Which Rental Car for Which Trip in Georgia: Prius, Duster, RAV4, Pajero, Land Cruiser or Vito?

"Do I need a 4x4?" is the question we answer most often on WhatsApp, and the honest answer is: it depends where you are going, and for most of Georgia, no. Our fleet runs from a $35-a-day hybrid to a Land Cruiser 200 and a 50-seat coach, and the right choice is decided by the roads on your route, the number of people and the season, not by the size of the mountains in the photos. This guide answers which car to rent in Georgia for each kind of trip, with the cars we would hand you for it. Every car named below is on the fleet page with its daily rate.

Which car to rent in Georgia: the short version

Economy sedans: Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kakheti, Gori, Batumi

Most of what visitors do in Georgia happens on paved roads: the capital, the old capital, the whole wine region, the motorway to the coast, the road to Kazbegi in summer. For all of it a sedan is the sensible car, and the Toyota Prius at $35 a day is the one our customers book most: hybrid, so a Kakheti day costs very little in fuel, quiet, easy to park in the old town. The Corolla 2015 at $50 is the same idea with a bigger boot; the Camry and the Ford Fusion are the comfortable choice for four adults with luggage. See all of them on the Economy cars page.

Crossovers: Kazbegi, Gudauri, Borjomi, Kutaisi and the canyons

Still paved, but with mountain passes, hairpins, the occasional gravel car park and, out of season, snow. The Renault Duster is our workhorse here: cheap to run, ground clearance for the potholes and the dirt access roads to Okatse or Birtvisi, and all-wheel drive for a surprise snowfall on the Jvari pass. The RAV4, Outlander, Forester and Jeep Renegade do the same job with more comfort. This is the answer to which car to rent in Georgia for Kazbegi between November and April, for Bakuriani, and for any trip where "we might take that side road" is part of the plan. They live on the Comfort cars page.

Proper 4x4s: Svaneti, Ushguli, Truso, Juta, Vashlovani

Gravel for hours, river crossings in spring, rocks that scrape a low car. Here you want a body-on-frame 4x4 with low range: the Mitsubishi Pajero is the one in half of our Svaneti photos, the Land Cruiser Prado and the Toyota 4Runner are the others. The Mestia to Ushguli road is 45 km of gravel that a careful driver manages in a Duster in dry summer weather, but the Pajero does it without you thinking about it, and the Zagar pass loop back to Lentekhi needs it. The full list is on the 4x4 and SUV rental page; the Svaneti post explains the road.

The big ones: Tusheti and the Abano pass

One road in Georgia is in a class of its own: the Abano pass to Tusheti, 70 km of narrow track at up to 2,850 m, open from June to early October, with no barriers and no fuel. For that we hand over the Land Cruiser 200 ($135 a day), the Land Cruiser 100 or a Wrangler, and we talk through the drive with you first. Read the Tusheti guide before you decide; many customers prefer to go with our driver on this one.

Families and groups

Five people and a pushchair do not fit in a Duster, so which car to rent in Georgia changes with the headcount. The Toyota Highlander has seven seats and all-wheel drive, which covers almost every family itinerary including Kazbegi. The Toyota Sienna and Nissan Quest are the sliding-door minivans for the motorway and the coast. For eight people with luggage the Mercedes Vito is the standard answer, the Sprinter takes more, and for a company trip or a wedding party the MAN coach seats fifty and comes with a driver. Need a child seat? Ask at booking and we fit one.

Winter: ski trips to Gudauri and Bakuriani

The Subaru Forester is the quiet hero of our winter season: permanent all-wheel drive, enough clearance for the Gudauri car parks, a sensible fuel bill. The Pajero, the Prado and the RAV4 are the alternatives, and the Highlander for a family with skis. Tell us the resort at booking so the car is prepared for snow, and read the winter section of the travellers handbook for the pass rules. Rentals of a week or more in a long-term rental are the usual way to do a ski season.

Premium: when the car is part of the trip

A wedding in Tbilisi, a business visit, a week on the coast where you want to arrive properly: the Premium page has the Range Rover Vogue, the Range Rover Sport, the Maserati Levante, the seven-seat Cadillac Escalade, the 2024 Land Cruiser Prado and, for the Black Sea coast road in summer, a BMW 428i Cabrio. Most of them book online like any other car; a few are by request.

Things that do not change with the car

• Insurance and unlimited mileage are included, a second driver is free, and the refundable deposit is about $200.
• Pickup and drop-off fees depend on the place, not the car: free in Tbilisi city centre, $30 at Tbilisi Airport, $120 in Kutaisi or Telavi, $160 in Batumi, per end, plus a $20 service fee per booking, all shown separately on the prices page.
• One daily rate whatever the length of the rental; you pay 15% online to confirm and the rest at the car.
• Every car is handed over with a walk-around and photos, and returned the same way; the handover takes about ten minutes.

Once you know which car to rent in Georgia, the Tbilisi Airport page, the Kutaisi Airport page and the Batumi page show which cars are available at each handover point, and the renting a car in Georgia guide walks through the booking.

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