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Car hire at Tbilisi Airport

Car rental at Tbilisi International from local companies. Many cars need no deposit, some carry no excess, and you see the cover before paying.

Rental cars quoted at Tbilisi Airport

The six cheapest models for pickup and return at the airport. Cover and deposit differ from car to car, so compare them as well as the rate.

Car classes for city and mountain roads

Each tile is the lowest day rate in that class for the same week as the cars above; half of all offers here cost more than €53 a day.

SUVs make up a big share of the cars handed over here. Four-wheel drive does not open any road the rental rules ban.

Mountain roads, banned regions and one-way returns all shape a tour of Georgia, so plan the route before you book.

How do you meet the rental company at Tbilisi Airport?

Your voucher names the company, its phone number and where to meet.

Save the voucher

Download it before you fly, so the meeting point and phone number are there without mobile data.

Send your flight details

Give the company your flight number. If you are held up at passport control, send a quick message.

Inspect before you sign

Check the tyres, bodywork and fuel, and note any marks. Ask where and when the company wants the car back.

Many cars here include a charge for the airport handover; others have none. The price you see already includes it.

Tbilisi International guide: services, car parks and the first drive

What the terminal offers, how parking works and what to expect on the road into town.

Collecting and returning your car

  1. Ask at the information desk in arrivals if you cannot reach the company.
  2. Landing at night? Some cars cost more for a night pickup.
  3. Return the car at the agreed point, with time to refuel first.
Need a wheelchair? Call the airport’s assistance line on +995 577 999 183 before you travel, so help is ready.

Driving away from Tbilisi International

  1. Keep right and leave the left lane for overtaking.
  2. Unmarked junction? Give way to traffic from the right.
  3. Horn only to prevent an accident, or outside towns to signal you are overtaking.
Driving at night? Roads outside the city are often badly lit, and animals can stray onto them. Slow down.

Services in the terminal

  • Bank branches and ATMs from Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank.
  • Currency exchange in both the arrival and departure terminals.
  • Free Wi-Fi with no registration in most public areas.
  • Primeclass CIP service listed on the airport’s site.
  • Left luggage in the departure hall, open 24 hours.

Parking and drop-off

  • P1Arrival parking
  • P2Central parking
  • P3CIP parking
  • P4Old Terminal

The first 10 minutes are free in every car park.

Pay at the machine in the departure terminal, or at the exit booth by cash or card.

  • Lost your ticket? You are charged three days’ parking.
  • Electric car? Fast chargers stand in the car park opposite Departures.
  • Eight accessible spaces are marked in the car park opposite Departures.

Can you rent a car at Tbilisi Airport without a credit card?

Yes: nearly every car here needs no credit card, and most hold no deposit. Check how the balance is paid.

Companies in Georgia set prices in US dollars, which you see converted to euros. You pay 15 to 20% online and the rest at handover.

Each of the cars in Georgia that need no credit card lists how it takes the balance.

For a hire with no hold on your money, compare car rental in Georgia with no deposit.

How far is Tbilisi Airport from the city centre?

Times are for clear roads without stops. Allow longer at busy times.

Aerial view of Tbilisi along the Mtkvari river with the Bridge of Peace, under a clear blue sky
Tbilisi Airport→Tbilisi centre
25 min · 17.1 km
Aerial view of the stone Jvari Monastery on its hilltop with mountains beyond
Tbilisi Airport→Mtskheta
50 min · 41.1 km
A large stone Orthodox church with a domed tower beside a bare tree in Telavi, under a pale sky
Tbilisi Airport→Telavi
1 h 30 min · 82.4 km
The red roofs of the hilltop town of Sighnaghi among green trees, with white clouds in a blue sky
Tbilisi Airport→Sighnaghi
1 h 30 min · 98.5 km
Snow-covered Caucasus peaks above the ski slopes of Gudauri under a deep blue sky
Tbilisi Airport→Gudauri
2 h 30 min · 136.6 km
The stone Gergeti Trinity Church on a green ridge with snow-capped Mount Kazbek behind under a deep blue sky
Tbilisi Airport→Stepantsminda
3 h · 168.4 km

Staying in Tbilisi? The time ends at Freedom Square, so a hotel elsewhere can take longer.

Gori is 101 km away, about 1 h 30 min. Kutaisi centre is 234.5 km away, about 3 h 15 min on the S1.

Driving out of Tbilisi International

Georgia drives on the right. Settle into the car before you join the traffic towards the city.

Speed limits

The limit is 60 km/h in built-up areas and 90 km/h outside them. On motorways it rises to 110 km/h.

Phones and belts

Hand-held phones are banned; hands-free is fine. The driver and front passenger must wear seat belts.

Winter tyres

On roads set by the government, winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March. Ask if your car has them.

Mountain closures

The road from Gudauri over the pass to Kobi can close in bad weather. Check road notices before you head north.

Headlights are needed at night and in poor visibility. Fog lights go on together with dipped beams.

Roads the rental rules ban

Every car stays on paved public roads. Some routes and regions are off limits whatever the weather.

You may not drive to Truso, Juta, Vashlovani, Tusheti, Omalo, Shatili, Abkhazia or South Ossetia. The Goderdzi Pass road and the Sairme to Abastumani road are banned too, and no cover applies there.

Can you return the car at Kutaisi Airport?

Yes, some cars collected here can go back at Kutaisi International. Pick it as the return place to see the one-way total.

Choose Kutaisi Airport

Select the airport, not Kutaisi town, if your flight home leaves from there.

Confirm the handback

Ask the company where its staff meet you at Kutaisi before you set off west.

Change only by agreement

A new return place or time needs the company’s approval and a new price.

The drive from Tbilisi Airport to Kutaisi Airport is 256.2 km, about 3 h 30 min. Leave time for fuel and the check before your flight.

No trips to Armenia or Azerbaijan

A Georgian rental car cannot cross any border. Arrange other transport for a trip abroad.

Tbilisi Airport prices through the year

Each bar is the lowest day rate on a week-long hire collected and returned at the airport. Check your own dates for the real price.

N/A: no cars are listed yet for that month.

Each figure includes any handover charge. Night pickup, extras and higher cover can raise it.

The minimum hire is 24 hours, and going over adds a full day. Ask the company before the end if you want to keep the car longer.

Room for a family or a group of friends

Cars with up to nine seats can be collected here. Seats and boot space trade off, so check both.

Bigger vehicles

Seven- to nine-seat cars are on offer. With every seat used, ask whether all your luggage still fits.

Child seats

Book a seat for each child with the car, and check the fitting before you leave the airport.

Extra drivers

Name anyone else who will drive on the booking. Each must meet that car’s age and licence rules.

Steering side

A few cars here are right-hand drive. Check the steering side on the offer if it matters to you.

What does car hire insurance cover at Tbilisi Airport?

Some cars here start with no excess, others with third-party cover only. Read the level on each car before you book.

Minimum coverageIncluded as standard
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
  • Damage to your hire car (not included)
Basic coverage
  • Limited collision cover (CDW) (included)
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
  • Glass and tyre damage (not included)
Full Coverage
  • Limited driver liability (Super CDW) (included)
  • Damage to other vehicles (TPL) (included)
Full Coverage Plus
  • Full damage cover (included)
  • No driver liability for accident damage (included)

No excess from the start. The Hyundai Ioniq and Subaru Outback come with no deposit and no excess at their starting cover level.

Full on the Focus and Corolla. Both start with Full cover and no deposit, but an excess remains. On the Focus, Plus removes it.

The Rio and the Prius C. The Kia Rio starts at Minimum with a deposit, and higher levels leave its excess unchanged. The Prius C starts at Basic; Plus clears its excess.

Outside standard cover. Wheels, underside, windscreen and interior are excluded, and no cover applies on a banned road.

After an accident, tell the company at once and get a police report, unless it agrees otherwise. Each of the cover levels changes the deposit, the excess or both.

Licence rules for Georgia

Bring your original national licence with Latin-script details, valid for the whole hire.

Original licence only

Copies and digital licences are refused. If your licence is only valid at home, bring an International Driving Permit as well.

Age and experience

Each car lists a minimum age and years licensed. A similar model on another offer can have different rules.

With a UK licence, the UK government says you can drive in Georgia for up to a year, but check with the company whether it also wants an International Driving Permit.

Before you fly home from Tbilisi

Allow time to refuel and for the check at the agreed return point.

Fuel level

  • Return the car with the fuel it had at pickup. A shortfall is charged and extra fuel is not refunded.

Dirt and dust

  • After mountain drives, make sure the car is clean enough to check. Otherwise you pay for washing.

Keep a working phone number from the day before pickup to the end of the hire. Fuel, parking and fines are yours to pay.

Cancellation and refunds

To change dates or the car, cancel and book again.

Notice period

Seven days for most cars, thirty for luxury cars and convertibles, or 24 hours when the short-notice option is booked.

Refund rules

Email your voucher to support. The advance comes back within fourteen days, minus 6%. Cancelling late or not turning up loses it.

Tbilisi Airport car rental questions

Can I hire a car at Tbilisi Airport with no excess?

Yes. Some cars here start with cover that has no deposit and no excess. Check the level shown on the car before you book.

Can I drive to Stepantsminda from the airport?

Yes, it is about 3 hours on clear roads. Check road notices first, and stay away from the banned Truso and Juta valleys.

Are most cars at Tbilisi Airport automatic?

Yes, nearly all of them. A few manual cars are offered too, so check the gearbox on each car.

Can I take a rental car into Armenia?

No. Cars rented in Georgia must stay in the country, whatever the cover or deposit.

Can a small pet come with me?

Yes, if it travels in a carrier on every drive.

More help for driving in Georgia

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