Australia is serviced by every major rental car company in the world, and hundreds of other independent operators. You can rent almost every type of car conceivable, from a $33 dollar a day Korean matchbox, to the latest model Ferrari, and if you have the time and the money, there is simply no better way to see the country (short of your own personal charter plane, but even then you won't get to experience the local characters, roadside 'cuisine', or potholes).
The Australian rental car experience is no different from any other western country — every airport has rows of booths will all the corporate names, and every tourist strip has independent operators lurking on the edges. Each option has its benefits and negatives, we've tried to outline some of them below:
It pays to shop around (online) when you're renting a car in Australia. Rates, discounts and car availability can vary hugely between the big companies. I've hired many cars over many years in every major city in Australia, but despite being a Gold Member with Hertz (which comes in handy overseas) I've never actually hired a car from them here because I've always got a better price elsewhere. If you fly with Virgin Blue, Europcar tend to give you a good deal, but I've also experienced some pretty average customer service with them (in fact I once got into a fairly 'heated' discussion with one particularly obnoxious, and ill-informed employee over some damage to a prestige Audi). I've never had anything to complain about with Avis or Thrifty, but they've rarely had the best deal on price either.
For what it's worth, Budget have been the best rental car company I've dealt with in Australia. On one occasion in Melboure I returned a small SUV (late) to them which was covered in mud after I'd been driving around the Victorian desert; my flagrant disregard for their 'don't go off road or your insurance is void and you're a bad person' policy was clear, but not only did the Budget employee checking my car ignore the dirt and my lateness, he also pointed out that the fuel tank wasn't quite full and gave me detailed directions to the nearest service station where I could fill the car up to avoid paying them $500 a litre for petrol, and gave me an extension on my rental so I could get back in time.
There's an old saying that 'you get what you pay for', and this couldn't be more true than when you get behind the steering wheel of an independent rental car company. If you want an old, beat up hatchback from the early 90s to get you between Gold Coast beaches, you can find amazing deals at local 'rent a bomb' outlets, just don't expect cruise control or a decent stereo system.
The same can be said if you're after a romantic sports car to take you from Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road — there's no way the big companies can be arsed paying the insurance and maintaining a 1967 Mustang, so the only way to go is with a company that specialises in what you want, although you'll certainly pay for the privilege.
Hertz, Europcar, Budget, Thrifty and Avis all have a significant presence in Australia. They are all basically the same — sometimes they're rude, sometimes they're amazingly helpful, sometimes they upgrade you for free, sometimes they shaft you on the petrol. You get McCars from McCustomer Service people, they're predictable and bland, but they're also reliable and if something goes wrong there's always someone you can comp;ain to. A word of warning though, always, ALWAYS, get the maximum insurance you can, because if someone else damages your car, you'll be held liable and if you don't have the maximum insurance, you'll have to pay a ridiculous excess for any damage.
Even if you're the most carefree person in the world, whatever you do, be anal when it comes to looking for damage on the car before and after you rent it. If there's a mark or scratch anywhere on the vehicle when you go to pick it up, make sure it's noted on the rental form and take a photo, or even video footage of it for use as evidence later. Make sure you point it out clearly to a rental car employee as well (it might pay to get a photo of them posing with the offending dent). If you bring a car back with damage and no proof that it wasn't you, multinational rental car companies will start throwing fees at you that would a bank manager blush. Apart from the excess (the amount you have to pay that your insurance doesn't cover, usually about $500), you may also have to pay special fees (especially if you bring a damaged car back to on airport — you can rest assured they'll be charging you for the time, energy and loss of income incurred while they take the car off the road and get it repaired).
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