Most people who rent a car for the Bay of Kotor and Budva fly into Tivat (TIV), which sits right on the coast and is the closest airport to both towns. That makes Tivat a sensible place to look for a car, but it also means you will see two kinds of rental company when you search: the international chains with desks at the airport, and smaller Montenegrin operators that are based in Tivat or nearby. This guide is about the second group, and about what to check before you book with either.
Chains and local operators: the practical difference
The international chains work fine. You get a familiar booking process, a large fleet and a desk in the arrivals area. The trade-off is usually price and the card hold. Chains commonly freeze a substantial deposit on your credit card for the length of the rental, and the daily rate can be noticeably higher than what you find by contacting a local company directly.
Local operators tend to work differently. Many are family-run, often tied to a garage or a tourism business, and they are more likely to meet you at the airport or deliver the car to your apartment. Several of the ones we checked waive or reduce the deposit, and you usually talk to a real person by email or WhatsApp. The catch is that a local company may not have a big online presence, so you need to read its own website carefully and ask about anything that is not stated there.
Local companies we could verify in Tivat
We only list a company here when we could open its own website and confirm that it rents cars at Tivat. Nothing on this list is a ranking, and the order is alphabetical.
- Costa Car Rental Tivat Airport (carrentaltivat.com). The site lists Tivat Airport (TIV) and Podgorica Airport (TGD) as pickup and return points, and says its team meets renters at the Tivat arrivals area. It states “No deposit required” and says you pay when you arrive. The fleet runs from small manual and automatic cars to SUVs and a family minivan, with unlimited mileage, basic insurance and free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup. The site showed a Skoda Fabia from 22 euros a day when we checked.
- DAX Rent a Car (dax.co.me). The company gives an office address at Kalimanj in Tivat and lists locations at Tivat, Tivat Airport, Porto Montenegro, Podgorica Airport, Kotor, Herceg Novi, Budva and Bar. It advertises free airport delivery and says no deposit is required. Its listed cars run from economy models such as the Sandero and Citroën C3, at around 41 to 42 euros a day, up to premium models. The page also mentions a green card for cross-border travel and third-party insurance included in the rental.
Not every name you find online made the list. Some operators have no website of their own, only a free email address, so we could not confirm what they offer. Others run a domain that is parked, or a booking platform that lists cars from several companies. Those are not the same thing as a local operator you can book with directly, so we left them out.
What to check before you book
Whichever company you choose, get the terms in writing before you pay. A short email or WhatsApp message is enough, as long as it covers the following:
- The total price, including any airport or delivery fee, and the exact pickup and return times.
- The deposit. A “no deposit” price can still come with a card pre-authorisation, so ask whether anything is held on your card and for how long.
- Insurance and excess. Ask what the excess is if there is damage and whether the basic cover is included.
- Cross-border rules. If you plan to drive to Croatia or Albania, ask which countries are covered, whether a green card is included and whether there is a fee. Do not assume a border crossing is included just because a site mentions it.
- Documents. Both companies above say a national driving licence is accepted. Carry your passport and the booking confirmation anyway.
- Fuel and mileage policy. Find out whether the car comes with a full tank and what happens if it comes back short.
- Late arrivals. If your flight lands after the desk closes, ask in advance what happens.
Keep the operator’s phone number saved for the whole trip, and photograph the car from all sides at handover, noting any existing damage on the contract.
For the airport pickup process itself, including meet-and-greet, documents and the drive to Kotor and Budva, read Tivat Airport Car Pickup and Drive to Kotor or Budva. If you are planning what to do once you have the car, Tivat Day Trips by Car: Kotor, Lovćen, Luštica and Budva covers day drives from Tivat. For the wider picture across Montenegro, including Podgorica, Bar and the north, read our Montenegro car rental guide.