return cars with the same level of fuel is problematic, usually results more. Rentals use this. We have forgiven them, because the cost of renting in winter was very small. In the end, we returned the car with exactly the same level of fuel.
Roads in Turkey, drivers, police, fines
The roads in Turkey are mostly excellent. We had no complaints at all. Some settlements may have pits, but not in mass numbers.
The situation with drivers is more difficult. Mostly Turkish drivers are bad drivers and do not respect other road users. To break into your row at the start of the intersection – a common thing. And they approach the traffic light already by the roadside and quietly plug in.
There are no pedestrians for drivers in Turkey at all. We read about it in advance and were ready for it. Do not let pedestrians pass, so that the back of you did not hit you. If you decide to skip a pedestrian – make sure that there are no other cars behind you.
In Turkey enough crazy drivers, but most drivers go quite predictably. Personally, I got used to driving just 5 minutes after the start of the trip from Alanya. For 9 days we saw only one accident and it was not serious. I think that the number of accidents here is much less due to the fact that the vast majority of Turks do not drink alcohol at all.
Meetings with police in Turkey
In 9 days we met three times with the police. In all cases we were stopped along with all other cars.
All police officers were very correct and polite. Perhaps they saw that we are tourists. We showed the police our driver’s license and passport and in all cases they did not look at the documents and immediately let us go.
Impressions of the meeting with the police in Turkey are entirely positive. In remote places they do not know English, but in the resort Side policeman communicated with us in English is quite acceptable.
You should not be afraid of the police. Just have the documents at hand and do not violate the traffic rules.
Routes by car in Turkey
In Turkey we really liked to travel by car. For 9 days we looked at a huge number of interesting places. One of the great advantages of renting a car here is the ability to build circular routes. Take a look at our route: we visited Chiraly, Kash, Oljudeniz, Pamukkale and many other towns nearby. At the same time, we had only one long-term transfer in 380 kilometers from Pamukkale to Alanya. Most of the other crossings within two hours.
In total, we have traveled more than 1,300 kilometers.
The concentration of tourist places in the south is huge and we did not see everything. So you will not get tired of long journeys, and focus as much as possible on the rest.
The same circular routes can be built from Antalya, Istanbul, Izmir and other cities. In the case of Istanbul, you will have longer trips. Ideal we would call the start from Antalya – here you can find cheap flights from many countries, here is the cheapest rental at the airport and a large number of attractions within the limits of the car trip.
Fuelling and fuel costs in Turkey
The cost of fuel in Turkey in local currency has increased significantly over the past few years. Therefore, you can rely on prices in euro. The average cost of gasoline in Turkey is 1.5-1.6€ per liter.
You can fill up at any gas station and pay with a bank card. You only need to drive to the column and tell the type of fuel: gasoline or diesel. Next, the gas attendant does everything, you can leave a tip at will. After filling up, you will be given a receipt, with it you go to the cashier and pay. There are no complications.
Car hire in Turkey – total cost of rental
Totally we paid 144€ for the rental. Additional money was spent on gasoline and 1 time on paid parking in Pamukkala (10 lire). Total cost of fuel was 72€.
In total, we spent 216€ for rent of car for 9 days (144€ for rent and 72€ for petrol)
Once again I want to pay attention that this is the prices in the off-season. In the summer, the rental price will be higher.
Navigation for a trip in Turkey
When traveling to Turkey we used Google maps. Convenient that the maps can be downloaded in advance offline and not spend mobile Internet. All the cards on our route took 180-200Mb in the phone memory – quite a bit!
We also used the tourist SIM card Drimsim. With this card we were looking for more information about sights and read reviews about cafes. We did not buy a local SIM card. Drimsim is convenient because it works in many countries and we like the quality of communication. You buy one SIM card and use the Internet in almost most countries of the world.
Our review of car rental in Turkey
For the first time we took a car in Turkey and our trip was very good. Of course, there were doubts about Turkish roads, drivers and police. The roads and the police made a great impression, and we got used to the driving style pretty quickly.
There are a huge number of interesting cities, attractions and historical places that are convenient to visit by car. For 9 days we watched only a small part of them. We hope that we will be able to ride in Turkey more than once. Our readers are advised to have less hesitation and take a car. For rent we recommend to look for cars in the company Localrent – they never let us down.
Enjoy your stay in Turkey!
