Car rental in Sofia

I need an economical but reliable car rental company with whom I can build a long term business relationship. I would need the car for travel in and around Sofia, Plovdiv and on the odd occasion I may need to travel across border to Thessaloniki and Macedonia Very Happy

I was going to post something similar. There are all the big expensive firms like Hertz at Sofia airport but there must be locally based companies in Sofia that can deliver a car to the airport. This would avoid the nerve -wracking hunt for an honest taxi driver.

You will find many local companies here, but they will all be expensive for a reasonable car. Also when you deal with them you have to ask if everything is included, taxes etc... because sometimes the number seems good until they add it all up. There are companies listed in the monthly guide available around town:

http://www.cityinfoguide.net/

here is the current list of auto folks:
http://www.cityinfoguide.net/index.php?c_id=148&p_id=1

Good luck. Personally I've had no problem getting proper taxi's and I even bought a car for cheap (7k Euro) fully insured... seemed better then renting one.

Good luck to you all

Thanks guys I will post my findings. Good or bad

Hi Piddles

I live in Plovdiv and have a very nice Peugeot 406 sedan which I drove over from the UK at Xmas time. Now it is surplus to requirements and I intend to sell it. Diesel powered, with all the mod cons, very fuel efficient [60mpg on the trip, towing a trailer]. PM me if interested....I can even store it here for you. 8000leva, with BG registration.

Bazz

It has been over a year since we hired a car,but found "Savoy Rent" to be very good. They were always waiting for us at the airport,and were happy to pick up the car at any location in Sofia on our return.(We used to stay at the Princess hotel on our last night)
They also give discounts of 5%, going up to 15% for regular use. They speak English which is probably a must for your first visit to BG
Not sure of the address,but easy to find on the web.

sorry to change the subject... but Reeper... how do you find honest taxis? In the 8 months I have been here, I may have used a taxi 10 times and only about 2 of the times the driver took me directly to my destination. They took the long routes with alot of traffic, told me the fair was 8 leva when it was only 2 and another driver pretended to be lost onetime when I had a map in my hand and showed the driver where Ovch Kupel was!! he wanted 35 leva - lol!!

Hi cuppa52,
Taxis can be a bit of a problem. We were charged 40 Levs from Ovcha Kupel to downtown Sofia.I refused to pay and went to the police.His rates were a rip off,but posted in the window ! Kicking and screaming I had no option but to pay up. There were a few other occasions we were done.
Once we learned to speak a little Bulgarian and lost the tourist look things did improve. We also learned to keep an eye on the meter,and if it soared up and looked dodgy (this happened twice) we simply told the driver to stop,paid him,and got another taxi.
I think most of them are OK,but once you get ripped off you think all of them are on the take.
Not just BG though,it's a worldwide problem.

The last time I got a taxi from Sofia to the airport it was about 34leva. I had looked at the sticker in the windscreen and there were 3 rates shown, all less than 1 leva. When we had set off and I looked at the meter it was showing 2.59 leva/km. I looked at the sticker on the dash and that showed 4 rates, the 2.59 being the 4th. The roads we were on were pretty empty so I would not risk stopping the taxi and hailing another in case none appeared and I missed my flight. Next time I'm seriously thinking of walking from the airport to Sofia. Mad

Hi All,

With cabs and cabdrivers it's not so easy even in decent countries like Austria. I had a bad experience there Sad

. I spent the last week of Jan in Vienna and I stayed at a hotel 10 km away from Vienna's downtown. Can someone of you imagine how much did I pay for the taxi ride? I paid 50 EUR for 10 km!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd better get walked!

I was misled by the lady at the reception when she told me it would take 2 hours with public transportation to get to the downtown. The fastest way was to take a cab. I decided to take a taxi as I paid 45 euros from the airport to that hotel and didn't imagine it would cost me a fortune Sad

the ride to the downtown. And by the way, It was 4 stars hotel, so I could trust on the staff. Anyway. I like learning on errors and trials Smile

As for BG cabdrivers, 95% of them are maniacs and totally mindless. So, in order to avoid any further disappointments, just buy or rent a car. Anyhow, you will be sticking in the traffic jams, just spend that time in your own car listening to the music you want to without cigarette smokes and the neverending noise from the taxi transmitter Smile

Cheers

Ok, another tidbit

There are so many numbers on the posting sheet right?

First you will notice they have a number for when you get in the cab (an automatic fee) usually around 60 stutinki, then you will see a per km price usually around 59 stutinki per, the a "rest" rate for waiting in traffic, usually around 18 stutinki per minute... this is how you read the sign.

If you see an entry fee over 70, don't get in, if you see a per/km over 60 don't get in... OK taxi is usually good and has this list posted right in front of you in the passenger side so you can study it and figure out what I'm talking about.

Most taxi's don't speak English so be sure to know your cross streets in Bulgarian or choose a landmark for drop off.

Hi, I can reccommend Motoroads as a realiable and economical car hire company, based in Sofia. However, you can rent a car from them anywhere in the country and they certainly offer cross-border destinations like Thessaloniki and Istanbul. Plus, it's very convenient to hire a new car online in just a few seconds.

Hi Piddles,

I've tried some auto rental companies here in Sofia, but I'd recommend only the last. I think the name is Mobile Mania Rent a car, Sofia based. Only new cars with AC and so and so, and they offered me really good deal for a period of 1 month. I've had a perfect driving experience with their vehicle. Anyway I would love to hear about your experience and your choice.

Weather

Exchange rates
September 03 2010