Officially called Hamad International Airport (DOH), Doha’s main airport is the home of Qatar’s award-winning flag carrier, Qatar Airways.
Doha Airport (Photo: Zhang Liven / Unsplash)
For those people staying in Qatar for a few days, renting a car is the best way to get around the city and surrounding areas. Fortunately, there are over a dozen car rental companies at DOH, including Avis, Budget, Dollar, Europcar, Hertz, Payless and Sixt. All these agencies can be found just outside the main terminal on level 0.
To determine which rental car companies offer the best vehicles across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com carefully researched prices, availability, policies and customer reviews of the car rental companies operating out of DOH. Here are our findings
Most Affordable: Sixt
Prices vary wildly between the high and low-seasons in this part of the world with the high season being from November to March and the low during the European summer. Sixt consistently has some of the best prices across the whole year with their Kia Rio and Chevrolet Aveo both under €45 per day during the low season. If you’re arriving during the summer months, we highly recommend you rent a car with excellent air conditioning; not only can it get incredibly hot in Doha but traffic around the city can get intense during rush hour. Booking your vehicle through rentalcars.com includes unlimited mileage and free cancellation up to 48 hours before pick up. If Sixt’s prices are not tempting enough, it’s worth mentioning that Sixt is universally known for short waiting times, the quality of its cars and excellent customer service.
Best for Luxury: Avis
If you’re looking for luxury car rentals at DOH, then we suggest you head straight to Avis. Avis offers a great selection of luxury SUVs and sedans, including the Toyota Fortuner, Audi A4 and Mercedes Benz E-Class. It is also one of the highest-ranked car rental companies with an overall score of 8.4/10 on rentalcars.com. Users are especially complimentary about the helpful and friendly customer service and the cleanliness of its cars. Avis’s prices aren’t the lowest, but by booking through rentalcars.com, the base rate includes unlimited mileage, free 48-hour cancellation and theft protection with a small excess payment.
Best for Minivans: Avis
Avis is also the best option in the minivan category catering for families of all sizes. At DOH, Avis’s fleet includes the 7-seater Honda Odyssey minivan as well as a 12-seater Toyota Hiance for larger groups. For a few euros more, families can add car seats for toddlers and infants and a GPS at a very reasonable €6.60 per day. Avis’s office at the airport is conveniently open 24hrs a day, 7 days per week.