Key Takeaways & Tips
decide if you really NEED a car or can get around using public transport/uber/taxi/scooter;
if searching in person - walk to different hire car companies (they are everywhere) and ask for the best cash price;
if searching online - shop around and check reviews, also check the broker reviews (if you go through one);
make sure your confident driving! it's not only the wrong side of the road (for Aus) but locals drive like crazy!;
make sure you are insured. Whether that's through the hire car company or your external travel insurance (or both!);
understand your maximum liability if you are to have an accident (don't assume you won't, the roads are madness);
avoid paying with a credit card (if you can);
make sure you have (and carry) your license and international driving permit. We have experienced multiple traffic stops. English is often limited.
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** UPDATE 31st May 2024
We have now returned our hire car after nearly 3 months. I honestly can't believe how quick the time has gone! and that we didn't have an accident! The roads here are good, but the drivers are wild.
I wanted to jump on and give a final update on how returning the car went. We dropped it back yesterday afternoon with nearly no fuel (as we received it). We took it through a carwash on the way (100 lira) and wiped out the inside.
We were advised when we got there that we were meant to return it by 10am (it was on the contract, but we had missed it, I did message to say we would be there in the afternoon and they never said anything. He said it's usually a half-day fee but they would waive it. They had a quick look over the car, took it for a drive and came back and said all good.
We were then charged 300 lira ($15) out of our bond for internal detailing which we thought was fair, it was clean inside but not detailed. The rest of the deposit (2,700 lira) was returned to us via Wise (how we paid initially).
All in all a really good experience with them and we would use them again!
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** UPDATE 10th May 2024
Hi guys - just wanted to give a quick update as our rental is coming to an end. We originally hired the car for 400 lira per day for 75 days, we tried to extend for 5 days now our flights are booked but unfortunately the price went up to 1000 lira per day.
Although it's frustrating I completely understand and wouldn't change anything I have said about the company below. We will well and truly be in high season when we return the car (early June) so it makes sense I was just hoping they would be slightly more accommodating considering we have had the car for so long.
Anyway, just something to keep in mind! Original post below!
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Hiring a car in Antalya was something we discussed but decided if we wanted to be able to drive up to the mountains in Geyikbari every second day to go climbing we really needed to have our own reliable transport. It also meant we could get more affordable accommodation slightly out of the city knowing we could easily get around.
We looked at staying in Geyikbari (mountains, where the climbing is) but even in the climber's bungalows/campgrounds it was more expensive than anticipated and there's not much there for us to do in our downtime (so we probably would have still needed a car). It also meant being limited to the crags we could walk to and there was a plethora of climbing around that we wanted to explore beyond walking distance (with a baby).
Antalya as a city is well connected, there's lots within walking distance if staying in the city as well as well connected public transport, ample taxis and escooters everywhere. Uber operates through the taxis. There is also a bus that runs twice a day up (and down) to/from Geyikbari.
We first walked around Antalya city center and got prices with car companies for long-term hire. We were basically asking for the cheapest car possible for 2.5 months. The prices varied drastically. Most wanted 1000-1400 lira per day ($50-$70) but we knew that was out of our budget so we kept searching. We were given a ridiculously cheap price from a semi-dodgy looking shop for 324 lira ($15) per day but with all other prices so high we weren't willing to risk it with no information about the company online or any reviews.
We settled with a company called Mutlu Rent a Car. It was a 10-minute walk from the city and had really good (4.8/5, 323 reviews). A well-presented office building and a few staff was the first good sign that the company was hopefully operating an honest and legitimate business.
I searched travel forums for recommendations and advice, but any company that was recommended was out of our budget and companies people were warning to stay clear from were returning some real horror stories. Cars going missing in the middle of the night, problems being miraculously found once the car is returned and charged through the nose for, unauthorised taking of funds off credit cards then ignoring all contact.
It's safe to say I was pretty anxious about the whole thing and really just wanted a good deal but didn't want to be ripped off.
We ended up getting an older-style Fiat diesel manual for 500 lira per day ($25) and the owner would absolutely not budge from that price. We knew from our quotes it was a good deal, especially as we were heading into peak season. We liked being able to speak directly to the owner and got the vibe he was a moral person. At the end of the day, that's all we had to go off, there's an element of risk in every situation and we took it with this company knowing that the price was good and the owner was giving off good vibes.
He also banged on about his insurance (which I am sure they all do) but I liked that our maximum liability in the event of an accident was 15,000 lira ($750) which is REALLY good. Most companies have an excess payment of $5,000 AUD/105,000 lira and liability that may extend beyond that depending on the damage. It was all there in black and white with the paperwork and they were thorough with the paperwork which is also a good sign.
We needed our passport, driver's license and international driving permit. Some places we have needed it and some we haven't, always make sure you just get it - it's easy and relatively inexpensive ($49) to do in Aus and it's valid for 12 months. Link to the RAC site we used here: https://rac.com.au/travel-touring/international-driving-permit
Even if the hire car company doesn't need it, it's likely that your travel insurance will and the last thing you need is getting your claim denied because you didn't read the fine print.
Always check that your travel insurance covers hire car excess and check the amount.
It's usually covered by comprehensive plans. Check the amount covered, some will only cover an excess of $2,000, if your hire car company excess is $5,000 (not uncommon) you will be out of pocket $3,000 plus whatever your travel insurance excess is to make a claim!
This also mitigates your risk if you do choose a more affordable hire car company and they try to pin you for additional charges.
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We are now 6 weeks into our rental and so far so good. We take it back every 4 weeks for a service which I like. They seem to care about their cars.
We had a couple of hiccups but nothing to be worried about, they have been handled well by the company which is all you can ask for. They are also extremely responsive on WhatsApp which gives you peace of mind if something more serious does go wrong.
For completeness the hiccups were:
when we picked up the car there was a strange sound coming from it and the check engine light was on. We were in a hurry to move accommodation so took it anyway but then returned it the next day for a slightly newer car (which we still have);
there was not much fuel in it, again a bit annoying as we needed to find a service station asap but all noted down and they said to just return it empty too;
the strap on the baby seat stopped working properly. We took it back and they swapped the seat out. They also included the seat for free initially so again nothing to be too bothered by;
when we took it back for the 1-month service there was a screw in the tyre. Was it there before we took the car? maybe? Something you could never argue and it wasn't worth it. We paid 200 lira to get the tyre fixed ($10) and they drove Jacob to the tyre shop and back. I don't think it was premeditated, I checked through reviews and not one person had mentioned it. 200 lira is also not much money so we just paid it and got on with it.
I'll update again when we return the car in another 6 weeks just in case anything else pops up! But in the meantime that is our experience with hiring a car in Antalya!
Til next time,
R
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