Crashed a Rental Car in Turkey? Who Pays and What Car Hire Insurance Covers (2026)

1. I crashed a rental car in Turkey: who pays for what?

A rental car accident is not one claim but several. Each loss has a different payer:

Loss	Who normally pays	Rule
Damage to other cars and property	The rental car's compulsory traffic insurance, up to its limit	Highway Traffic Law Arts. 85, 91; general conditions A.5
Injury or death of other people, including your passengers	The same insurance, up to the per-person limit	Arts. 85, 91
Hospital treatment of accident victims	The Social Security Institution (SGK), whether or not the victim has social security	Art. 98
Damage to the rental car itself	Depends on the rental contract, kasko and the excess; the traffic insurance does not cover it	Rental contract; kasko general conditions
Damage beyond the insurance limits	Those legally liable: the operator (the rental company) and the driver at fault	Arts. 85, 88; Code of Obligations Art. 49
Your own injuries as the driver	The insurer of the other vehicle, if the other driver was at fault	Arts. 85, 97
Traffic fines and criminal consequences	The driver personally	Arts. 36, 48, 81

2. Who is legally responsible in Turkey: the rental company or the driver?

Turkish traffic law makes the operator (işleten) of a motor vehicle liable for death, injury and damage caused while it is operated (Highway Traffic Law No. 2918, Art. 85) [M1]. Article 3 defines the operator as the owner, and names the renter as operator only in cases such as long-term rental [M1]. In a holiday rental of a few days, the rental company is the registered owner and, under this definition, the operator.

This does not mean the driver is out of the picture. A person who causes damage by a faulty and unlawful act must compensate it (Code of Obligations No. 6098, Art. 49) [M2], and where more than one person is liable to a third party for the same accident, they are liable jointly and severally (Highway Traffic Law, Art. 88) [M1]. An operator escapes liability only by proving force majeure or the gross fault of the victim or a third person, with no fault of its own and no defect of the car contributing (Art. 86) [M1].

3. What the rental car's traffic insurance pays in 2026

Every operator must hold compulsory third-party motor insurance (zorunlu mali sorumluluk sigortası, usually called trafik sigortası) (Art. 91) [M1]. For cars, the limits announced for 2026 are [H1]:

Cover	Limit for cars in 2026
Property damage, per vehicle	TRY 400,000
Medical expenses, disability and death, per person	TRY 3,600,000

The limits that apply are those in force on the date of the accident (general conditions, A.1) [M5]. Property cover includes the loss of value (değer kaybı) of the damaged vehicle, assessed by an insurance expert (A.5-a) [M5]. Some claims are outside this insurance by law, including non-pecuniary (moral) damages, goods carried in the vehicle, and the part of a claim corresponding to the claimant's own fault (Art. 92) [M1].

Hospital bills of foreign tourists after a traffic accident

The cost of treatment given by public and private hospitals to traffic accident victims is paid by the Social Security Institution under its reimbursement rules, whether or not the victim has social security (Art. 98) [M1]. This rule does not depend on nationality, so it also covers foreign tourists injured in a rental car accident.

4. Drunk, unlicensed or left the scene: when the insurer comes after you

The traffic insurer cannot refuse to pay the victims because of the policy's exclusions; but after paying, it can seek recovery from the insured to the extent the policy or the law would have reduced or removed its liability (Art. 95; general conditions B.4) [M1] [M5]. The general conditions list the main grounds:

Ground for recovery	General conditions
Intentional act or gross fault	B.4 (a)
Driver without the required licence, with an expired licence, or whose licence was seized; gross breach of traffic rules	B.4 (b)
Driving under drugs or above the legal alcohol limit	B.4 (c)
Failure to meet the duties after the accident, to the extent it increased the loss	B.4 (d)
Leaving the scene, or not having the accident report or alcohol report drawn up, except for necessity such as going to hospital	B.4 (f), amended June 2026

The insured under the traffic policy is the operator, which in a short rental is the company (general conditions A.2) [M5]. What the company can then claim from the driver depends on the rental contract and the general rules on liability. The same article states that the insurer cannot delay the victims' compensation by relying on these grounds, and cannot ask the victims for information or documents about them (B.4) [M5].

5. Car hire insurance in Turkey: kasko, damage waivers and the excess

The compulsory traffic insurance protects other people, not the hire car. Damage to the rental car is governed by three layers, which together make up what is usually called car hire insurance:

Layer	What it decides
The rental contract	What the renter owes for damage, which extra products were bought (such as a damage waiver), and how charges are made
Kasko (comprehensive insurance) on the car, if any	Whether the insurer pays the repair, and its exclusions
Excess (muafiyet)	An amount agreed in the policy that the insured bears in each claim (kasko general conditions, A.6)

What kasko does not cover

The standard kasko general conditions exclude, among others [M6]:

• damage while the car is driven by a person without the required driving licence (A.5, 5.4);
• damage while the car is driven under drugs or above the alcohol level set in the traffic regulation (A.5, 5.5);
• a driver leaving the scene to prevent identification in those cases, except for necessity such as going to hospital (A.5, 5.10);
• mechanical, electrical and electronic breakdowns and tyre damage, unless caused by an insured event (A.4, 4.15).

Is car hire insurance compulsory in Turkey?

Only the third-party traffic insurance is compulsory, for every operator (Highway Traffic Law Art. 91) [M1]. Kasko and the damage waivers sold at the desk are optional products, and they cover what the policy and the rental contract say.

Rental contracts often use their own names for the products sold at the desk, such as "collision damage waiver", "full insurance" or "mini damage cover". They are contractual products, and what they include is what the contract says. Glass, tyres, the underbody and keys are often listed separately.

6. Another driver hit my rental car: who pays?

If the other driver was at fault, the damage to the rental car, including its loss of value, falls under the other vehicle's compulsory traffic insurance up to its limits (Art. 85; general conditions A.5-a) [M1] [M5]. Your own injuries, and those of your passengers, are also claimed from the at-fault vehicle's insurer. Where fault is shared, the loss is shared according to the fault and the operating risk of each vehicle (Arts. 88-89) [M1].

How a claim against a Turkish insurer works

Step	Rule
Written application to the insurer first	Required before a lawsuit (Art. 97)
Insurer's answer	Within 15 days; no answer or an unsatisfactory one opens the way to court or arbitration (Art. 97)
Payment	Within 8 working days after the required documents reach the insurer (Art. 99)
Insurance Arbitration Commission	Available for disputes under compulsory insurance even if the insurer is not a member (Insurance Law No. 5684, Art. 30)

Our traffic accident compensation calculator gives a first estimate for injury claims.

7. What Turkish law requires at the scene of a rental car accident

Drivers involved in an accident must stop, take safety measures, leave the scene unchanged where traffic allows, show their identity, licence, registration and insurance details on request, and report the accident to the authorities without leaving before they arrive (Art. 81) [M1]. In accidents with property damage only, the parties may record the accident in writing between themselves (the agreed accident report, anlaşmalı kaza tespit tutanağı) and leave without waiting for the police [M1].

Situation	Consequence since February 2026
Leaving the scene of an accident with damage, injury or death without police permission (outside an agreed report and without necessity)	Administrative fine of TRY 46,000 (Art. 81, as amended by Law No. 7574)
Leaving the scene of an accident with injury or death without police permission	Imprisonment of one to three years; licence withdrawn for two years (Art. 81)
Accident with injury or death, or property damage where the police intervene	Alcohol and drug test is mandatory (Art. 48)

The rental contract usually adds its own duties, such as informing the company at once and obtaining a police or agreed report; insurers and rental companies rely on those reports to decide who pays.

8. Drink-driving in a rental car in Turkey: fines and insurance

Rule	Highway Traffic Law Art. 48 (amended February 2026)
Limit for private cars	0.50 per mille; lower limit for other vehicles
First time	TRY 25,000 fine and licence withdrawn for 6 months
Second time within 5 years	TRY 50,000 and 2 years
Third time or more	TRY 150,000 and 5 years each time
Above 1.00 per mille	Criminal provisions of the Turkish Penal Code (Art. 179/3) also apply
Drugs	TRY 150,000 fine and licence cancelled

On the insurance side, drink-driving is a kasko exclusion (5.5) and a ground on which the traffic insurer can seek recovery after paying the victims (B.4-c) [M5] [M6].

9. Driving a rental car in Turkey with a foreign licence

Under Article 39 of the Highway Traffic Law, the rules on driving in Turkey with licences issued abroad are set by regulation [M1]. Rental companies set their own conditions too, such as a minimum period since the licence was issued. The insurance consequences of driving without the required licence are serious: kasko does not cover the damage (5.4), and the traffic insurer can seek recovery (B.4-b) [M5] [M6]. Driving without a licence is fined TRY 40,000, and the operator who allows it is fined the same amount through the plate (Art. 36, as amended in 2026) [M1].

10. I returned the rental car and was charged for damage later: what does Turkish law say?

A rental car is a movable leased under the Turkish Code of Obligations. Two articles matter most when the company charges for damage after return [M2]:

Article	Rule
Art. 334	The renter returns the item in the condition in which it was received, but is not responsible for wear and deterioration from use in line with the contract. Agreements in which the renter promises in advance to pay compensation other than for damage from use contrary to the contract are invalid.
Art. 335	At return, the owner must inspect the item and notify the renter in writing at once of defects the renter is responsible for. Without this notice the renter is released from all liability, except for defects that an ordinary inspection at return could not reveal; those must be notified in writing as soon as they are found.

In practice, the pick-up and return forms, the photographs and videos taken at both moments, the time stamps, and any message the company sent on the day of return are what these disputes turn on.

11. Deposit, credit card charges, "loss of value" and "loss of use" fees

Rental companies commonly block a deposit on a credit card and may later charge it for damage, the excess, fuel, tolls or fines. Some contracts also charge the car's loss of value after repair or a daily fee for the days the car is off the road. Whether such a charge is owed depends on the contract, on Articles 334-335 above and on consumer law:

• a renter who rents for private purposes is a consumer, and unfair terms in a standard contract are void; a term in a pre-printed contract is presumed not to have been negotiated (Consumer Protection Law No. 6502, Art. 5) [M3];
• the other provisions of the contract remain valid (Art. 5/2) [M3].

Payment by card does not settle whether the amount was owed; the dispute can still be brought before the bodies below.

12. Where disputes with a Turkish rental company are decided

Amount in dispute (2026)	Where	Rule
Below TRY 186,000	Provincial or district Consumer Arbitration Committee; application is mandatory	6502 Art. 68; 2026 limit [T1]
TRY 186,000 or more	Consumer court, after mediation	6502 Arts. 73, 73/A
Disputes with an insurer	Court or the Insurance Arbitration Commission	5684 Art. 30

An application to a Consumer Arbitration Committee can be made where the consumer lives or where the transaction took place (Art. 68/3) [M3]. For a tourist, the place of the transaction is usually the city where the car was rented. A consumer court case can also be filed where the consumer lives (Art. 73/5) [M3].

13. Injured in a rental car accident in Turkey as a driver or passenger

Passengers in the rental car are third parties for the rental car's traffic insurance, so their injuries are covered by it, and by the other vehicle's insurance if the other driver was at fault. The driver's own injuries are claimed from the other side if the other driver was at fault. Hospital treatment is paid by the Social Security Institution under Article 98 in either case [M1]. Compensation for loss of earnings, permanent disability and the costs of care are calculated on medical reports; see our compensation law page and the calculator.

14. Can a rental car accident stop me from leaving Turkey?

An accident with injuries usually leads to a criminal investigation for negligent injury, separate from the insurance claims. A prosecutor or judge may order judicial control measures, one of which is a ban on leaving the country (Code of Criminal Procedure, Art. 109) [M4]. How such a ban is checked and lifted is explained in our guide to exit bans in Turkey, and police custody in arrested in Turkey as a foreigner. Where the act is also a crime with a longer limitation period, that longer period applies to the compensation claim too (Highway Traffic Law, Art. 109) [M1].

15. Time limits after a car accident in Turkey

Time limit	For what	Basis
At once, in writing	The rental company's notice of defects found at return	Code of Obligations Art. 335
10 days	The insured's notice of the accident to the traffic insurer	General conditions B.1
15 days	The insurer's written answer to a claim	Highway Traffic Law Art. 97
8 working days	Payment by the insurer after documents are complete	Art. 99
2 years / 10 years	Compensation for damage from a motor vehicle accident: 2 years from learning of the damage and the liable person, at most 10 years from the accident (longer if the act is a crime with a longer limit)	Art. 109

16. Documents that decide a rental car accident dispute

Document	What it shows
Rental contract and the products bought at the desk	What the renter owes for damage, the excess and the waiver terms
Pick-up and return forms, photos and videos	The car's condition at both moments (Arts. 334-335)
Police report or agreed accident report	How the accident happened and who was at fault
Alcohol test result	Whether an exclusion or recovery ground applies
Expert (eksper) report and repair invoices	The amount of damage and loss of value
Card statements and the company's emails	What was charged and when it was first notified
Medical reports	Injury, treatment and disability
Driving licence and passport entry stamp	Whether the driver held a valid licence

17. I have already left Turkey after the accident: what now?

Leaving Turkey does not end the claims, and the time limits keep running (Art. 109) [M1]. Applications to insurers, the Consumer Arbitration Committee and courts are made in Turkey, so drivers and passengers who have gone home usually act through a lawyer in Turkey holding a power of attorney, signed at a Turkish consulate or before a notary with an apostille. The steps and costs of hiring a lawyer in Turkey from abroad are explained in a separate guide.

18. Car accident lawyer in Istanbul, Ankara and across Turkey

Rental car disputes are decided by the Consumer Arbitration Committee or consumer court of the place of the transaction or of the consumer's residence, and compensation claims by the courts where the accident happened or where the insurer's branch is located. Many visitors rent cars at İstanbul's airports and consult a car accident lawyer in Istanbul; accidents in the capital are followed by a lawyer in Ankara; and drivers who have left the country usually act through a lawyer in Turkey. Disputes about rental contract terms also fall under consumer law.

Sources and References

Legislation

• [M1] Highway Traffic Law No. 2918, Arts. 3, 36, 39, 48, 81, 85, 86, 88, 89, 91, 92, 95, 97, 98, 99, 109 (as amended by Law No. 7574 of 12 February 2026)

• [M2] Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098, Arts. 49, 334, 335

• [M3] Consumer Protection Law No. 6502, Arts. 5, 68, 73, 73/A

• [M4] Code of Criminal Procedure No. 5271, Art. 109; Insurance Law No. 5684, Art. 30

• [M5] General Conditions of Compulsory Motor Third-Party Liability Insurance, A.1, A.2, A.5, B.1, B.4 (as amended on 12 June 2026)

• [M6] General Conditions of Land Vehicle Kasko Insurance, A.4, A.5, A.6

Official announcements

• [T1] Ministry of Trade: 2026 monetary limit for Consumer Arbitration Committees (TRY 186,000; Official Gazette 23 December 2025, No. 33116)

News

• [H1] Anadolu Agency, 27 December 2025: 2026 compulsory traffic insurance limits for cars (TRY 400,000 per vehicle, TRY 3,600,000 per person)

This article is general information about Turkish law as of 3 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not assess any individual case.