How to do one way car rental in Australia

It feels like Australia was made for road trips, with long stretches of highway leading you between beaches, mountains and deserts. But if you're doing an epic drive, you might not want to retrace your path at the end of the trip.

In this situation, you could do a one-way car rental, which means you pick up a rental car from one location and drop it off at another.

One-way rentals in Australia are a popular way to travel around such a large country - and, in fact, they're also useful for any situation when you won't return to the pick-up location, like getting from an airport to accommodation or moving house. But there are a few important things to know before booking a one-way car rental.

One-way car hire simply means you pick up a vehicle at one location and drop it off at another.

That location doesn't even need to be in a different city. Getting a car at the airport and leaving it at a drop-off spot closer to your accommodation would count as a one-way rental, for example.

In many cases, the rental car company will charge an extra fee if you choose to do a one-way car hire. The official reason for this extra charge is to cover the company's costs to move the car back to the original location.

Although it's often hundreds of dollars, the exact amount of the fee varies a lot, with each company choosing how to set its own pricing.

The distance between pick up and drop off is a big factor in the price, but so are things like the exact locations you choose, the duration of the rental, the type of car, and the popularity of the route.

Because there is no set fee for one-way rentals and many factors can influence the amount, it is worth checking different options if you have some flexibility with your booking.

Firstly, look at the prices offered by different rental car companies to see which has the cheapest one-way rental fee for your trip. The one-way fee is included in the total price you'll see on the search results of Booking.com's car rentals in Australia.

Often the fee can be different at airports and city centres, so if you're doing a one-way rental between Sydney and Melbourne, for instance, compare the prices of different locations within both those cities.

Making slight changes to the dates and the duration can also affect the one-way rental fee because it can depend on availability and whether there are any other one-way rentals booked at that time.

Can you avoid a one-way rental fee?

Some companies will sometimes offer car hire in Australia with no one-way rental fee. Normally this is only on popular routes, such as between the capital cities on the east coast, and in busy periods when lots of people are doing one-way trips in both directions.

To see how much a one way car rental is–and whether there's a fee – have a look at the breakdown of the rental price. The one-way rental fee will be mentioned there if it's being charged.

Car rental companies say the main reason they charge one-way fees is to cover the cost of relocating the vehicle to where it was picked up from. The costs to the company may include a staff member driving it back or putting it on a transporter truck, along with things like fuel and tolls.

Because travel is seasonal, companies often have to return cars when more people want to do trips in one particular direction. If the vehicles weren't taken back, they would all pile up at one end. That's especially a problem in smaller regional areas like Cairns or Broome.

However, the various car rental companies take slightly different approaches to this issue of seasonality. If there is enough travel taking place in both directions, some companies will waive the one-way fee on that route during that period. Other companies, though, will apply a one-way fee on all bookings, averaging out the costs across the year.

The main benefit of a one-way car rental in Australia is that you don't need to return to the same place where you picked up the vehicle.

This is particularly useful for travellers doing longer road trips in Australia. The popular route from Brisbane to Cairns is about 1700 kilometres, for example, so it's much more convenient to be able to drop off the car at the end and fly back.

One-way car rentals are also a good way to plan a trip in Australia that focuses on your specific priorities. As an example, you may want to drive from Adelaide to Melbourne, quickly fly from Melbourne to Sydney, and then drive along the coast from Sydney to Brisbane. Two one-way car rentals and a one-way flight make this much easier than having to use the same vehicle for the whole trip.

You also can do a one-way car rental within the same city, from the airport to your accommodation, for example. This may be beneficial for several reasons, including if the rental is cheaper than a taxi or if you need transportation around the city for a few days but are not going back to the airport.

One-way rentals are also useful for people moving home or other situations when you don't need to return to where you started.

It is very important to book a one-way car rental in advance because it may not be possible to change the drop-off location once you've started a trip.

When you are looking at options to book car hire in Australia, choose the specific pick-up and drop-off locations to get an accurate cost. Remember that you may want to try some slight variations of dates, duration, and locations to see if you can get a better price.

Within the same city

If you're doing a one-way car rental within the same city – between the airport and your accommodation, for example – you'll need to return the car to the drop-off location that you chose when you made the booking.

You can't just return a vehicle to any location, even if it's the same city and the same company. The bigger rental car companies have multiple stores in major cities in Australia, but if you do want to drop the car off at a different one, get in touch with the store in advance to ask if that's possible.

Between cities

For one-way car rentals between cities in Australia, the most important thing to know is where and when you need to drop off the vehicle.

Because you'll likely be heading to a location you haven't been to before, make sure you have the right address and any specific instructions like parking areas and where to leave the keys.

You may get this information when you pick up the car. If not, it's a good idea to call the drop-off store in advance. This is particularly relevant for airport returns because some companies have their drop-off location outside the main airport precinct.

You'll also need to take note of the opening hours of the drop-off location and whether you are allowed to leave the car after-hours. Many car rental locations in Australia don't allow after-hours returns so make sure you know the details and you arrive during opening hours if necessary.

Remote locations

You can usually do one-way rentals at remote locations in Australia, but there may be a few differences compared to the main cities.

Often the one-way rental fee will be much higher for remote locations because of the cost to the company for returning the vehicle. Keep this in mind when you're planning your trip.

You will also have to be extra careful when checking the opening hours of the location where you're returning the vehicle. Car rental offices in rural and remote parts of Australia often close early and may not even open on the weekends. They usually don't allow after-hours returns so you'll need to arrive for the drop off when the office is open.

Can I rent a car one way in Australia?

Many car rental companies in Australia allow one-way car hire, so you can pick up the vehicle in one location and drop it off at another. There's often an extra fee to do this and you'll need to book it in advance.

Can you rent a car in one place and leave it in another?

You can rent a car in one place and leave it in another if you have booked a one-way rental in advance. If you've already started a trip and want to leave the vehicle somewhere different, you'll need to check with the rental car company.

How much is a one-way car rental fee?

The one-way car rental fee varies by company and is based on several factors including the exact locations you choose, the duration of the rental, the type of car, and the popularity of the route. Sometimes car rental companies will waive the one-way rental fee if there are a lot of one-way trips happening in both directions.

Can I rent a car in Australia as a tourist?

Yes, you can rent a car in Australia as a tourist. You'll need to meet the minimum age requirement (which is normally 21 years old) and hold a full valid licence. Licences from other countries will be accepted but they need to be in English and have a photo. If your licence isn't in English, you'll need a certified translation. If there's no photo, you can use the International Driver's Permit.