Ministry of Trade Imposes Age and Mileage Limits on Rental Vehicles

The Ministry of Trade has introduced comprehensive new rules for the vehicle rental sector through the "Regulation on the Rental of Motor Land Vehicles" published in the Official Gazette. According to the regulation, no vehicle older than 6 years, with the exception of classic vehicles, may be rented out.

Mileage limits are also coming into effect: petrol and diesel vehicles will have a maximum of 180,000 kilometres, while electric vehicles will be capped at 300,000 kilometres. Severely damaged vehicles and those that have not undergone periodic maintenance on schedule will be excluded from rental operations.

Minimum fleet-size requirements are also being introduced. Operators will be required to maintain at least 5 to 10 vehicles depending on their operational area; fleets in settlements with populations exceeding 30,000 must include at least 2 hybrid vehicles. Additionally, operators will be required to register a specified portion of their vehicles directly in the company's name.

Consumer rights provisions have also changed: caps have been placed on deposit amounts, new rights have been granted regarding reservation cancellations, and operators are now required to obtain an operating licence.

This regulation directly affects Turkey's billion-dollar vehicle rental market. Compliance will be critical, particularly for small-scale rental companies operating older, high-mileage fleets. The regulation's effective date and transition period are set out in the full text published in the Official Gazette.