Short answer. What to check when renting a car in Baku is a list of six things. Photograph the car and read the fuel level. Open the boot and check the tyres. Read the deposit clause and ask about fines. Ten minutes now saves an argument later.
Updated 9 August 2026.
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What to check when renting a car in Baku, in order
Check six things: photographs, fuel, the spare wheel, tyres, the deposit clause and fines.
- Photograph the car from all four corners, in daylight if you can.
- Read the fuel gauge and agree the level in writing.
- Open the boot and find the spare wheel and the tools.
- Check the tyres, including the tread and the season.
- Read the deposit clause and how it comes back.
- Ask about fines that arrive after you return the car.
Any honest company will wait while you do all six.
Why the photographs matter
Existing scratches are the most common argument at a Baku handover.
Photographs with a timestamp settle it in seconds.
Take the wheels and the windscreen as well as the panels.
Do the same when you hand the car back.
What must be in the car by law?
The car must carry a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher and a triangle.
| Item | Where it lives |
|---|---|
| First aid kit | Boot or glovebox |
| Fire extinguisher | Boot or under a seat |
| Warning triangle | Boot |
| Registration documents | Glovebox |
| ICBARI insurance | With the documents |
Our Azerbaijani legal kit guide explains each one.
What should you ask about the deposit?
How much the Baku deposit is, how it is taken, and when it returns.
Ours is 200 to 300 USD, in cash or as a card block.
Cash comes back on the spot. A card block waits for your bank.
Our deposit guide covers both.
What about insurance?
Compulsory Azerbaijani ICBARI cover is in the price of every car.
ICBARI pays for damage you cause to other people, not to your own car.
Full cover is optional, with an excess of 300 to 500 EUR.
Our insurance guide explains the gap.
What about fines after you leave?
Fines after you leave almost always come from a camera, not a patrol.
Camera fines can reach the company weeks after you fly home.
The contract says how those are handled. Read that part.
Our speed guide lists the limits and the amounts.
What should you check about the tyres?
Tread depth, and whether an Azerbaijani winter needs winter tyres.
Azerbaijan has no seasonal tyre law, so winter tyres are the company’s choice.
We fit winter tyres from November at no extra cost.
Our winter guide explains why that matters above 1,500 metres.
What paperwork should you leave with?
- A copy of the contract, on paper or on your phone.
- A phone number that answers at night.
- The fuel level written down, not remembered.
- The return time and where the handover happens.
Our Baku office answers around the clock, which matters at 2 in the morning.
What is the last thing to do?
Before you leave Baku, find the lights, the wipers and the fuel cap.
Check which fuel it takes before you reach the first station.
Most of our cars run on AI-92, at 1.10 AZN a litre.
Our station guide explains how filling up works here.
What do we show you at handover?
At handover we show you the damage, the fuel level and the legal kit.
- Deposit 200 to 300 USD, depending on the car. Cash or a card block.
- No mileage limit anywhere inside Azerbaijan.
- Minimum rental 2 days.
- Fuel comes back at the level you got it.
- ICBARI insurance is in the price. Full cover with a 300 to 500 EUR excess is optional.
- Delivery to your hotel for 10 USD, to the airport for 15 USD.
- The legal kit is in the car, and we point at it.
The traffic police publish the current rules on dyp.gov.az.
We have rented cars in Baku since 2023 and run 105 cars today. The office is open 24/7 and the phone answers at night.
BookingCarBaku staff speak Azerbaijani, Russian, English and Turkish.
Common questions
What should I photograph at handover?
Photograph all four corners, the wheels and the windscreen, in daylight if possible.
What must legally be in the car?
The car must legally carry a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher and a triangle.
Does the included insurance cover my own car?
No, the included insurance does not cover your own car. Azerbaijani ICBARI covers damage to others. Full cover is optional.
How do fines work after I leave?
Azerbaijani camera fines can arrive weeks later. The contract says how they are settled.
Do rental cars have winter tyres?
Our rental cars have winter tyres from November, at no extra cost. Azerbaijan has no such law.
Which fuel do rental cars take?
Most cars in Baku take AI-92 at 1.10 AZN a litre. Check the filler cap.
Renting somewhere else? Message us anyway and ask these six questions.
