Details about renting a car in Georgia in 2021. We will tell you about the peculiarities of rental, rental prices, insurance, traffic rules, fines, the mentality of Georgian drivers and parking lots. Advice and reviews of tourists.
Find out all the nuances of car rental abroad.
Where is the best place to rent a car in Georgia
Airports... Large selection and low prices for car rental in Georgia in 2021 - at Tbilisi airport. However, there is rental at the airports of Batumi and Kutaisi. If you have booked a car in advance, you will be greeted with a sign. Inspect the car, sign the contract and you can go!
Railway stations. In Tbilisi and Batumi there are rental points near the railway stations.
Websites. It is convenient to rent a car for trips in Georgia on the Myrentacar.com website. It has affordable prices and no hidden fees. Book the car of the class you want and choose the right insurance.
Look for interesting excursions on the Sputnik and Tripster websites. Individual and group, no crowds of tourists and in Russian.
Features of car rental in Georgia
Requirements... To rent a car in Georgia in 2021, you need a passport and a national driver's license. International law is optional. The minimum age of a tenant under the terms of some companies is 21-23 years, while others are 25 years old. Requirements for driving experience - at least 3 years.
If you are planning to rent a car from an international company, you may be asked for a bank card issued in your name for a deposit. In local companies, the card is not needed, it is enough to pay in cash.
International and local rental... International companies Hertz, Alamo, Dollar, Avis and others occupy a significant share of the Georgian rental market. The prices for car rental in them are higher than in local car rental companies. Due to expensive insurance and large deposits, the difference reaches 40-80%. The plus is that international companies always have new cars and a large selection of cars of different categories.
Regional offices in Georgia are divided into large companies with 200-300 rental cars and small firms that own 10-15 cars. There are also private traders who rent private cars. The prices for car rental for trips in Georgia in local companies are lower, but there are no other advantages.
At the peak of the tourist season, it is not easy to find a fully functional car in regional rentals. In addition, the legal side of the issue is lame. Instead of signing a contract, many distributors limit themselves to an oral agreement.
Which car is better to take... To choose a car, decide where you plan to travel, how many passengers there will be and how large the luggage is. There are many mountains in Georgia. Small cars have a hard time coping with prolonged climbs and serpentines. On mountain roads, powerful cars are reliable - SUVs and crossovers. According to tourists, their rent is not much more expensive than middle class cars.
Delivery is free. If you order a car in the same city where you arrive, you will not be charged anything. The lowest prices for delivery in the rental offices of Tbilisi. Delivery of a car from remote places - Zestafoni, Poti, Borjomi, Senaki and Telavi - is expensive, up to $ 100.
Car rental prices in Georgia
There are no Russian brands on the rental car market in Georgia. There are many cars brought from the United States and right-hand drive cars that have been converted for left-hand drive.
If you rent a car for a week, in Tbilisi the price of renting an economy class car will be from $ 18 per day. Mid-range cars and crossovers are slightly more expensive - from $ 20. They ask for a convertible from $ 80. Check the current prices at Myrentacar.com.
Advice... If you want to save money, arrange a rental with the simplest configuration and mileage restrictions.
Car insurance
The price of car rental in Georgia in 2021 necessarily includes OSAGO, or TPL. You can take out CASCO, or CDW, that is, insurance with a deductible. The amount of the renter's liability or deductible is $ 250-500 and above.
If you are involved in an accident, the damage from which exceeds the amount of the deductible, your deposit will go to cover the damage in full, and the insurance company will pay the rest of the money. When the cost of damage is lower, you will receive the difference in payment at the end of the rental period.
There is a super-CASCO option, or Super SDW - full insurance. It covers all problems with the underbody, wheels, glass and mirrors of the car, protects against theft of a car, theft and loss of keys.
How to rent without a deposit? There are few rental companies in Georgia where you can rent a car without making a deposit. Even private owners want to get $ 200 in order to have a guarantee when returning a car. Nevertheless, there are rental options without collateral. Choose the option "no deposit" ("full protection") on the rental sites or pay for the full insurance on the car on the spot.
Is it safe to travel in Georgia by car
According to tourists, in recent years, the problems with crime in the country have almost disappeared. Local residents calmly leave valuables in their cars. On the streets of cities, you can see parked cars with open windows, inside of which are computers and mobile phones.
In all rental offices, tourists are assured that 99% of the rented car will not be stolen. The low crime rate is due to the good work of the police and the inevitability of punishment.
The sounds of horns are often heard in Georgia. This is not a signal about a difficult situation on the road - this is how drivers greet their acquaintances and warn other road users about upcoming maneuvers.
Be careful on rural roads! They are often used to drive livestock and transport grapes. In addition, most of these roads are not illuminated in any way. In the mountains, one should beware of rockfalls and avalanches. Follow the weather forecast and warnings from local authorities.
Roads in Georgia
Road quality... There are about 20 thousand km of roads in the country, and 8 thousand km have a hard surface. The main road, which leads from the western to the eastern part of the country, is of good quality. There are no toll roads or tunnels. Many natural and historical attractions are located in remote corners.
Traffic rules and signs... Traffic rules in Georgia are similar to Russian ones, and the signs are the same. The inscriptions are made in Georgian and duplicated in English.
Speed limits and cameras... In residential areas of cities, it is allowed to move up to 20 km / h, and in other places - up to 60 km / h. In the suburbs, they drive up to 90 km / h. When driving on highways, a speed limit of 110 km / h is set.
Major roads are monitored by fixed cameras. On the secondary road patrols are on duty with cameras and radars. They often use ordinary cars without identification marks or sirens. For exceeding up to 5 km / h, the driver receives a simple warning. Those who drive faster are fined from $ 21 to $ 63.
Penalties... For local drivers and those who travel on the roads of Georgia in rented cars, the rules are the same. At the beginning of the year, the driver receives 100 points. For each violation, points are deducted from this amount. When the balance reaches zero, the driver's license is taken away. If this is a tourist, he receives a driver's license only through the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Local traffic inspectors are not loyal to cars with over-tinted windows and are always fined for transporting children without special seats. For an unfastened seat belt, they charge $ 17, for talking on the phone while driving - $ 15, and for driving without a high beam at night and in poor visibility - $ 7. Fines are paid according to a receipt at any bank in Georgia.
Policemen... After the reform, serious changes took place in the Georgian traffic inspectorate. According to tourists, Georgian police officers are friendly, polite and always ready to help. If you broke the rules, don't offer a bribe under any circumstances! This way of solving problems is inappropriate and will lead to serious consequences.
Features of driving local... The Georgian order on the roads is shocking at first.Most drivers change from row to row when they want and do not use the turn signals. The driver in front of the driving car can brake sharply in the middle lane and go about his business. Crossing the road even at a marked crossing becomes a real test for pedestrians.
Advice... Drive carefully to avoid getting into trouble. Always keep a great distance and do not get into verbal altercations with other drivers.
How to rent a car cheaply in Georgia
Refueling and fuel prices... There are many gas stations in the cities and central regions of the country, and few in the mountainous regions. If you are going to distant places, do not forget to fill the tank!
Gasoline is not cheap in Georgia. In 2021, 1 liter of gasoline-98 Super costs 2.98 GEL, gasoline-95 Premium - 2.48 GEL, gasoline-92 Euro Regular - 2.38 GEL, diesel fuel - 2.53 GEL, liquefied gas - 1.65 GEL. Winters are mild here, so only summer diesel is used.
Parking in Georgia
Free parking lots in the center of Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi are very popular and are always packed with cars. On the outskirts and in small villages there are places where you can leave your car for a short time or even for a few days. In addition, free parking is available on the territory of hotels and guest houses.
The parking areas are marked with a white dashed line and a "P" sign. The rules are simple. You pay once and use the parking lot for up to a day. In Batumi, the price for a day is 1 GEL, and for a week - 5 GEL.
Don't forget to keep your payment receipt! The parking lots are visited by special controllers who take pictures of cars and verify payment data. Violators receive a fine of 10 GEL. If the car was taken away by a tow truck, the amount rises to 160 GEL.
Almost all tourists leave positive reviews about a trip in Georgia with a rented car.
