Driving in Georgia: what renters actually need to know

Most suppliers accept a national driving licence printed in the Latin alphabet. If your licence uses another script, bring an International Driving Permit alongside it. Always carry the original licence, your passport and the rental agreement; you may be asked for them at a checkpoint.

The backbone routes between Tbilisi, Gori, Kutaisi and Batumi are fast and well surfaced, and the east-west journey is genuinely easy. The character changes the moment you turn off toward the mountains. Surfaces get patchy, edges get vague, and the higher you go the more a capable car earns its keep.

For the paved Military Highway to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) a normal car will get there in good weather, but an SUV is more relaxed on the climbs. For Svaneti and Tusheti, do not compromise: a real 4x4 is the right tool, and those roads only open in the warmer months.

Local driving is confident and quick. Expect decisive overtaking, cars edging out at junctions, and the occasional cow or pig on a country road. None of it is hostile; it is just a faster rhythm than many visitors are used to. Leave more space, do not be rushed into a move you are not sure about, and use your horn lightly the way locals do, as a friendly heads-up rather than an insult.

From late autumn the high passes take serious snow. The road to Tusheti closes for winter, and the Military Highway can shut temporarily after heavy snowfall near Gudauri. If you are visiting between November and April and plan mountain days, choose a car with winter tyres and check the day's conditions before you set off. In summer none of this applies and the mountains are glorious.

Fuel stations are frequent on the main routes and less so deep in the mountains, so top up before long climbs. Cards work in towns; keep some lari for rural stops. In central Tbilisi expect paid parking zones with signage; elsewhere parking is usually free. Tolls are not a feature of Georgian roads, so you can largely forget about them.