New rules for car rentals: Mileage and age limits are coming

The Ministry of Trade has prepared a new draft regulation to make motor vehicle rental services more orderly and transparent. Prepared with the aim of increasing service quality in the sector, reducing unregistered activities, and preventing consumer grievances, this draft has been presented for the opinion of the public and industry representatives.

According to the draft, while the goal is to bring rental activities into a corporate structure, the new rules concern both businesses and consumers closely. The draft stipulates that vehicles older than 5 years or those that have exceeded 100 thousand kilometers can no longer be rented. It is also stated that these rules will cover all vehicles, excluding classic cars. In order to ensure transparency in the sector, it is planned to clarify contract details and raise the technical standards of vehicles.

While these regulations are expected to cover short-term individual rentals, commercial inter-institutional and long-term rentals are expected to remain outside the scope.

A NEW ERA IN THE MOTOR VEHICLE RENTAL SECTOR

Within the scope of the regulation changes, a mandatory authorization certificate will be introduced for car rental companies. To obtain an authorization certificate, businesses will be required to be registered with a professional chamber, use the workplace solely for car rental purposes, and be tax-registered. Furthermore, it will be required that employees responsible for the rental process have at least a primary school education and have not been convicted of certain crimes. Professional competence certificates will also be mandatory.

To ensure the system operates effectively, the Ministry of Trade plans to establish a platform called the "Motor Vehicle Rental Information System." It is stated that many processes, from authorization certificate applications to other official procedures, will be carried out through this system.

While a condition will be introduced for rental businesses to have at least 10 vehicles in total, five of these vehicles must be owned by the company itself. For companies operating in metropolitan cities, the obligation to have at least two electric or hybrid vehicles in their fleets will also come to the agenda. In this way, both eco-friendly transportation will be supported and domestic automobile production will be encouraged.

DEPOSIT, PERIODIC MAINTENANCE, AND CONSUMER RIGHTS

The draft regulation prevents problems arising from deposits in car rental contracts. The deposit that can be taken from the tenant will be limited to a maximum of 3 days' rental fee for 1-6 day rentals, and a maximum of 7 days' rental fee for 7-30 day or weekly rentals. In addition, the deposit must be refunded within 7 days after the vehicle is returned.

Customers who make prepaid reservations will be able to cancel their reservations without any justification and without any deduction up to 24 hours before the vehicle delivery time. Furthermore, no fee can be demanded from the tenant for wear and tear resulting from normal use of the vehicles, and no deductions can be made from the deposit for these items.

Another important innovation concerns periodic maintenance practices. Renting vehicles that have not been maintained on time will be completely prohibited. At the same time, insurance and comprehensive insurance (kasko) costs will be included in the rental fee, and no additional fees can be demanded from tenants for these rights. Additionally, businesses will be required to provide winter tires free of charge if requested by the tenant during the winter season.

To protect consumer rights, demanding any fee under the name of "loss of value" without a court decision will also be prohibited. Additionally, when additional services such as baby seats, navigation, and HGS (Fast Pass System) are requested, businesses will be obliged to provide them free of charge.

It is stated that classified ad sites and digital rental platforms will henceforth only be able to host ads from businesses that have an authorization certificate. Existing firms have been granted until January 1, 2027, to comply with the new regulations.

With this comprehensive regulation, the aim is to ensure both consumer safety and a regular and fair structure for the sector.

News Source: 12punto