Self-drive car rental

Our fleet in Tbilisi holds 73 self-drive cars, from $30 to $250 per day, with weekly rates from $180 and monthly from $630. We deliver the car to any address in Tbilisi, to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) and to Kutaisi International Airport (KUT), with the address, date and time agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.

What self-drive car rental in Tbilisi means and who it suits

Self-drive means the car comes without a driver: you hold the wheel, you set the route, and nobody waits for you at the kerb. Rent-Trip delivers the vehicle to any address in the city or to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) and Kutaisi International Airport (KUT), and the address, date and time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.

Self-drive explained in one paragraph

The booking gives you one vehicle for the whole stay rather than a series of separate rides, and the keys stay in your pocket between trips. Every car on this page has an automatic transmission, so city traffic and mountain switchbacks need no clutch work. Fuel is petrol, diesel or hybrid, and the drivetrain is front-, all- or rear-wheel depending on the model. You collect nothing from an office: we bring the car to the address you give us, hand over a full tank and a clean interior, and the return follows the same full-to-full rule. Self-drive suits travellers who want to leave the city on their own schedule; the car stays with you between trips, so a single booking covers the whole stay.

Who self-drive works best for

Our 73 cars cover 4, 5, 7 and 8 seats, so going self-drive fits solo travellers, couples, families and small groups alike.

Our fleet for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi, class by class

Our self-drive fleet runs to 73 cars across nine classes, all with automatic transmission, from $30 to $250 a day. We keep the mix deliberately wide: a solo traveller and a family of five should both find a car that fits without paying for space they will not use.

Classes and prices of self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

The cheapest class is not always the best value. The single Minivan at $190 looks expensive against everything else — until you count seven seats and divide it.

The fleet includes Ford Fiesta, Ford Fiesta SE, Mini Cooper 3dr One, Toyota Prius, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Trax, Honda Fit, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Soul, Kia Sportage, Mazda 3 and Mazda 6, alongside Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Explorer, BMW 328i, BMW X1, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Mini Cabrio, Mini Countryman F60 ALL4, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Camry, Toyota RAV4, BMW 320, Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz ML350, Hyundai Palisade, Lexus RX350, Mercedes-Benz CLS 550, Mercedes-Benz GL 350 CDI BlueTEC, Mercedes-Benz GL 450 4MATIC and Porsche Cayenne.

For the long northern run, the all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 at $69 are a natural fit.

Transmission, fuel and drivetrain across the fleet

• Transmission: every car is automatic — there is no manual option to choose, so nothing changes with the booking.
• Fuel: petrol, diesel or hybrid, depending on the model. The Toyota Prius is the hybrid; nine models run on diesel, among them the Porsche Cayenne and Mercedes-Benz GL 350 CDI BlueTEC.
• Drivetrain: front-, all- or rear-wheel.

All-wheel drive is worth choosing if the S3 mountain road is on your list, where the Jvari Pass sits at 2,379 m and the upper sections close in snow. Confirm the exact model when the booking is agreed — the class floor is a starting price, not a guarantee of one specific car.

Prices for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi and how longer bookings are counted

A week is charged at the daily rate times six; a month is charged at the daily rate times twenty-one.

Daily rates for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

Daily rates for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi start at $30 and reach $250, and the figure you see against a class is its floor, not a flat price for every car inside it. Economy opens at $30 with the Ford Fiesta at 85 hp, while the Ford Fiesta SE, Mini Cooper 3dr One and Toyota Prius sit at $35. Crossover and Comfort both begin at $39 — the Buick Encore, Chevrolet Trax, Kia Sportage, Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 all land on that number. Sports and Convertibles start at $69, Premium at $80, SUV & 4x4 at $69, and the single Minivan on this page at $190. The top of the range is $250 a day. Because a class floor and a specific model can differ, confirm the exact car when the booking is agreed — that is where the final daily figure is fixed, not in the class name.

Weekly rates for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

A week of self-drive car rental in Tbilisi is counted as the daily rate multiplied by six, so the cheapest weekly booking on this page starts at $180. Take the Economy floor: $30 a day becomes $180 for the week under that multiplier, and a Crossover at $39 becomes $234. The same arithmetic holds all the way up the range, which is why the class you pick matters more over a week than over a single day — the gap between neighbouring classes grows across seven days.

Monthly rates for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

A month is the daily rate multiplied by twenty-one, which puts the cheapest monthly booking on this page at $630. For a longer stay that multiplier is the one worth planning around: the Economy floor at $30 a day gives $630 for the month, and a Crossover at $39 gives $819 on the same basis. Nothing else changes with the length of the booking — the class, the model and the daily rate behind it stay the same, and only the multiplier moves. Because twenty-one is the figure used for a month, the cost per day falls as the booking stretches, and that is the whole of the long-term pricing on this page. When you plan a stay of several weeks, fix the model first and the multiplier second — the daily rate you agree is the one every longer period is calculated from.

What the rate covers and what is agreed separately

• Full tank both ways: the car is supplied with a full tank and must be returned with a full tank, and no other fuel option is offered.
• Delivery: we bring the car to any address in the city and to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) and Kutaisi International Airport (KUT).
• Booking details: the delivery address, the date and the time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.
• Deposit and insurance excess: these are set out in the rental agreement, not quoted as a figure here.
• Delivery beyond the city and those two airports: arranged case by case and not promised on the site.

How to book self-drive car rental in Tbilisi and where we deliver

Booking with Rent-Trip runs through a manager, not an automated checkout. You tell us the car, the dates and the address; we confirm the details and fix the booking.

What we need from you to confirm the booking

• Car or class: the exact model if you have one in mind, or just the class — Economy from $30, Crossover from $39, SUV & 4x4 from $69.
• Dates and times: pick-up and return, both to the hour, so the car is at your address when you are.
• Delivery address: any address in the city, or Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) or Kutaisi International Airport (KUT).
• Driver's licence and passport: a foreign licence is valid for up to a year from your date of entry into Georgia; if it carries neither Latin nor Cyrillic script, bring an IDP or a notarised translation.
• A self-drive car stays in Georgia; Armenia is reached only with our driver.

Where we deliver

We hand the car over at any address within the city, and at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) and Kutaisi International Airport (KUT). Delivery outside the city and outside those two airports is arranged case by case and is not promised on the site — ask the manager and you will get a straight answer rather than a surprise later.

The delivery address, the date and the time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed. That is deliberate: a car handed to the wrong entrance at the wrong hour costs you a morning of your trip.

What happens at hand-over

The car arrives clean with a full tank. We work full-to-full: you get it full, you return it full. If the tank comes back short, the missing fuel and a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement — we do not offer a pre-paid tank or a full-to-empty option.

The deposit, the insurance excess and any delivery fee sit in the rental agreement, not in a headline figure, so read them there before you sign. Paperwork questions are easier to settle in advance.

If you are arriving by air

TBS sits 17 km south-east of the city centre, roughly 17 km by road. On 12 August 2025 the airport handled 97 flights and almost 22,000 passengers in a single day — its record.

Documents and driving rules for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

Below is what the paperwork looks like and the rules that actually catch drivers out.

Foreign licences and IDP for self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

A foreign licence is valid in Georgia for up to 1 year from the date you entered the country, and no exchange is required. If your licence carries neither Latin nor Cyrillic script, bring an International Driving Permit or a notarised translation — Georgia is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, and that is the document that bridges the gap. The recognition and replacement of foreign licences is governed by the Law of Georgia on Road Traffic and by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, so the framework exists in law rather than in rental practice alone. The minimum age at the wheel, the young-driver surcharge and the deposit are agreed when booking, and the exact figures are set out in the rental agreement.

Speed limits, seat belts and phone rules

• Built-up areas: 60 km/h, and 20 km/h in residential zones, under Article 33(6) of the traffic law.
• Outside built-up areas: 90 km/h for category B, 110 km/h on motorways, 80 km/h with a light trailer — Article 33(7b).
• Seat belts: compulsory for the driver and all front-seat passengers; rear belts are not required by law, though we would still fasten them on mountain roads.
• Phone: hands-free or speakerphone only, both hands on the wheel — Article 21.
• Children under 3: in a child seat or restraint on the rear seat, matched to height and weight; a passenger aged 16 or over may hold the child on the rear seat — Article 26(7–8).
• Children under 6: never left alone in a parked car — Article 26(9).

Alcohol, winter tyres and what a fine costs

The alcohol limit is 0.3 ‰ (0.03%), which is low enough that a single drink before driving is a real risk. Winter tyres are mandatory from 1 December to 1 March, and in zones designated by the government chains on at least the two front wheels may be required in particular weather — worth planning around if your booking lands in a Gudauri ski week. Fines run at 50 GEL for speeding by 15–40 km/h, 150 GEL above 40 km/h, 30 GEL for phone use, 40 GEL for a seat belt, 50 GEL for running a red light or an unpaid parking charge, and 500 GEL for driving without a licence; a 20% discount applies if you pay within 10 days, and 100 points in a year means disqualification.

Fuel, parking and tolls on a self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

Fuel, parking and tolls are the three running costs that sit outside the rate, and each works differently here.

Fuel prices and the full-to-full rule

Petrol in Georgia costs 4.06 lari per litre and diesel 4.76 lari per litre, as recorded on 21.09.2026 — diesel runs about 17 % above petrol, so a diesel SUV is not automatically the cheaper choice on a long trip. Every car we hand over comes clean with a full tank and must be returned with a full tank: this is our full-to-full rule, and no other fuel option is offered. If the tank comes back short, the missing fuel and a refuelling service fee are charged as set out in the rental agreement. Fill up before you return the car.

Parking in the capital

Street parking is zonal: from 1 lari an hour, with the first 15 minutes free. Payment runs through the Tbilisi Parking app, parking meters and terminals, or the parking.tbilisi.gov.ge portal, which also has a search by transit or foreign plate. An unpaid parking session carries a 50 lari fine; towing adds 150 lari plus 20 lari per day of storage. Underground car parks in the centre are the simpler option for a short stop: Freedom Square around 2–3 lari an hour, Rike around 7 lari a day, Orbeliani Square around 1–2 lari an hour, and the first hour at Galleria Tbilisi around 2 lari.

Tolls and mountain roads

• All roads free: Georgia's international and domestic roads remain free of charge, per the Roads Department on 10.06.2026, with no change planned — there are no vignettes and no transponders to buy.
• Rikoti pass: the 52 km E60 east–west section, with 51 tunnels and 97 bridges, opened on 29.12.2025 and is also free to use.
• Winter tyres: mandatory from 1 December to 1 March; in government-defined zones under special weather conditions, chains on at least two front wheels.
• Mountain routes: on the S3 Georgian Military Road the Jvari Pass sits at 2,379 m and upper sections close under avalanche risk, so check conditions before a northern run.

Our own advice: budget for fuel rather than tolls, since the free-road rule removes the second cost entirely.

Routes worth a self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

Mtskheta, Ananuri and the Georgian Military Road

• Gudauri: 121 km, a resort at 2,200 m by the Jvari Pass; the season runs from early December to mid-April, and winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March.
• Stepantsminda (Kazbegi): 153 km along the S3, the 139 km Georgian Military Road from Mtskheta to the Russian border, over the Jvari Pass at 2,379 m.
• Pass closures: the upper sections see landslides and snow, so the pass is closed when avalanche danger is declared — build a spare day into the plan.

East into Kakheti and south to the border

Sadakhlo, the main crossing into Armenia, is 70 km by road; the drive on to Yerevan is around 280 km and 4–5 hours with the border, and a rental car goes there only with our driver — we do not issue a permit for a self-drive crossing. Azerbaijan's land border remains closed to passengers, so a car cannot cross there.

West and north for longer loops

Borjomi is 160 km and Bakuriani 184 km, Vardzia 225 km, Kutaisi 223 km and Batumi 358 km. Georgia's international and domestic roads stay free of charge, and the new 52 km Rikoti section on the east–west E60, opened on 29 December 2025 with 51 tunnels and 97 bridges, is free too, with no vignette or transponder to buy.

Summing up self-drive car rental in Tbilisi

Self-drive car hire here comes down to three numbers: 73 cars on this page, $30 a day at the floor, $250 at the ceiling. Everything between those two figures is a choice about seats, drivetrain and how far north you intend to drive. The booking itself is agreed with a manager — the address, the date and the time are confirmed before anything is fixed, and the car arrives clean with a full tank.

A few things are worth deciding before you write to us rather than after:

• Seats before budget: 4, 5, 7 and 8 seats are all on the page, and a 7-seat SUV at $69 costs about the same as two Economy cars at $30 and keeps everyone in one car.

The paperwork side is short. Foreign licences are valid for up to a year from the date you enter Georgia, and no exchange is needed. If the licence carries neither Latin nor Cyrillic characters, an IDP or a notarised translation is required — Georgia is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention. The rental agreement sets out the deposit, the insurance excess and any delivery fee, and those are confirmed when the booking is agreed. Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March, which matters if your dates fall in the ski season.

On the road, speed limits are 60 km/h in built-up areas and 20 km/h in residential zones, 90 km/h outside them and 110 km/h on motorways. The alcohol limit is 0.3 ‰. Parking in the city runs from 1 ₾ an hour with the first 15 minutes free, paid through the Tbilisi Parking app or at the terminals. Georgia's international and domestic roads carry no tolls, so a loop out to Mtskheta at 26 km or Sighnaghi at 109 km costs fuel and nothing else.

Pick the class by the seat count and the road, not by the price tag alone — then confirm the exact model with the manager when the dates are set.