Car

Car hire in Australia

Updated 4 November 2026

Hire rates for cars in Australia are not published in the search results for this country, so the quickest way to a current price is a free request on BlaBlaPrice. Name the car class, the dates, the pickup city and whether you need a driver, and businesses reply with their offers in the chat.

Driver licence rules and fees

Licences are issued by each state, and the fees differ. In the Australian Capital Territory a full licence valid for one year costs A$54.10 and one valid for five years costs A$270.70. In New South Wales an unrestricted licence costs A$74 for one year and A$172 for three years. In Victoria a full licence for three years costs A$96.50. Check that the licence you hold covers the class of car you are hiring, and bring it in the form the business requires.

Season and trip planning

Summer runs from December to February and winter from June to August. November is the start of summer, so a trip over the holidays is worth booking early. If the trip falls in winter, say so, because road conditions and the route can change the car you need.

How hire is quoted here

Distances are in kilometres and fuel is in litres, so state the route in km and whether you need unlimited distance. Name the pickup city (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide), and say if you want the car delivered to a suburb or a regional town on your route.

What to put in your request

Give the car class, the rental dates, the pickup location, the number of passengers, the gearbox you prefer (automatic or manual), the driver's age and experience, and whether a second driver will drive. Also state the monthly or daily budget, since hire is quoted per day, week or month depending on the business.

BlaBlaPrice is free for buyers. You describe the trip in your own words in a chat, and the AI asks for missing details, such as dates and licence class, then looks through sellers' websites and price lists in Australia and shows what it found. Sellers registered on BlaBlaPrice receive the request and reply in the chat with their own offer. Your contacts stay hidden until you decide with whom to share them. For related hire, see Bus & minibus and Trailer.