Should you rent an EV in Turkey at all?
It depends almost entirely on where you are going, and the honest answer is not “yes” for every itinerary.
| Your trip | EV rental | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and between them | Good idea | Densest charging, short legs, cheap running costs |
| Aegean and Mediterranean coast in summer | Good idea | Holiday routes are well covered; hotels increasingly have chargers |
| Cappadocia, Black Sea coast | Workable with planning | Chargers exist but are spaced out; plan each leg |
| Eastern Anatolia, remote mountain roads | Think twice | Long gaps, cold winters, fewer DC units — a petrol car removes the problem |
The networks reach all 81 provinces on paper, but “present in a province” and “a fast charger where you need it” are different things. Our Turkey EV charging guide maps where the coverage is genuinely dense.
Where to rent an electric car in Turkey
The international names operating in Turkey — Avis, Sixt, Garenta, Hertz, Enterprise, Europcar — mostly use the same airport desks as everywhere else. Several publish an electric category, but availability is per location, not per brand.
Avis Türkiye’s own EV rental guide names Togg T10X, Tesla Model Y and Model 3 among its popular picks, with MG4, Skywell ET5 and Hyundai IONIQ 6 as cheaper options, and Renault Megane E-Tech and BMW i4 also in the fleet. Sixt Türkiye lists an Electric Cars category; Garenta has appeared with the BYD Dolphin.
Seven things to confirm before you book
This is the part that decides whether your rental is pleasant or stressful. None of it is obvious from a booking page.
| # | Confirm | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is a Type 2 cable in the boot? | Without it you can only use DC fast chargers — no hotel, no AC unit, no overnight top-up. Avis’s own guide tells renters to check this, which tells you it is not guaranteed |
| 2 | Which charging app or card comes with the car | Some companies hand over an operator card; some leave you to register yourself |
| 3 | Whether you can register for the apps | Charging in Turkey is app and card only — there is no cash option anywhere |
| 4 | The return charge level and the penalty | Returning an EV near empty can cost more than a tank of petrol would |
| 5 | Whether the price includes charging | Normally it does not: the cost of charging during the rental is the renter’s |
| 6 | The mileage cap | EV rentals sometimes carry tighter daily limits than petrol equivalents |
| 7 | That your card handles pre-authorisation holds | Chargers place a hold before the session; some foreign cards decline it |
What charging will cost you as a visitor
Public DC fast charging runs roughly 13-15 ₺ per kWh. A compact electric SUV uses around 18 kWh per 100 km in mixed driving, so:
| Distance | Energy | Cost on public DC |
|---|---|---|
| 100 km | ~18 kWh | ~250 ₺ |
| 500 km (a coastal week) | ~90 kWh | ~1.260 ₺ |
| 1.000 km (a long loop) | ~180 kWh | ~2.520 ₺ |
If your hotel has an AC charger, overnight charging is cheaper and removes most of the planning. Tesla’s Superchargers are open to non-Tesla cars in Turkey, which widens your options on the main corridors — see our Tesla in Turkey guide for those tariffs.
When to rent a petrol car instead
- You are covering long distances in a short trip. Charging stops cost time you may not have on a one-week itinerary.
- Your route is rural or mountainous. Range drops on climbs and in cold weather, and the fallback options thin out.
- You will not have a working Turkish data connection. Every charging session starts in an app.
- You cannot confirm the cable. A rental EV without a Type 2 cable is a DC-only car, and that is a worse holiday than a petrol hatchback.
None of this is an argument against renting an EV in Turkey — it is an argument for matching the car to the trip. On the Istanbul-Izmir-Antalya triangle, an EV is genuinely the better rental.
Frequently asked questions
Can tourists rent an electric car in Turkey?
Yes. Several major rental companies operating in Turkey publish an electric category, including Avis, Sixt and Garenta. Availability varies by pickup location rather than by brand, so filter for electric on the company’s own site for your specific airport and dates.
Does a rental EV come with a charging cable in Turkey?
Do not assume it does. Avis Türkiye’s own rental guide advises renters to check whether cables and adapters are supplied with the car and to confirm there is a Type 2 cable in the boot. Without one you are limited to DC fast chargers and cannot use hotel or street AC points.
How do I pay for charging in Turkey as a foreigner?
Through the operator’s app, with a card. There is no cash option anywhere on the public networks. Register on at least two apps before you travel, and use a card that allows online pre-authorisation holds — chargers place a hold before the session starts and some foreign cards decline it.
Is charging included in the rental price?
Normally no. The cost of charging during the rental period is the renter’s. Some companies have agreements with charging operators that give a discount, so it is worth asking, but budget for paying it yourself.
Where are the charging stations in Turkey?
The main operators reach all 81 provinces, with the densest coverage on the Istanbul-Ankara-Izmir triangle and the Aegean and Mediterranean holiday routes. Tesla Superchargers, around thirty locations, are open to non-Tesla cars. Coverage thins in eastern Anatolia and on mountain roads.
Last updated: 17 October 2026. Fleet and policy details come from the rental companies’ own Turkish pages and change often; confirm them for your pickup location and dates before booking. Charging tariffs and network coverage are from our own Turkey charging research.
