Car rental in Istanbul airport

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Should you rent a car in a megacity? You should definitely do it. Not only can you explore Istanbul by car, you can also visit many great places around the city.

Sapanca Lake, a green paradise of songbirds, cherry trees, and cool spas, is only one hour and a half drive away. Two hours’ drive away is the town of Kıyıköy with an ancient Byzantine fortress, monastery, and caves where pirates used to hide. About a hundred kilometres from Istanbul is the town of Ağva with secluded beaches, green forests, and very photogenic cliffs. Half an hour away is Anadolu Lighthouse with the ancient Yoros Castle and delightful fish restaurants.

This is by no means a complete list of places of interest near Istanbul that are worth visiting by a rental car.

Car rental at Istanbul Airport

If you are travelling to Istanbul by plane, it is best to have your rental car delivered directly to the airport by the time of your arrival. This way you don't have to hail a taxi or use public transport to get to the city with your suitcases. It takes only 15-20 minutes to pick up your car, and you are driving across beautiful Turkey in comfort.

The most popular cities for car hire in Turkey

Traffic regulations

The local roads have four lanes each way, multi-level interchanges, and very good quality pavement. Road signs and markings are the same as in Europe, they are bright and intuitive. You can’t use the special vehicle lanes.

And you can get into a traffic jam in the city only on Friday evenings and Monday mornings.

Toll roads

Expressways, some bridges and tunnels in Turkey are toll roads. Toll rates: expressways - €1-3per 100 km, bridges over the Straits of Istanbul - €1-3, bridges over the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara - €11-18.

They are quite easy to use. The car must be equipped with a transponder or a special HGS sticker. The linked account is charged when you pass through the automatic gate.

Parking

Most car parks in the city are chargeable: municipal parking is slightly cheaper and private parking is more expensive.

You will rarely find available free parking spaces during the daytime. Car parks near shops and restaurants are for their customers. Do not park near residential buildings because usually only residents are allowed to park there.

Petrol stations

There are different petrol station brands operating around the clock in Istanbul. The quality of fuel is the same everywhere, and the price difference is minimal. The petrol stations only differ in additional services. The petrol station does not officially charge for the service but it is considered good form to reward the petrol station attendants with a tip of 1-2 Turkish Liras.

Mobile service

There are two large providers, Turkcell and Vodafone, and a smaller one, Avea. The quality of mobile service is good. To get a local SIM card, go to one of the operators’ offices with your passport.

10 Comments
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Jennifer
16.09.2023 15:07

Good afternoon! What are the rules for transporting children?

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Iryna (Localrent)
16.09.2023 17:42

Hello! Children under 1.5 m tall and weighing up to 36 kg can only ride in the rear seat. A special child restraint system is required for passengers under 135 cm tall.

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Mark
14.08.2023 22:20

Good evening! Do car rentals have mileage limits?

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Iryna (Localrent)
15.08.2023 08:55

It’s different for each car, there are cars with mileage limits and with unlimited mileage. You will see this information when you open the car’s booking page. If your car has a mileage limit, it is the total for the entire rental period, i.e. you can drive more on some days and less on others. Just don’t exceed the total limit.

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Douglas
21.04.2023 19:05

Good afternoon! The time of my return flight has changed, and now I need to change the car drop-off time. How can I do it?

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Iryna (Localrent)
21.04.2023 21:23

Hello! To change your booking details, please send an email to [email protected] with your voucher number in the subject line. In the body of your email, please explain which details you would like to change.

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Margaret
29.11.2022 20:35

Good afternoon! I plan to drop off the car around 4-5 am, is that possible?

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Iryna (Localrent)
30.11.2022 09:38

Hello! You can choose a convenient pick-up time. However, you may be charged extra for an early appointment because this will be an out-of-hours service. Your booking cost breakdown will be displayed before you make the advance payment.

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Nina
24.03.2022 12:50

Hello! Can I add a second driver, if this option is not listed in the car description?

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Iryna (Localrent)
24.03.2022 15:12

Hello! Yes. Please contact us at [email protected], and our customer support specialists will add the required option to your booking.