My husband and I are planning a trip to Turkey and will be joined by Turkish friends for part of the trip. However, we will be flying on our own to Cappadocia, arriving at Kayseri airport (in August ) and are thinking of renting a car. We will be there for just four nights. I'm looking for advice on the best car rental companies... Not necessarily the cheapest car rental but of course, would like a reasonably priced car, probably a compact and manual transmission is fine. Mostly, we want the peace of mind knowing the company's cars are good and if a problem arises, they would be available!
Thank you!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
I rented a car in Kayseri in early March 2020, and will share what I can. (This was just as the pandemic was starting to become evident to everyone, so business was slow in Cappadocia...I bet it'll be quite busy in August 2022)
I always try to get my car rentals arranged through gemut.com, which is a USA-based agent for AutoEurope (which is an agent for multiple car companies). They set us up with a car rented from (as best I can tell) Europcar in Kayseri (what a shell game...). It worked out fine. I like gemut.com because they make things easy -- I tell them what i want, they do the shopping for me (if you can find a better price, they'll match it); they also provide their own 24/7 emergency contact number in case you have issues at the rental desk or with the car, and the agency is non-responsive.
The Kayseri airport is not large. Our car agency did not have a desk there. The arrangement was they would meet us at the arrival area (you need to provide to them in advance your flight details eg date, flight number, scheduled arrival time, your name). The hookup was at the "meet & greet" area in the arrivals hall. That was not difficult. We collected our bags, met the guy, we went outside to his car, he drove us to their office, about 5 minutes away. We did the paperwork and other formalities there. Since our car was pre-paid, that probably simplified things. As always, we did a careful inspection of the car, taking photos and writing down every scratch, dirty spot, etc. No pushback from them, longs of shrugs, "no worries." The car was not band new, but was not a beater. It wasn't sparkling clean, inside or out, but it was clean enough. There were a few minor cosmetic issues which we noted and they recorded. Compact car, manual transmission, all OK (don't know if it had A/C...it was cold and a bit wintery when we were there...the heater worked).
We had the car for 4 days, drove to and around Goreme. Never had a problem. Driving there is easy, just pay attention. No issues with the return, after dropping the car at their office, they dropped us back at the airport. Cost was a bit over $100 total. I bet you will pay more this year (maybe lots more...).
If you are hoping to do the balloon ride, book that for the first (early) morning you will be there. If it's windy (and it is often), they'll cancel, giving you priority for the next days) until either you get to fly, or you leave. Booking the first morning gives you 3 more chances for the balloon.
Hope that helps. Have fun.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
1427 posts
Avec is a highly-rated car rental agency in Turkey.