Car rental in Turkey

Car hire is becoming an increasingly popular service among tourists holidaying in Turkey. After all, renting a car lets every visitor enjoy the freedom to travel around the country. Most of Turkey's major cities have branches of large international car rental companies: AutoEurope, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and others. On top of that, there are plenty of local operators at work too.

Renting a car costs tourists in Turkey around $40 a day, or roughly $250 a week for an economy-class car. Car hire lets you use the vehicle without any mileage restrictions. The rental infrastructure is especially well developed in resort towns.

The minimum age for renting a car in Turkey is 19. To draw up a rental agreement, you need to have your passport and your driving licence with you. There's also an additional requirement of at least one year's driving experience. Some rental companies also require a cash deposit of up to $500, or a hold placed on a certain amount on the customer's bank card. If the car rental desk operates out of the hotel where you're staying, putting down a deposit usually won't be required.

Unlike many European countries, where a rental car is handed over with a full tank, in Turkey there's only enough petrol to reach the nearest filling station, so it's worth finding out straight away how to get there. It's customary to return the rental car with roughly the same amount of fuel it had when you picked it up.

Once you've picked up your rental car, you can head off anywhere in the country. If you happen to run late and can't return the car by the agreed end of the rental period, it's enough to call the company and let them know you'll be late. In that case, the rental fee will simply be deducted from the deposit.

When taking out insurance on a rental car, pay attention to the clause stating that the insurance payout won't be made if the driver was behind the wheel while intoxicated. If you're in an accident, get a copy of the police report from the officers and contact the company that rented you the car within two days. Outside the resort areas, police officers may not speak any foreign languages, so it's worth making sure you have a mobile phone on hand in advance.