Car Rental without Driver in Istanbul

With our self-drive rental service where you can choose among 87 cars at daily rates starting from 1,600 TL, your car is delivered free to Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gökçen, or your location in the city.

What is chauffeurless car rental and how does it work?

Renting a car without a driver lets you move completely independently from the moment you take delivery. Rent-Trip has no physical office—the car is brought to your location, and the contract is completed online.

How does the delivery-based rental model work?

Rent-Trip delivers the vehicle to any point in the city—your hotel, workplace, or airport. The process begins with selecting a model and making a reservation on the site; then we contact you and finalize the delivery time. The vehicle is brought to the specified address with a full tank and clean; keys and documents are handed over after a mutual count. This model allows you to get into your car directly after landing without having to search for rental offices at the airport or wait in line. The reception and delivery process takes approximately 15–20 minutes; this time includes a joint inspection of the vehicle's condition and contract terms.

Collecting the vehicle from the airport

Both of Istanbul's airports are within the delivery area: Istanbul Airport (IST) is in Arnavutköy on the European side, while Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is in Pendik on the Asian side. Just share your flight information at booking—the Rent-Trip team will meet you at the terminal exit and hand over the car in the parking lot. No extra charge for flight delays; delivery is rescheduled to your new arrival time. When deciding which airport to pick up from, consider your first-day route: getting to the city center and the Historical Peninsula takes less time from IST, while SAW is closer to Kadıköy and the Asian side.

A — How the delivery rental model works

Rent-Trip's self-drive car rental model is based on delivering the car to you instead of a physical office: the reservation is made online, and the vehicle is brought to any point in the city — your hotel, workplace, or the airports. The process begins when you submit a request on the website; then the delivery point and time are clarified.

How delivery takes place

The vehicle is brought to the address you specify at the agreed time. At the meeting, the keys are handed over, a brief orientation about the vehicle is given, and the contract is signed—the process takes about 15-20 minutes. Both airports are covered: Istanbul Airport (IST) is in Arnavutköy on the European side, and Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is in Pendik on the Asian side. You can choose which side you will land on and pick up the vehicle there; thus, you do not have to look for a taxi or transfer from the airport to the city.

Economy class daily prices

In the delivery-based model, you can flexibly plan where to pick up and drop off the vehicle: you can pick it up from a hotel in the city center and return it at Sabiha Gökçen on your return. Since Rent-Trip has no office, the car comes to you, and on return you leave the vehicle at an address near your departure point. This flexibility saves time, especially for those staying at different locations on both sides. When planning the delivery time, we recommend considering city traffic — during peak hours, travel time may be longer in central districts such as Beşiktaş or Kadıköy.

B — Car pickup from the airport

At a hotel, airport, or any point in the city — the car is delivered at the agreed time and location. Since Rent-Trip has no physical office, the entire process is online: reservation, document check, and delivery planning are completed via messaging or phone. Meeting the car usually takes 15–20 minutes.

Two airports, two different routes

Istanbul has two major airports, both in the delivery area: Istanbul Airport (IST) On the European side, in Arnavutköy, Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is located in Pendik on the Asian side. Knowing which side you land on when booking your ticket makes planning your first day easier. Reaching your hotel on the European side from IST takes less time than from SAW; for an address on the Asian side, the opposite is true.

• IST (Arnavutköy): Closer to the European side and central districts such as Şişli, Beşiktaş, and Beyoğlu.
• SAW (Pendik): Closer to the Asian side—Kadıköy, Üsküdar, Ataşehir, Maltepe.

If your flight is delayed, the delivery time is adjusted to the new arrival time; simply provide your flight number during booking. Rent-Trip's delivery within the city and to both airports is included in the price — no additional delivery fee is added. There's no need to look for a rental office in the arrivals area; the vehicle is ready at the agreed door or parking lot.

Required Documents and Conditions for Rental

The documents required for rental without a driver vary depending on the driver's nationality and the class of the chosen vehicle. With Rent-Trip, the process is completed online, but you need to prepare the documents to be presented at delivery in advance.

Documents for foreigners

• Passport: The stamp or visa stamp obtained upon entry into Turkey must be presented at the time of delivery.
• Local driver's license: The original of your valid license from your own country is sufficient; photocopies are not accepted.
• International Driving Permit (IDP): Required for drivers whose license is not in the Latin alphabet; an IDP issued in English is the standard requirement of rental companies nationwide.
• Credit card: A card issued in the main driver's name and enabled for international payments is required for the security hold.

Driver's licenses issued in Arabic, Georgian, or Cyrillic script are not accepted at delivery without an IDP. With Rent-Trip, simply send a photo of your driver's license during reservation—our team verifies eligibility in advance, and you avoid encountering missing documents.

Age and license experience requirements

Age and license experience requirements increase with the vehicle class. For Economy class vehicles, 21 years of age and 1 year of license experience are sufficient, while for Comfort and Sedan class models, the threshold rises to 25 years and 3 years. A similar rule applies to SUV class vehicles — each model has its own age and experience table.

We recommend checking the conditions of the model you have selected before reservation. At Rent-Trip, the requirements for all 87 vehicles are listed individually; among the models suitable for drivers under 25, Economy class options such as the Fiat Egea Hatchback and Renault Clio stand out.

Deposit and credit card

A credit card issued in the main driver's name is mandatory for the security deposit; debit cards or another person's card are not accepted. The deposit amount is temporarily frozen on your card at vehicle delivery and is released after the vehicle is returned.

The deposit amount varies depending on the selected vehicle class and rental duration; the exact amount is set out in the rental agreement. On Rent-Trip, the cardholder must be exactly the same as the main driver named in the vehicle rental agreement — this condition is standard practice at all rental companies across Turkey.

A — Documents for foreigners

The set of documents required for foreign visitors renting a car in the city is the same at all car rental companies in Turkey: passport, entry stamp, a driver's license from your country of residence, and — if the license is not in Latin script — an International Driving Permit (IDP). At Rent-Trip, these documents are checked at the time of vehicle delivery; since the process is fully online, the rental agreement is also signed digitally.

• Passport: Only a valid passport is accepted; the stamp obtained upon entry to Turkey must be on the relevant page of the passport.
• National driver's license: A driver's license obtained in the driver's own country and valid for at least one year.
• International Driving Permit (IDP): Required for drivers whose license is not in the Latin alphabet; licenses in Cyrillic, Arabic, or Georgian script alone are not accepted.
• Credit card: A credit card issued in the main driver's name and enabled for international payments — the security hold is made from this card.

Remember that the IDP is only valid together with a national driver's license; on its own it has no meaning. In addition, the IDP's validity cannot exceed that of the national license. At the point where Rent-Trip hands over the vehicle — whether at the hotel or at the airport — original documents are checked, copies or phone photos are not accepted.

There is one more point to consider when preparing the documents: the minimum age and driver's license experience requirements for car rental in Turkey vary depending on the vehicle class. While 21 years of age and 1 year of license are sufficient for an economy-class Fiat Egea, these requirements are even higher for a higher-class vehicle. Therefore, before choosing your car, we recommend that you review the conditions on the relevant model page of Rent-Trip — this way you will not encounter surprises.

B — Age and driving license experience requirements

Rent-Trip determines the age and license experience requirements it applies according to the class of the vehicle: the conditions valid for an economy class Fiat Egea are not the same as those required for a sedan class Volkswagen Passat. The rule is simple: as the vehicle class rises, both the driver's age and license experience requirements increase. This is a common practice among rental companies and is not a restriction imposed by the company's own initiative; the coverage of insurance policies directly depends on the driver's profile.

• Age requirement: For Economy and Comfort class vehicles, being at least 21 years old is generally sufficient; rental approval is not granted for drivers below this age.
• Driving experience: For most models, you must have a driver's license for at least 1 year; for sedan and SUV class vehicles, this period increases to 2 years.
• Document check: Before the contract is signed, the date of issue on the back of the driver's license is checked — driving experience is calculated from the date the license was issued.
• Young driver surcharge: For drivers aged 21-25, an additional fee may apply for some models; this amount is set out in the rental agreement.

The legal age limit for a car licence is 18, but rental companies apply their own risk policies. The common rule applicable to all 87 vehicles in Rent-Trip's fleet is that the main driver must hold a valid licence issued in their own name; an international driving permit brought along is not valid on its own. For foreign drivers, if the licence is not issued in the Latin alphabet, an international driving permit (IDP) is mandatory; without this document, the vehicle will not be handed over.

Entering the driver information completely during reservation ensures that the car is kept ready at the time of delivery. If a driver who does not meet the conditions comes to the delivery, the car is not delivered, and this situation is stated in the contract. To learn the exact age and experience requirements, review the rental conditions of the relevant model before reservation or contact Rent-Trip directly—the minimum requirements applicable to each model are clearly written in the contract.

C — Deposit and credit card

Financial security is mandatory during the vehicle rental process: a credit card issued in the main driver's name is required for the hold transaction. This practice is standard for all vehicle classes—from the economical Fiat Egea to business sedans like the Toyota Camry. The hold blocks the amount on the card but does not charge it; the funds are released after the vehicle is returned.

• Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, and other payment systems are accepted; the card must be in the name of the driver listed first in the contract.
• Bank card: Bank cards are not suitable for holds — only credit cards are valid because the bank needs to freeze the amount.
• Hold duration: The amount remains blocked for the rental period and is released after the car is returned and inspected.
• Additional insurance: Insurance conditions and the hold amount are explained in the contract according to the model — as set out in the rental agreement.

The hold amount varies by vehicle class: it's lower in the economy segment and higher in the business class. We don't publish exact figures on our website; it varies by model, season, and rental duration. When a reservation request is made, a Rent-Trip manager will inform you of the exact amount before approval.

It's important to understand the difference between a hold and a prepayment: a hold is not charged, it's just reserved on the card. If there isn't sufficient limit on the card, the rental won't be approved — check your available limit before applying. For long-term rentals — from TRY 9,600 weekly, from TRY 33,600 monthly — the hold amount may be higher than for daily rentals, so plan your budget in advance.

Prices and Rental Formats

Rental rates without a driver consist of three formats—daily, weekly, and monthly—and with Rent-Trip, all are calculated from a fixed daily rate. A weekly period is priced as six days, and a monthly period as twenty-one days; so as the duration lengthens, the effective cost per day decreases. The difference between formats can reach 15–30% for the same car.

Daily, weekly and monthly prices

At Rent-Trip the base rate starts at 1,600 TL per day including VAT; at this rate you can rent a Fiat Egea Hatchback, Dacia Sandero, or Hyundai i10. A weekly period counts as six days and starts at 9,600 TL, while monthly starts at 33,600 TL based on twenty-one days. In practice this means: if you take a Toyota Yaris with a daily rate of 1,900 TL on a monthly basis, you pay about 39,900 TL; but if you paid daily, it would come to 57,000 TL. In our experience, guests staying for two to three weeks almost always choose the monthly format — even if the car sits idle at the hotel for a few days, this option is more advantageous. If your route covers both city and out-of-town driving, the price-kilometer balance also works out better over the long term.

VAT-included pricing

All prices on the site are published including 20% VAT — the amount at the time of payment is exactly the same as the figure you see in the listing. There are no additional charges or hidden fees at the checkout in the contract. When comparing offers from different companies, always ask whether the quoted rate includes VAT: the rental market in Turkey often quotes the price without tax, and the 20% difference emerges during reservation. This does not happen with us — the rate on the page is the same as the amount to be paid.

Long-term rental advantage

• Weekly format: Calculated over 6 days, the daily price decreases — for example, Fiat Egea Sedan is more advantageous on a weekly basis instead of 1,700 TRY/day.
• Monthly format: Calculated over 21 days, it is the most economical option for long stays in the city.
• VAT advantage: since prices include VAT, no extra tax calculation is needed when budgeting.
• Model selection: In the long term, diesel cars (Peugeot 301, Dacia Duster) reduce fuel costs, while hybrids (Toyota Corolla) save money in traffic.

The monthly format at Rent-Trip meets the needs of both business trips and long vacations: with rates starting from 33,600 TL, your car is delivered to any point in Istanbul, and the daily cost remains lower than most short-term competitors. Before reserving, compare the final amount in the contract with the price on the site—in the VAT-inclusive tariff, the two should match to the penny.

HGS and Bridge Crossings

When you rent a car without a driver in Istanbul, bridge and highway crossings are processed through the HGS system; this electronic payment method, being registered to the license plate, allows passage without stopping at the toll booth. All Rent-Trip vehicles are delivered with HGS active; toll fees are invoiced after use.

Which crossings are covered by HGS

Going to Bursa and Uludağ via the Osman Gazi Bridge takes about 2 hours without waiting for a ferry. Unpaid crossings are considered "violation crossings" and if not paid on time, the penalty increases to four times the crossing fee — this amount is specified in the agreement. If your intercity route includes a bridge, we recommend adding the crossing fee to your budget in advance.