What should your car rental budget for Georgia include? The daily rate is only one line of the bill. There is a service fee, a fee for airport or out-of-town handovers, a deposit and fuel. This post puts all of it in one place. It uses our own prices for October 2026 and four worked examples, so you can price your trip in two minutes. The full price list is on our car rental prices page; this post turns it into trip budgets.
Your car rental budget for Georgia, line by line
| Item | What you pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daily rate | From $35 (sedan), $65 (4x4 SUV), $75 (minivan) | 10% to 25% off from 5 days on most cars |
| Service fee | $20 per booking | Added at checkout, no other booking fees |
| Pickup and drop-off | Free in Tbilisi city centre | $30 Tbilisi Airport, $120 Kutaisi or Telavi, $160 Batumi, per end |
| Deposit | About $200 | Refundable, cash or card, returned with the car |
| Insurance | Included | CDW and third-party liability, $200 deductible |
| Mileage | Included | Unlimited anywhere in Georgia |
| Additional driver | Free for 3 days | $5 a day each from day 4 |
| Extras | $5 a day each | Child seat or snow chains, book them with the car |
| Fuel | Full to full | Return the tank as you got it |
You pay 15% online to confirm the booking and the remaining 85% at pickup, in cash or by card. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before pickup. The full list, with every car and its rate, is on our car rental prices page.
Four worked examples
Numbers make this easier. So here are four trips our customers book often, to show the car rental budget for Georgia in practice, priced with the fees above.
| Trip | Car | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days in Tbilisi and Kakheti, city-centre pickup and return | Toyota Prius | 5 x $35 + $20 | $195 |
| 7 days from Tbilisi Airport, back to the airport | Renault Duster | 7 x $58.50 (10% off) + $30 + $30 + $20 | $490 |
| 10 days, Tbilisi Airport to Batumi one-way | Toyota RAV4 | 10 x $56 (20% off) + $30 + $160 + $20 | $770 |
| 7 days for 8 people, Kutaisi Airport both ends | Mercedes Vito | 7 x $72 (10% off) + $120 + $120 + $20 | $764 |
In the first example the 15% you pay online is about $29. Then you pay the rest when you collect the car. The deposit is extra but comes back at the end, so it is not part of the cost.
What changes the price most
Three choices move the total far more than anything else.
- The car class. A Prius at $35 and a Land Cruiser 200 at $135 do very different jobs. For paved roads, the sedan is enough.
- Where you pick up and drop off. Tbilisi city centre is free. Batumi costs $160 per end, so a Batumi round trip adds $320.
- One-way or return. A one-way rental simply pays the fee of each end. For example, Tbilisi Airport to Batumi is $30 plus $160.
By contrast, the length of the rental does not change the daily rate. A three-day booking and a three-week booking pay the same per day. For a month or more, message us on WhatsApp and we prepare the booking with you.
Costs on the road
Fuel is the main running cost. A hybrid uses roughly half the fuel of a big SUV, which adds up on a long road trip. Parking is cheap: central Tbilisi charges about 1 GEL an hour in the paid zones, and most towns are free. Speed cameras are everywhere, and any fine reaches us as the registered owner. We pass it on at face value with the official reference. So the cheapest advice in this post is also the simplest: drive at the limit.
Want an exact quote for your route? Send us your dates, pickup point and drop-off point. Message us on WhatsApp (+995 591 89 60 60) and we will plan a custom route with you: the right car for the roads, pickup and drop-off in different cities, and honest advice on driving times.
Is it cheaper than taxis and tours?
For one person staying in Tbilisi, no. Taxis are cheap in the city. However, the picture changes once you leave it. A day tour to Kazbegi or Kakheti costs a fixed price per person. A car costs the same for one or four people. Two travellers usually break even on the second day trip. Four travellers save from the first one. Our post on the five classic tours as self-drive routes compares this tour by tour.
How to keep your car rental budget for Georgia low
- Pick up in Tbilisi city centre when you do not need the airport handover.
- Choose the Prius for paved routes; it is the cheapest car and the cheapest to fuel.
- Return the car where you collected it if the one-way fee is high, for example in Batumi.
- Book a 4x4 only for gravel, snow or Svaneti. Our guide to which car fits which trip helps.
- Add a second driver (free for the first 3 days) and share the long drives.
Landing at night? The meet and greet at Tbilisi Airport costs $30 per end and runs 24 hours a day, so you drive away from the terminal instead of looking for a night taxi.
Questions about a car rental budget for Georgia
Is the deposit part of the cost?
No. The deposit of about $200 is refundable. You leave it at pickup in cash or by card, and it comes back when the car returns in the same condition. However, it also covers the $200 insurance deductible, so a damage claim can use it.
Are there hidden extras at the desk?
No. The booking page shows the daily rate, the handover fees and the service fee before you pay. Extras such as a child seat cost $5 a day, and only if you ask for them.
Does a longer rental lower the daily rate?
Yes. 10% off from 5 days, 20% off from 10 days and 25% off from 20 days, applied automatically on most of the fleet (not the Toyota Prius, Corolla 2015 or Camry, and not the Premium cars, which keep their own rates). For a month or more, we arrange the booking on WhatsApp.
Which pickup point is the cheapest?
Tbilisi city centre, because it has no handover fee. Tbilisi Airport costs $30 per end. Kutaisi and Telavi cost $120, and Batumi costs $160.
In short, the car rental budget for Georgia depends on three things: the car, the handover points and the number of days. Everything else is small. If you are still choosing a start, our locations page shows every pickup point on one page.