Making Car Rental Simple, Transparent, and Accessible Worldwide

From a lightbulb moment at an Italian airport to 16 million rentals across 153 countries. This is the Carla story.

Searches per Day

6 Million

Coverage

153 countries

Founded

2016, Istanbul

Web Ratings

4.4 (Feefo)

App Ratings

4.6 (200K+)

The Beginning

It Started With a Simple Question: "There Has to Be a Better Way"

Italian Airport, 2015
One of our co-founders stood at a car rental counter in Italy, watching travelers hunched over their phones, desperately trying to book through clunky mobile websites to get better rates than the walk-up prices. The experience was painful. The process was broken. He thought: "There has to be a better way." He called his childhood friend and entrepreneurship partner. They'd built things together before. They knew the travel industry. And they both knew this problem was worth solving.
January 2016: Carla is Born
With a handful of people and a clear mission (make car rental actually easy), Umut and Izi launched Carla from Istanbul in January 2016.
First Booking, First Day
An Icelandic woman in Reykjavik became Carla's very first customer. She booked a car on launch day. It was just the beginning.
February 2016: TechCrunch Takes Notice
Within weeks, TechCrunch featured Carla in their startup spotlight. Looking back at that list today, nearly 50% of those startups made it to significant growth, far beating the odds in an industry where 99% of startups fail.
2023: Top 10 Travel Apps
Mobile Action recognized Carla as one of the Top 10 Travel Apps on the US App Store by user acquisition performance. From one booking to millions.
Today: 16 Million Rentals and Counting
From that Italian airport frustration to 16 million completed rentals across 153 countries, Carla has become the car rental platform our co-founders imagined that day: simple, transparent, and accessible to travelers worldwide.

Our Culture

What We Believe. How We Work.

Our values aren't posters on a wall — they're how we operate every single day.

Move Fast Like Carla Cars

Move Fast Like Carla Cars

Acting fast helps us learn and take action faster than anyone else. Moving as quickly as possible within our capabilities, not waiting until next week to do something we can do today.

Find a Better Way

Find a Better Way

We strive to improve our technology, business, community, and ourselves every day. A true culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Own Carla (You Don't Need to Own a Car)

Own Carla (You Don't Need to Own a Car)

We embrace Carla as if it were our own company. We manage and drive processes end-to-end. Individual ownership is encouraged.

Positive Vibes Only

Positive Vibes Only

When we talk about problems, we focus on being constructive and solution-oriented, not blaming. We lift each other's energy, have fun, and keep a positive vibe alive.

Transparency

Transparency

We don't like locked doors. Everyone has access to company information. We value visibility into our losses just as much as our wins.

Fighting Spirit

Fighting Spirit

Courage and determination expressed through a willingness to struggle. We do everything we can to solve problems and continuously strive to do better.

Recognition

Recognized by Industry Leaders

2026

Similarweb DIGITAL100

3rd fastest-growing travel company online

Similarweb DIGITAL100

2026

Feefo Trusted Service

Based on verified customer reviews

Feefo Trusted Service

2025

Similarweb DIGITAL100

5th fastest-growing travel company online

Similarweb DIGITAL100

2023

Mobile Action

Top 10 Travel Apps in the US

Mobile Action

Featured In

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By the numbers

Carla Today

6 Million

Searches per Day

153

Countries

Global coverage

834

Trusted Suppliers

Quality partners

25,256

Pickup Locations

Across 2,289 cities

4.4

Feefo Rating

200+ verified reviews

4.6

App Ratings

AppStore & Google Play

40 mins

Avg Response Time

24/7 customer support

the future of carla

The Future of Car Rental is AI-First

AI-Powered Price Predictions

Our AI analyzes millions of data points across seasons, demand patterns, and supplier pricing to predict when prices will rise or fall, so you can book at the perfect moment.

Smart Recommendations

Tell us about your trip once, and our AI learns your preferences: budget or luxury, city or mountain, compact or SUV. We surface the perfect car for your trip.

Natural Language Search

Just say "I need a car in Rome next week for 5 days that fits 2 adults, 2 kids, and 3 suitcases" and we handle the rest. AI that actually understands travel.

Ready to book a car?

Join 16 million+ travelers who've booked with confidence through Carla.

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