Istanbul International Airport car rental

Istanbul International Airport (IST) > Transportation > Car rental
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Car hire companies a customer can apply to at Istanbul Airport

Istanbul Airport is built in the European part of the city and thus, for a customer, getting to its historical center locations or loved destinations, for example, notorious Sultanahmet mall facilities, Galata Tower, iconic Maltepe, or Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Madenler, Ümraniye is not a matter of a walk and it should be hard. The transportation network from Istanbul Airport is well-developed and it includes a couple of transfers a customer can select from. However, a passenger whose flight arrived in IST should pick one of these alternatives and purchase a ticket to use them:

• Catching subway tram as three metro lines go in the vicinity of the airport (these are subway lines M11, M2 and metro M3)
• Hire a taxi (there are several taxis with different categories of car classes).
• Get to a bus station of Arnavutkoy or use the airport’s Havaist bus shuttle transfers to most stations that are boarding from the International flight terminal on the transportation floor 2. Some hotels, like Hilton, also provide bus shuttle transportation for their clients.

Yet, for a family with children, an enterprise business visit group members, customers with heavy baggage, or people with high requirements for their personal comfort and mobility, renting a car right at Istanbul Airport remains the best idea. This refers also to companies of friends or people who rush to their dates or manage to get to a theater program start. Therefore, at the airport, you are welcome to search for the best-suited car rental spot of the official Turkish and international car rental companies so as not to waste time on reservation and, at least, fit the budget.
Today, the following international companies are providing car rental services at Istanbul Airport’s mall:

• Sixt
• Payless Car Rental
• Hertz
• Garenta
• GoldCar
• Europcar
• Elitcar
• Castle
• Budget

All of them provide deals for non-residents who arrive at Istanbul Airport and want to rent a car for their convenient trip to various locations.
Besides, there are national Türkiye car rental providers whose deal conditions are no less profitable for customers and the fleet includes various models from simple sedan options to exclusive limousines. These are:

• Ülger Rent a Car
• Dokay
• Çizgi Rent a Car
• Central
• Cimla & Nissa Rent A Car
• Avis
• Avec Car Rental

You can compare their rates and decide on which deal to choose in terms of economy and convenience just by visiting their website or directly upon your arrival at their airport offices. All these companies and their branches usually might accept your credit card and decide on the deposit which depends, in fact, on the car type and class and the period you want to take a car for. Your driver’s permit may also be required and a valid passport to be shown. Yet, in general, the conditions to rent a car are explicitly clear and you get them written in your car rental contract.
Unofficial disclaimer: please, read the contract thoroughly before signing it as some tricky conditions can lead to extra fees or penalties in case you miss them.

Istanbul Airport car hire rules and terms for non-resident customers

It’s not a hard thing to rent a car at Istanbul Airport after you choose a company to deal with. All you need for a successful and unstressed car rental operation are as follows:

• Your age should be no less than 18 years old proved by your documents.
• Your driver’s license should be valid and preferably of an International type. Yet, it’s not a problem if you have a local license. Just ensure that it has a Latin translation, or you have a notarial certified translation (for example, a license issued in Spain or Greece will require such an addition, as well as cyrillic-written passports while the USA or UK don’t need it.)
• Your driving 2-years or more experience is also obligatory to rent a car legally. People with non-existent experience cannot drive a car as they can create trouble in road traffic.
• Customers must also present their valid passports.

And of course, you have to pay in advance a booking deposit to ensure you return the car safe and secure. It returns to you in the end of your rental time Having all these in your pocket you can rent a prefect car and start your journey on the city roads and become a part of Istanbul traffic.

Istanbul Airport car rental tips

In this guide, we provide more than exact official info about Türkiye car rentals, we also share some tips to make you rent a vehicle easily and seamlessly. Here are some of them for your consideration:

• Better book your rental in advance to save time in queues at the airport mall’s counters and confirm it’s booked tip-top.
• The best idea for booking is to pay with your credit card as it is an additional security guarantee.
• It is recommended not to neglect Türkiye insurance with full coverage to stay protected if the worst-case scenario happens and avoid extra fees after handover.
• Make it a habit to return a car charged or with a full fuel tank at the drop-off moment. The fuel price will be lower than the cost the agencies will take from you for its charge. So, fill it out beforehand.
• Calculate characters and decide on returning a rented car thoughtfully because if you return it even an hour later at the indicated date, the rental company will charge you an extra 24h fee.
• If you have a 1-day one-way layover at the airport, probably it would be advisable to plan it without car renting. You can book a room in the airport’s YOTEL hotel and use the same Türkiye taxis instead of paying high for car rental, for example to get to Sabiha Gokcen airport for another flight. If you have a week or more to spend, renting a car is usually more profitable than hiring taxis.
• Choose a car with a GPS as Istanbul streets offer quite complex traffic, unclear street area signs, and bad asphalt covering which makes you horse back riding, and sometimes, it can be hard to find a route or a good and not-too-long way to the popular worldwide Türkiye architectural destinations like Sultanahmet district’s Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia landmark, Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Maltepe with its picturesque Hilltown club, Kadikoy, Bakirkoy, Basaksenir Siteler, or Taksim Square’s AVM, or similar good places or location and avoid possible street jams. With GPS, it’s at your fingertips!
• Keep in mind that Istanbul drivers likely tend to be notorious and it is better to drive safely within rush hours in the morning and after 5 pm so as not to disobey laws, especially when you drive important highways like E-5 with lots of trucks. Nightlife traffic is also quite harsh.
• Next, select a vehicle that is comfortable yet not expensive. For city navigation from the airport, weekend journeys and mall shopping, minivans, and inexpensive sedans like Renault Symbol Hyundai Sonata or even the small i20 minivan are the most suitable yet top-quality vehicles while SUVs can come in handy for special events to show your status. Consider the number of seats, the space inside, and adequate fuel consumption levels. Hence, prices and a subscription tariff for these cars are lower and they remain an affordable or even minimum option.
• Explore the reviews of other customers in mobile apps and aggregators to see the benefits, explore the licenses and decide on the excellent choice of car rentals service and renting programs based on them.

Car rental frequently asked questions

There is a lot of interesting about car rentals in Istanbul Airport. So, let’s respect your curiosity and answer some FAQs about IST airport car renting ideas in this section of our Istanbul Airport guide.