Renting a car can certainly make it easy to travel around Georgia. Having a vehicle of your own will allow you to plan a trip at your own pace, without having to account for public transportation schedules, buy multiple tickets, and plan a trip that fits your preferences best, including places that aren’t easily reachable otherwise. If you’re eager to take on Georgia’s roads, then StarCar is ready to assist you. Including all the relevant information an international traveler interested in renting a car in Batumi may need.
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First things first: are you allowed to drive in Georgia to begin with? While the legal driving age in Georgia is 18 years, most rentals have an age threshold of 21 and up. And, while international driver licenses are valid in Georgia, they have to be in English. Additionally, the company may have its own rules to abide by.
All things said, renting a car in Batumi should be an easy and straightforward process. Especially, if you can use our car rental service for all your trips around and from Batumi.
Online Booking: Ideally, you should have an option to choose your rental well in advance. Then book it through the company’s website for the date, duration, and location of your preference (usually one of the international airports) and you should be good to go. If you choose Batumi, once your flight has landed, the company representative will meet with you and proceed with the necessary documentation.
Calling the Rental Directly: Another option is contacting the rental directly. It might become necessary if the company you choose doesn’t have a properly working website that accepts bookings. Not advisable, unless you’re already in Georgia and have an e-sim or local sim.
Renting a Car Right at Batumi Airport: If you’re just flying into the country via Batumi International Airport, then this might be the most convenient option for you - unless, of course, you’ve booked in advance (in which case the car should already be waiting for your arrival at the airport). StarCar would advise you, though, to be ready for certain logistical difficulties if this is the case - your preferred model may not be available, the vehicle may take some time to be delivered, etc.
Prices: Be strategic, do your research, and find the golden middle point. If the prices listed on the company website sound unreasonable, then your gut is likely right and they are unreasonable. But it goes both ways - prices being unreasonably low are no less suspicious than them being unreasonably high. Look for the middle ground.
Reviews (and Company History): See what other people have to say about the company. The clearer the display of customer satisfaction, the higher the chances the company is trustworthy. In Georgia it’s pretty simple to check - most companies have Google listings and Google reviews are easy for potential customers to see. However, reviews aren’t an end-all-be-all: a company may simply be new to the market and not have a long history or a lot of reviews. Rather, treat the reviews as a starting point in your research.
Option Variety: How many types of vehicles does the company offer? The tricky part about renting a vehicle in Georgia is that not all trips can be taken with the same one. Think ahead about which regions you plan to visit. Do you need a car just to see Batumi and the sites nearby? Or do you plan to drive to the mountainous regions with their tricky, hard-to-navigate roads as well? Often it may simply come down to the lack of variety - the company you feel the best about may not have the car you need.
Start looking for what you need in advance and compare average prices across different models. Don’t be shy to ask around - even if you’re already at the airport. The best companies have clear pricing policies and are transparent about what each of their models will cost you, from sedans to SUVs to minivans.
It’s not just the company representative looking shifty and trying to dodge a question - though that is a definite red flag. Price gauging tourists is, unfortunately, a rather common practice in Georgia. The price for international visitors sometimes may not be the same as it is for locals.
On the spot, the price may seem reasonable - and you may find out later that you’ve been duped. On the flip side, the price may seem too high, but there may be objective reasons as to why (considering the specifics of the vehicle and the rental).
Knowing the approximate average beforehand will help you avoid both price gouging and being duped into renting an unsafe car.
At Starcar, we’d advise you to carefully consider how each of the vehicles we offer suits your needs and budget when choosing. And, if you have any questions or trouble deciding which car will work best for your trip, get in contact. We’ll do our best to help you select the most optimal option.
