Hiring a car in Australia? Avoid the pitfalls with these 10 tips

Whether it's actually finding a car or avoiding snags like hidden toll fees or insurance excesses, get ahead on your next rental.

By Chris C., January 22 2022
Hiring a car in Australia? Avoid the pitfalls with these 10 tips

Hire cars are once again in high demand in Australia, with most travel restrictions coming down and Aussies exploring more of their own backyard, or getting back to business.

But many hire car providers are struggling to keep up – especially those that downsized their fleets due to much lower travel demands in 2020 – and quite often, finding a car can be very difficult.

If you’re planning to hire a car on your next trip, these 10 tips will help you get on the road.

1. Book your hire car ASAP

As cars are tricky to come by, making your booking ahead of time will give you a better chance of securing a suitable vehicle.

Where a hire car is critical to your visit, consider booking that car before arranging flights and hotels – or at least, checking availability first, ahead of locking down other travel arrangements.

Many car hire companies offer flexible rates that can be amended or cancelled without charge, so make that your first port of call.

2. Don’t limit your search to just one website

Aggregator websites like Kayak and VroomVroomVroom can save your time by searching multiple providers at once – but it never hurts to visit the website of each car hire company separately, as prices and car availability may vary between booking systems.

Websites operated by the car hire companies can also be better at offering alternatives when your initial search reveals no cars.

For instance, when aggregators can’t find anything to match, you’ll often see “no cars found”.

But, when the Hertz website can’t match your search to its availability, for example, it flags things you could try tweaking in your search, such as the pick-up location or collection time:

Sure enough, delaying the pick-up time by just 30 minutes revealed a selection of cars to choose from, versus zero at first:

3. Search for cars downtown, not just from airports

Not only can shifting a booking by 30 minutes reap results, but making that booking from a different location can also improve availability.

For example, you might search for cars from an airport site, only to see that none are available: yet repeat that same search for a rental location in-town, and the results might improve.

In-town pickups may be less convenient – requiring a taxi or rideshare from the airport at first, to reach the pickup location – but if it means securing a car when you otherwise wouldn’t have, it’s a small price to pay for the convenience you’ll enjoy for the rest of the trip.

You may also find in-town rentals cost less, by having a lower 'location surcharge' applied to the booking versus an airport counter.

4. Find the best price, not just the first price

Discounts are common in the car hire industry – you may even qualify just by being a member of a chain’s own rewards program, or holding a particular credit card.

To make sure you’re seeing the best prices, login to that car hire loyalty account before searching for cars on a provider’s website. This should automatically apply any loyalty or corporate discounts you’re entitled to, which will be reflected in the prices you see.

When you come across a new discount code, such as one provided by your employer, you can simply add this to your profile, pre-loading it for future rentals.

5. Look beyond the big car hire brands

While Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and Thrifty are popular choices, they’re not your only options for hiring a car.

Other global companies like Enterprise and Sixt also operate in Australia – and aren’t listed in some aggregators – so it’s worth searching these brands’ websites individually, too.

Broadening the search even further, services like GoGet may be available at your destination, giving access to a vehicle when you need it. Just be mindful of any recurring subscription costs that may apply with services like this, levied over and above the quoted rental price.

Google Maps can also be a great tool for finding smaller car hire companies, that also may not appear on car hire aggregators.

It’s as easy as searching “car hire in (city)” – “car hire in Newcastle”, for example – where alongside the big names are many alternatives.

Travellers change and cancel their plans quite regularly, so if you weren’t able to find a car on your first attempt, don’t give up.

Repeating your search on another day could provide a different result, as could hiring a vehicle for a shorter portion of your trip, if there’s a time you’ll need it most.

For instance, searching for a week-long booking may display no availability, because a car isn't available on just one day of that trip.

Making two bookings could be a way around that, while reverting to other methods of transport that day – and that's still a better alternative than having no car at all.

If you’ve given it your best shot and still can’t track down a car, give a car hire company a call.

An operator may be able to reserve cars not visible online, or could provide handy tips to secure a booking as you continue your search.

7. Speaking of status…

Sometimes, car hire companies offer “guaranteed availability” to their highest-tier members, being the promise of an available car when you can’t otherwise find one.

Avis provides this for its invitation-only President’s Club cardholders, for example – an invitation to which was recently extended to many Qantas Platinum One frequent flyers.

If that’s you, don’t forget to mention your status when making a call, as it could just be your ticket to drive.

Regardless of your status, it also pays to learn about the benefits of each car hire company’s rewards program – among which, upgrades or additional driver could be unlocked for free, as could the ability to choose the vehicle you want at collection time.

8.  Do you really need a car?

Cars come with convenience, but it’s worth taking a step back and reassessing whether you really need one for your journey.

You can’t go without one on a road trip, of course: but if you’ll just be zipping around town, alternatives such as taxis or rideshare could cost far less overall.

Here’s an example: on a recent visit to Canberra, the cost of hiring a car exceeded $600 for just three days, with fuel and parking costs on top. Using rideshare to get around the city instead clocked in at less than $100 all up.

Not only did that deliver a saving of $500, but also added convenience in not having to find a park at every location, especially busy points within the city: simply arrive, and you’re ready to walk in.

9. Check your insurance

If you do hire a car, double-check any rental insurance or rental car excess cover you may have through your broader travel insurance policy or credit card.

Coverage like this often comes with important restrictions, which could include having to pay for your car hire using a particular credit card to activate the cover, not hiring a vehicle over a certain RRP value, not driving cars onto barges, and taking out baseline insurance through your hire car provider.

On the AMEX Platinum Charge Card, for example, Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) cover may be available when you pay for your rental using that AMEX card: but if you begin that rental within 150km of your home address, you’re not covered at all.

Read: Hiring a car? Your AMEX Platinum card may not cover you

If you don’t already have excess reduction cover and don’t want to risk a large out-of-pocket excess, you can often lower that amount by paying an additional fee when you first collect your car, but independent alternatives are often cheaper.

Covermore, for instance, offers standalone rental car insurance from $8.99 per day to cover the excess amount payable to a hire car company, which it claims can be up to 65% cheaper than the rates charged at the rental desk.

10. Expect to use toll roads? Plan ahead

In some cities, toll roads can be practically unavoidable – while in others, they’re still a convenient and time-saving way to get from A to B. Using them in a hire car, however, requires some extra planning.

If your hire car provider is left with the bill, expect to be charged a ‘handling fee’ of $30 or more, in addition to the base price of any tolls – and any recovery fees also levied by those toll roads.

Instead, you could either add your hire car’s licence plate to an existing tolling account – being sure to remove it as soon as the rental has ended – or use an app like LinktGO (formerly Roam) to review and pay for tolls as you go.

Once you’re in the driver’s seat…

Get into the habit of taking photos and/or videos of every car you hire before you leave the pick-up area – and repeat this process again when you return the car.

If the hire company claims their vehicle was returned damaged, you’ll have your own evidence on file showing exactly what the car looked like at the beginning and end of the rental, which may avoid you being charged for damage you didn’t cause.

Don’t forget to include close-up photos of the windscreen as part of this process – and if it’s been raining before your rental, run the wipers once before taking those images, so that the glass is clear.

In the past, this level of vigilance has avoided being stung with the cost of a replacement windscreen, after staff had missed a stone chip during their pre-rental inspection and noticed it on return – but which had been captured by camera before commencing the rental.

Chances are, you won’t need to call on those photos and videos – but on occasion, you’ll be glad you took them.

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.

QF

11 Jul 2014

Total posts 962

Good to Know Chris, this morning I said to the Car Rental Rep, this car would have costed $67.00 pre covid and today I'm paying $271.00 for the same time period. He said the issue was they can't buys cars, they order 4000 new cars and they only receive 900 of that order. I also noticed on a hire car for next week, a Merc was cheaper by $2.00 than an i30? Go figure that out.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

11 Oct 2014

Total posts 694

One other point to be aware of that seems to have escaped the general travel industry ..

A couple of months ago, the Hertz group globally went broke and entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy / reorganisation in the USA. It is currently at the tail end of that process and has chosen a partner to rebuild capital. Indirectly, this has placed significant pressure on the remaining industry players .. and will continue to, for a good number of months.

As for the current industry players, selling down vehicle stock in a time of a major worldwide health problem looked to be a 'smart' idea, given the idea of lockdowns globally. Short-term vision and not a lot of thought about how to ramp up quickly (as they are now discovering). Sadly, you can't just wave a magic wand and say 'hey, presto'  expecting a new 4 door to emerge.

But hey .. the rates and mega revenue might look good on the balance sheet at some point.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

04 Mar 2014

Total posts 204

Covid has certainly impacted domestic travel, good luck getting accommodation this winter in CNS / DRW / BME, and car hire all over the country is extortionate - as you say in some cases its now cheaper to cab / uber rather than hire car

in CNS recently & needed a "car" for 5 days. All very very expensive, so I thought outside the box & got a Toyota Tarago camper. It had 4 seats & we just used it as a car & didn't touch any of the camping stuff. Best part only - $59/day. Only catch is had to get a $10 Uber ride from airport to CNS depot at airport turnoff & back. The company was called Spaceships. Think it was a used Japanese import, but who cares, it served it's purpose.

Delta Air Lines - SkyMiles

16 Oct 2017

Total posts 157

Also beware the "bait and switch".  Very common to see the car you want listed as "or similar".  Many of the alternatives are not similar at all but offered at the counter on a take it or leave it basis. Beware the "upgrade" too. That'll be a car they couldn't sell, suiting their convenience by giving it to you. Make sure it is actually in a higher category, and make sure it has the features you were expecting. I know this all looks self-evident, but counter staff are well trained at getting you into a car you don't really want.

15 May 2019

Total posts 10

I agree 100% about booking ASAP. 3 months ago, I booked for a 7 day period in late June 2021, and then 2 weeks ago had to bring the dates forward by 2 days. Even though the booking was still for 7 days, the cost increased by $250.00

Qantas

11 Nov 2015

Total posts 3

Photo's before and after has saved me plenty over the years, good advice. Recommend going over the car with a staff member in the carpark before signing off on the paperwork for the same reason. Luggage 'wear and tear' can suddenly turn into 'damage' if you are not protected!

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

04 Sep 2015

Total posts 20

Thanks for these tips, just booked Sixt in NZ at a much lower price then the majors, and very easy to use website/ app

QF

11 Jul 2014

Total posts 962

Another option with car rentals is Apex off airport location where they pick you up and drive you to the depot rather than being at the airport, last month I got a car for the day $69.00. The downside is the extra 30-45 minutes to pick up, and these guys owe me a credit that they don't want to cough up. you have to weigh up $69.00 compared to  $271.00 for the day with the airport sites.

Delta Air Lines - SkyMiles

16 Oct 2017

Total posts 157

I've found Go Rentals in NZ very reliable, good reputation, cars are good quality and the price is quite competitive with the majors. Mostly off-airport though. And unlike others they charge a 10% cancellation fee on all bookings.

just today booked a car in MEL in 2 weeks time for a week. Had choice of 5 different categories $31/day, $33/day, $35/day, $65/day or $85/day(8 seater). It was from an off airport rental car company(THEY PICK YOU UP AT AIRPORT & DROP YOU BACK) & cars can be 2-4 OR MORE years old (have used them many times before in Australia & nz) I thought I might have trouble getting a car under $100/day so initially I asked about campervans & they started at $38/day, but ended up getting a car.

29 Feb 2016

Total posts 28

Having previously lived in Sydney, it was a real shock to get my first Avis bill for a rental pickup/dropoff at Syd airport back in the mid 2000's. 

Not stated at the time of booking (an estimate of the approx total $$ is part of the booking process) was that the airport charges its own fee on your rental - after the daily cost, rego recovery, licence plate depreciation, etc etc - even after GST on everything else. 

Its what you pay to have the car ready at the airport - ie the cost of parking.. That fee was 18.5%, so a $250 rental in 2005 jumped to $300. I gather its now 19.75% or thereabouts. 

I learned from that day Not To Rent At the Airport but instead get my car in town - because the airport fee isnt charged if you drop the car off at the airport, only if you pick it up there. Of course you have to trade off the time, aggravation and expense of getting either a train, bus or taxi to an off-airport site..

most off airport rental firms will pick you up at airport & usually much cheaper. Cars might be a few years older.

24 Aug 2011

Total posts 1205

The shortage of rental cars is quite chronic but understandable.  Last year, rental car companies were stuck with large fleets doing basically nothing.  At the same time used car values skyrocketed so the companies found they could sell large parts of their dormant fleets for greater than book value both lessening their losses and generating much needed cash.  

Now, a year later, demand has come bouncing back but a significant shortage of new cars largely attributable to a shortage of semiconductor chips has meant manufacturers such as Hyundai, Nissan and Toyota who are the largest suppliers to fleets don't have many new vehicles to supply particularly at the bargain-basement prices rental fleets usually buy their cars at.

I alway find the term hire car confusing.  I tend to think of hire cars as the Statesmans and Mercs etc that provide chauffeur driven services to the airport as an upmarket alternative to cabs.  I use rental cars for cars hired from Avis, Hertz etc.

in USA right now many are getting private car rental through Turo. Often much much cheaper. Only catch is can't do one ways & some cars can be 10 or more years old, some are only 2 years old & enormous choice if look long way ahead. Some owners want you to pick up from their home, other will deliver to an airport free or for a fee. Everyone is different.

Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus

15 Jan 2013

Total posts 467

the thing is does one really need a car.I don't bother with cars on interstate trips.it's easier in a lot of cases to walk and to use day tours or use the local bus/train.Yes I also have apps for 13 cabs and Uber and Ola but only use any of that if needed.

Don’t forget Car share clubs such as GoGet and Flexi Car (formally Hertz on Demand). They offer rentals by the hour in the major cities with flat rate day rates and often include fuel. I’ve found them invaluable when traditional rental is high, or there is no availability. Even better - there’s no paperwork. Just make sure you register in advance. 


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