For most international visitors, the best place to start a drive to Mostar is Sarajevo International Airport (SJJ), not Mostar International Airport (OMO), because SJJ has more suppliers, lower walk-up rates, and better one-way flexibility for Herzegovina itineraries. A typical airport-to-Mostar drive takes 2.5 to 3 hours via the M17 and completed A1 motorway segments, and the main practical trade-off is simple: Sarajevo offers more inventory, while Mostar offers shorter transfer time but fewer rental choices. Sarajevo International Airport (SJJ) is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s busiest rental hub, while Mostar International Airport (OMO) has a much smaller counter network, so SJJ usually wins on fleet depth, supplier choice, and advance-booking pricing. In 2025, Sarajevo Airport reported 2,226,692 passengers, while Mostar Airport handled 72,367 passengers, a scale difference that directly affects rental availability, and KAYAK’s 2025 Mostar pricing snapshot showed 25% of users found deals at $36/day or less when booked ahead. At SJJ, major brands such as Hertz, Europcar, Avis, Sixt BiH, and Green Motion typically compete alongside local operators like rent.ba (CityRent), Carrus, Nur Rent A Car, MANDI Rent A Car, Rent A Car Champion, E&G Rentacar, Yes.ba, Wheego, CarWiz, Surprice, Drive365, Trio Rent a Car, and Hyundai Rent A Car, which is why the airport frequently has more automatic cars, stronger availability for full coverage add-ons, and more flexible pickup hours. At OMO, the rental offer is smaller and can be counter-based rather than full-fleet, so travelers often see fewer vehicle classes and fewer same-day alternatives. A lower counter price at OMO can be offset by limited availability, higher excess, or a larger pre-authorisation hold on your credit card, so compare the final booking total rather than the headline daily rate. The Sarajevo Airport (SJJ) to Mostar drive is usually 130 km and takes about 2.5 hours in normal traffic, with the trip extending to 3 hours during summer congestion, rain, or road works on the M17 corridor. The route uses the M17 through the Neretva canyon and, where available, completed A1 motorway sections near Tarčin and Konjic, which makes the drive faster than a purely local-road alternative. Here is the practical cost picture for a standard compact diesel car in April 2026 conditions: Route costs are usually modest because the M17 is toll-free, but completed A1 sections can add small payments at Tarčin and, if you continue south, around the Međugorje-Ljubuški area. For real-time price checks, the official FMT FBiH oil info app is the most practical fuel reference, and BIHAMK (dispatch 1282) is the fastest roadside assistance contact if the trip is disrupted. If you plan to continue beyond Mostar toward Čapljina, Doljani, Bijača, Hum, Karasovići, or the Pelješac Bridge corridor, track your fuel and toll costs before you leave SJJ so you can compare a one-way rental against a return-to-airport plan. The M17 is the most direct road between Sarajevo and Mostar, but it crosses the Neretva canyon and includes fog-prone, narrow, and repaired sections that demand careful driving. JP Ceste FBiH has identified the Tarčin–Konjic corridor as a high-risk section, and the 2024 flood damage near Donja Jablanica left a repaired zone that still deserves extra caution in rain, darkness, or heavy traffic. The most useful driving references are BIHAMK, JP Ceste FBiH, and JP Autoceste FBiH, because they publish lane-closure, detour, and weather alerts more quickly than social media. In winter and shoulder seasons, AMS BiH and AMS RS can also help drivers monitor conditions on the wider Bosnia and Herzegovina road network, especially if the route continues through Republika Srpska or back via Tarčin, Konjic, Jablanica, and Čapljina. The M17 is not a relaxed sightseeing road in bad weather, and the safe choice is to slow down early, keep headlights on, and avoid risky overtakes on repaired or fog-heavy sections. For a kilometre-by-kilometre breakdown of junctions, bends, and hazard points, see the full M17 driving guide A one-way rental from Sarajevo to Mostar can be useful if your trip ends in Herzegovina or continues toward Dubrovnik, but the fee structure often makes it more expensive than a simple round-trip booking.