All about renting a car in Bulgaria

Yes, if you want more freedom when determining your itinerary, renting a car for your trip to Bulgaria will certainly be worth it. Renting a car will give you the flexibility to go wherever you want without having to rely on public transportation. Plus, it can be quite cost-effective if you visit off-the-beaten-path destinations, especially if you will be traveling with more than one person.

Yes, you can rent a car in Bulgaria. There are many car hire companies available at airports, railway stations, and major cities throughout the country. If you will be flying to Bulgaria from abroad, we recommend renting a car directly at Sofia International Airport. You will find most car hire companies’ offices in the lobby as soon as you come out of the arrivals gate.

Yes, foreigners are allowed to rent a car and drive in Bulgaria, provided they have all the required documents for driving in the country, which are a valid ID and driver’s license. Depending on where was your driver’s license issued, you may also need to have an International Driving Permit (IDP).

Yes, you can rent a car in Bulgaria with a US driver’s license. You will need to present a valid ID with a photo (in most cases, your passport), and a valid driver’s license accompanied by the International Driving Permit (IDP).

The rental company in Bulgaria may not ask to see your IDP but it is your job, as the driver, to make sure you are complying with the local regulations. Local laws in Bulgaria require Americans to have the IDP at all times, along with the American driving license.

Yes, you can rent a car and drive in Bulgaria with an English driver’s license. As with most EU countries, the UK license is accepted for driving in Bulgaria. You will only need to have an International Driving Permit if your UK driving license does not contain a photo.

To summarise the rule about who requires an International Driving Permit for renting a car and driving in Bulgaria:

– Travelers with driver’s licenses issued by other EU countries do not need an IDP for renting a car in Bulgaria
– UK citizens with English driving licenses do not need an IDP for renting a car in Bulgaria as long as their license contains a photo
– Travelers holding an American driving license need to have the IDP when renting a car and driving in Bulgaria

Please check the local websites for more information if you are coming from another country

The minimum age for renting a car in Bulgaria is 21. However, if you are younger than 25, you may have to pay an additional fee for renting a car which is called a “young driver fee”. Each rental car company has its own rules about how this works – some may charge a young driver fee and others may not. Make sure you read the fine print when you are booking your car rental.

Another important thing to note is that many car rental companies in Bulgaria require the driver to have held a license for at least two years.

Here are the documents you need to rent a car in Bulgaria:

– A valid ID with a photo
– A valid driver’s license
– An International Driving Permit (IDP) depending on where your license is from
– A credit card or deposit

It really depends on the rental conditions of each company. Most companies require a credit card for renting a car in Bulgaria for paying the deposit or safety guarantee. They will use it to block a certain amount, which will only be charged if there is anything wrong once you return the car.

It is possible to find companies that will allow travelers to rent a car in Bulgaria without a credit card, but it is not common practice so it will not be very easy. You may be asked to pay a deposit in cash or to leave another form of guarantee for the rental.

The cost of renting a car in Bulgaria depends on many factors such as the type of car, the rental period, the driver’s age, and whether or not you are covering the car with insurance. Generally speaking, renting a car in Bulgaria is relatively inexpensive compared to other European countries. 

Just to give you a general idea, the cost of renting a car in Bulgaria usually varies between 10-50 Euros per day. The cheapest time of the year to rent a car in Bulgaria is during the winter when it is the low season. 

Check the price for your Bulgaria trip here.

The cheapest cars for rental in Bulgaria are the basic ones, which belong to the “Economy” category. Those are normally small, compact cars with manual gear. They are more than enough for a couple of days of road-tripping through the country, but if you will be traveling for longer periods of time or with a bigger group of people, you may want to consider spending a bit more for extra comfort.

To make sure you get the best prices, we recommend renting a car in the major cities, where the larger companies are located.

We rented our car at the Sofia International Airport and we found that to be the most economical and practical option because it is very easy to get to the airport. Check the offers available at Sofia Airport here.

There are many car hire companies operating in Bulgaria, such as Avis, Sixt, Budget, and Europcar.  The best option is to choose an international company that is reputable and serious.

We did the mistake of renting a car with a local provider in Bulgaria and ended up with a 2-month long process regarding additional fees that were mysteriously charged to our credit card long after we returned the vehicle. It is not worth the hassle.

Our recommendation is to stick with the companies you know, even if it means paying a couple of Euros more on the daily rate. We always use Discover Cars to check the best prices, but Sixt is usually our preferred option whenever renting a car abroad.

There is no need to rent a car if you plan only on visiting Sofia. Sofia is well connected with public transport and having to worry about where to park the car can be more of a hassle than a pleasure. Check our full Sofia itinerary here.

However, if you have any intention of exploring more of Bulgaria (and we certainly recommend that you do), then renting a car can really make a difference.

Yes, you can rent a car in Bulgaria and drive to Romania. In fact, since both countries are part of the EU, rental agencies do not complicate when travelers want to drive between both countries.

Make sure you let the company know that you intend to take the car abroad (so they can prepare all the documents for border crossing) and that you have the right documents for driving in Romania too.

Yes, there is border control when driving between Romania and Bulgaria because even though both countries are members of the European Union, they are not in the Schengen Area.

Yes, you can rent a car in Bulgaria and drive to Greece, provided you have the necessary documents for yourself and the vehicle for driving abroad.

Make sure you inform the rental agency of your plans of taking the car to Greece so they can verify that the car has the right documents and insurance coverage. Some rental agencies may charge an additional fee for this.

Driving in Bulgaria is generally easy and safe. If you stick to the main highways, you will find that the road conditions are mostly good. 
That being said, you should take extra care when driving at night or in rural areas as the roads can be quite narrow with no lighting, and some of them might still have potholes.

The hardest part about driving in Bulgaria as a foreigner is that most signs are written in the Cyrillic alphabet, so make sure you have the GPS set before you get behind the wheel and get familiar with the most important road signs.

Read more: How is it to drive in Bulgaria as a foreigner

To drive through Bulgarian Highway and toll roads you will have to buy a vignette. The vignette can be bought for a period of weekend, week, month, quarter, and year. They can be purchased in electronic form on the BGTOLL website, through the mobile app, and at regular points of sale.

The blood alcohol content limit in Bulgaria for drivers of private vehicles is 0.05%.

The speed limits in Bulgaria are set for each type of road as follows:

– Built-up areas: 50km/h
– Outside of built-up areas: 90km/h
– Motorways: 130 or 140km/h, depending on the signs