The car hire industry in Turkey is booming, with prices being driven up by high demand.

The summer holiday season for the popular Mediterranean destination has seen a huge demand for rental vehicles, which has been compounded by the growing number of Turkish expats returning home.

The result is that business volume has grown by 50 per cent this summer already, and prices have been pushed upwards also by an average of 30 per cent.  Car rental company owner and manager Tuncay Kilic told local news sources that in the past Turkish expats had often opted to drive home for their family of summer holiday, usually taking their own car from the primary expat hubs of the Netherlands and Germany.

However, the rising cost of fuel and cheapening airfares has seen many opt for flying home this summer and accordingly in need of a vehicle on arrival. Kilic also reasoned that many returnees simply did not want to spend too much time inside their vehicles unless it was at their destination.

There is also a significant number of domestic holiday travellers who do even have a vehicle, but base their holiday around the means of transport, the upshot of which has been a level of interest more than double that of the same time period during previous summers. The increase in prices is forecast to continue well into the autumn.

The majority of Turkish rental vehicles are in good condition, being on average between one year and three years old, with most having sat nav. Those wishing to hire in Turkey should be aware that they must have held a valid license for at least two years.