Car Hire in Yerevan

Part of our guide to car hire in Armenia.

Driving and Parking in Yerevan: What You Need to Know

• City centre driving: Yerevan drives on the right. Traffic is heavy at rush hour, local drivers can be assertive, and sudden lane changes and U-turns are common, so keep your distance and stay alert. The main roads are generally in good condition, but some side streets are poorly maintained and road signs are not always in English, so set the satnav or an offline map before you move off.
• Paid parking zones: Paid parking applies on streets marked with red lines and is divided into two zones. Zone A covers the small city centre around Surb Grigor Lusavorich Cathedral, including Aghatangeghos, Khanjyan, Charents, Abovyan, Saryan and Leo streets. Zone B covers the rest of Kentron and Arabkir.
• Parking charges: The municipality lists 300 AMD per hour or 2,000 AMD per day in Zone A, and 200 AMD per hour or 1,000 AMD per day in Zone B. Payment is online, through a mobile banking app, a payment terminal or SMS, with the plate number in Latin letters and no spaces, sent to 1045 for Zone A or 5045 for Zone B. Check the current tariff with the municipality, and ask your supplier how to pay as a visitor.
• Car parks: The underground car park at Freedom Square (Azatutyan) holds about 500 cars and uses plate-recognition cameras at the barrier, with six payment terminals on three floors that accept cash, cards and contactless payment. It is the simplest option if you are visiting the centre for several hours.
• Parking rules: Parking at a pedestrian crossing or in a way that obstructs traffic carries a fine, and a car can be towed from an unauthorised space. Compact cars are easier to park on narrow streets, so choose the vehicle class with that in mind.
• Toll roads and zones: There are no toll roads for cars on the Armenian road network at the time of writing, so no transponder or vignette is needed on the way out of Yerevan. Confirm with your supplier at collection whether any charge applies to your hire.
• Speed limits and alcohol: Limits are in kilometres per hour: 60 km/h in built-up areas unless signed otherwise, 90 km/h on rural roads and 110 km/h on motorways. Treat the alcohol limit as zero, and use a hands-free kit if you take a call, because holding a phone while driving is an offence.
• Fuel: Petrol stations are plentiful in Yerevan but sparser in remote areas, so refuel before heading south or into the mountains, and keep some cash in case a card terminal is offline. Confirm the fuel type on your booking confirmation before you fill the tank.
• Best time to drive: Weekday morning and late-afternoon periods are the slowest in the city. Mid-morning, early afternoon and weekends are easier for crossing Yerevan and joining the roads out of town.
• Winter driving: Roads can be slippery in winter, and mountain roads can have snow, ice or fog from November to March. Ask the supplier at collection whether the car has winter tyres and whether snow chains are available before a mountain journey.
• Driving on the right: If you normally drive on the left, collect the car at a quiet time and take the first few minutes slowly. The most common mistakes are at junctions and when turning out of a car park onto a main road, so keep to the right and give way to traffic approaching from the right where priority is equal.

Top Places to Visit from Yerevan by Car

• Echmiadzin and Zvartnots — about 20 km west of central Yerevan, in roughly 25 minutes. Echmiadzin Cathedral, the centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was built by Gregory the Illuminator between 301 and 303, and the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral nearby are part of the same UNESCO World Heritage listing, inscribed in 2000. The cathedral is an active place of worship, so check service times before you go.
• Garni and Geghard — about 30 km east, in roughly 45 minutes. The temple at Garni, built in the Ionic order and usually dated to the 1st century AD, stands on a promontory above the Azat gorge and has 24 basalt columns. Geghard, a further 10 km up the valley, is a UNESCO World Heritage monastery inscribed in 2000, with churches and tombs cut into the rock.
• Khor Virap — about 45 to 50 km south, in roughly 45 minutes to an hour. St Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a pit here for 13 years, and the church of 1662 looks across the Ararat plain towards Mount Ararat. The monastery lies very close to the closed border with Türkiye.
• Lake Sevan — about 60 km north-east, in roughly an hour. Sevanavank, founded in 874, stands on a peninsula on the north-western shore, and parking there is charged by an attendant at about 200 AMD at the time of writing.
• Dilijan — about 90 km north, in roughly 1 hour 30 minutes, usually by the M4, which includes the 2.25 km Dilijan tunnel. The town lies at about 1,500 m, with Dilijan National Park around it and the Old Dilijan quarter on Sharambeyan Street. Haghartsin Monastery is about half an hour further by road, and the mountain road is slower in wet or snowy weather.

When is the Best Time to Hire a Car in Yerevan?

Peak season: July and August are the busiest months and the most expensive for accommodation. Lowland temperatures, including those in Yerevan, often exceed 40°C, and many travellers drive up to Lake Sevan or Dilijan to escape the heat. Festivals fall in the same weeks, including Vardavar and the Golden Apricot Film Festival in July.

Shoulder season: May, June, September and October are milder and quieter. Yerevan Wine Days take place in June, and the Areni Wine Festival and the Yerevan balloon festival take place in October. Autumn is widely regarded as one of the best times for a road trip.

Low season: From November to February the highlands are cold and snowy, and Yerevan itself falls to around freezing in January. Winter hires suit the city and the lowlands, and mountain journeys need extra time and suitable tyres.

Advance booking: Book several weeks ahead for July and August and for festival dates, and as soon as your dates are fixed for any hire that has to match a flight arrival. Free cancellation means booking early carries no penalty if plans change, and the balance is paid at the desk on collection, so nothing is charged in full at the time of booking.

Before you drive away: Photograph the vehicle thoroughly at collection and again at return, including all four sides, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior. Dated photographs give you a clear record of the condition you received, which matters on roads where small marks are easy to pick up.

Fuel: Confirm the fuel type shown on your booking confirmation before you refuel, and ask at collection which fuel policy applies to your hire, so that you return the car as the supplier expects.

How Payment Works for Car Hire in Yerevan

Payment is made in two steps. A rental prepayment confirms your booking online, with Instant Confirmation from the supplier. You then pay the balance directly to the supplier on arrival, when you collect the car.

The price and vehicle class shown at booking are the terms you receive at the desk. Because the full rental amount is not charged at the time of booking, you keep flexibility if your plans change, and cancellation is free.

The supplier may place an excess hold on the main driver's credit card at collection, so check that the card in the driver's name has enough available limit. The amount is shown in your booking confirmation.

Car Hire Suppliers in Yerevan

Car hire in Yerevan is available through the following supplier.

• Green Motion

Car Hire Pick-Up Locations in Yerevan

Your booking confirmation from eCarBookers locks in your price and your vehicle class before you arrive. You pay the balance at the desk on collection, and the terms confirmed at booking are the terms you receive. Always confirm your hire in advance to guarantee your price from the moment you collect the keys.

• Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport (EVN)