2026-09-10
A question we get every week: should I rent a car and drive myself, or hire a driver? Since we sell the second option it would be easy to answer with a bias. We will not. Renting a car in Georgia is entirely the right decision for some travellers and an expensive one for others, and this article explains the difference honestly so you can choose on your own circumstances rather than on an advert.
What you actually need to drive in Georgia
A Gulf visitor can drive on a national licence for a limited period, but many rental companies also ask for an international driving permit, set a minimum age (usually 21 or 23) and require a year or more of driving experience. A deposit is held on your credit card and normally released after you return the car.
These conditions vary between companies and seasons, so ask in writing before booking rather than relying on a forum post from two years ago.
The roads: what the map does not show
Georgia's main intercity roads are good and well surfaced. That is not where the difficulty lies.
The Georgian Military Highway towards Kazbegi is a mountain road with sharp bends, slow lorries and sudden fog. In winter it needs winter tyres or chains, and the Jvari Pass sometimes closes for hours. The climb to the Gergeti Trinity Church itself needs a genuine four-wheel drive.
The Svaneti road is longer and harder, and not advisable for a first-time driver in Georgia.
Local driving is faster and bolder than many visitors are used to. This is not scaremongering — thousands of tourists drive here safely every year — but it is a reality worth knowing before you load your family and set off for the mountains.
The comparison in numbers
Self-drive, approximately: a family car at 45 to 90 USD a day depending on season and class, plus fuel (budget 20 to 40 USD a day on long routes), plus parking in Tbilisi and Batumi, plus the full insurance that reduces your excess. Add what never appears on the invoice: the time spent looking for parking, the tiredness after six hours on a mountain road, and your liability for every scratch.
With a driver: our rule is 200 USD per day for two people, including the car, the Arabic speaking driver and the hotel. The hotel alone would cost 70 to 120 USD a night booked separately, so the real gap is far smaller than it first appears. The full method is in How Much Does an Arabic Driver in Georgia Cost.
The short version: self-drive is cheaper on paper for a small group on short routes, and the gap narrows — or reverses — as the party grows and the route lengthens.
When self-drive is genuinely right
Rent a car if you are a couple or two friends with no small children or elderly parents; travelling in summer or spring away from snow; staying around Tbilisi or between the main cities on surfaced roads; someone who actually enjoys driving; and flexible enough not to mind losing half an hour to parking.
When a driver is genuinely cheaper
A family with children, where getting in and out, luggage and child seats become a daily burden. Mountain or winter routes: Kazbegi, Gudauri, Svaneti, Bakuriani. Long programmes, where a week is more than a thousand kilometres and tiredness accumulates. Not speaking the language, which makes dealing with police, a garage or a parking attendant hard. And a trip where your time matters: a driver who knows the route saves you at least an hour a day, spent at the place rather than on the way to it. This is what Why the Arabic Driver Makes or Breaks Your Georgia Trip sets out: the difference shows on day four, not day one.
The middle option everyone forgets
You do not have to choose entirely. Many of our clients combine a driver for the mountain days and long transfers, where the value is real, with a rental car for the city days, where driving is easy and freedom is what you want. Tell us and we will build the programme that way through Custom Georgia Tour from 1 to 20 Days.
If you do drive: five practical tips
Film the car on collection and return, not just photographs. Read the gravel clause: many contracts exclude windscreen damage, which is exactly what happens on mountain roads. Do not rely on maps alone in the mountains — download them for offline use. Fill up before the climb; stations thin out after Gudauri. Avoid driving mountain roads at night.
Tell us your situation and we will advise honestly
Send us your party size, dates and the route you have in mind, and we will tell you plainly whether it suits self-driving — even if the answer is that we are not the right choice for you. WhatsApp: +995 550 000 663