Car Rentals Brisbane

Whether you plan to visit the Southern Great Barrier Reef, enjoy walking through World Heritage rainforest, feed friendly dolphins in their natural habitat, spend a day in the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary or take a balloon ride, your visit to this beautiful and sunny coastal city will be memorable.

There are plenty of places to visit in and around Brisbane. A few of them are the Under Water World, Queensland Raceway, Moreton Bay, coloured sands of the Cooloola National Park, Aboriginal rock art in the Bunya Mountains, Aussie surf carnival, Maritime Museum, Sunshine Coast Art Gallery Trail, Cobb & Co Tourist route, Southern Hemisphere’s southernmost Leper Colony, Mount Tamborine and Montville, Mary Valley Heritage Railway and the Queensland Museum.

Metric conversions:

Australia uses Metric system of measurement. Distances are measured in “meters” and “kilometers”. “80 kilometers” means “50 miles”.

Speed is expressed in kilometers per hour (abbreviated as “km/h” or “kmph”). Petrol for the car is sold in “Liters”.

Weather bulletins always express temperature in degree “Celcius”, the metric equivalent of the U.S. unit “Fahrenheit”. If the meteorologist says, “zero degrees”, he means “it’s freezing”, “twenty” means “it’s warm” and “thirty” means it’s hot”. Websites such as www.accelware.com provide convenient downloadable unit conversion tools for instant reference.

Driving Down Under:

The best way to explore and enjoy Brisbane and surrounding areas is to drive. This will free you from the constraints of schedules and enable you to visit places off the beaten track.

If you are 18 years or older you can drive with a valid driving license from your country, unless you are going to stay for more than 6 months.

Driving in Australia is different from that of the U.S. Vehicles ply on the left side of the road. Seat belts are compulsory. Using the mobile phone while driving or parking your vehicle on the right side of the road are traffic rule violations. In most Australian cities and towns, the maximum speed limit is 50km/h or 60km/h.

Car rental brisbane tips:

1. Intimate your flight number and scheduled time of arrival at Brisbane airport to your car rental company well in advance. This will retain your reservation even if your flight is delayed.

2. Weekend rentals are less expensive than daily rentals.

3. Car rental companies charge for 24 hours. If you take delivery of a car at 8 AM Saturday, and return it at or before 8 AM Sunday, it’s okay. Any delay can result in extra fees.

4. Book for an “Economy” sized car. If the car is not available, you can get an upgrade at no extra cost. If you like to explore the outback, you may need a four-wheel-drive.

5. As all car rental brisbane companies have their own websites [a few of which are appended with this article], locating and identifying an appropriate car rental is very easy. Online booking is always convenient, provided the company is authentic.

6. Many multinational and large regional car rental companies in Brisbane offer special discount coupons to regular customers.

7. In any product or service, when there is not much demand, the prices come down. This applies to car rentals also. It is very much like how you would find it most economical to buy a refrigerator in Australia during winter, when there may not be many buyers. The time when demand for rental cars is low depends on which part of Brisbane you are visiting. Being a coastal city, the demand for cars may not be much if you are visiting a coast line, for visiting which there are several ferries available.

8. Before taking delivery, get the car examined by a mechanic preferably from the rental company, for the odometer reading and any minor drawbacks including dents and scratches. Get them written down. This will help when you return the car.

9. Although it is possible to book from the U.S. or anywhere in the world, it is preferable to book with a car rental company that has offices in Brisbane. This will avert communication and logistic problems.

10. car rental brisbane are usually made up of following hidden costs:

Insurance: Anticipating possible collision damage to cars in an accident, car rental companies market an insurance policy, known as Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) that is normally confined to third party coverage. Sometimes your credit card, auto insurance or homeowner insurance may already cover this factor. So, it is better to study your current insurance policies and then if necessary, buy LDW from your car rental company.

Gasoline: When car rental companies deliver the car, they fill the fuel for the customer, and charge for the gasoline, rather, petrol. The price that they charge is usually higher than the price at the gas station. So, fill the tank at a gas station, particularly when you return the car. An empty tank can be unnecessarily expensive.

Drop-off fees: If you return your car at a location different from the one where you took delivery of the car, you will have to bear the drop-off fees. So, it is better to take delivery and return the car at the same location.

Mileage: car rental brisbane companies in Australia charge at “per-kilometer” basis. Some companies offer a flat rate when you exceed the “free mileage limit”.

Airport Surcharge: These are fees charged when you take delivery of the car at the airport. This surcharge is lower if you take delivery of the car at "Off airport" locations. Though many car rental companies deliver cars at Brisbane airport, it is economical to commute by some public transportation such as bus to the city and pick the car up in any location there.

Additional fees: Extra fittings such as Infant seat, CD players and roof racks may increase your car rental fees. It is less expensive if you use your own accessories. An additional driver may increase the fees.

Now that you may be familiar with car rentals in Brisbane, it’s time to backpack and proceed. This is the best time of the year to be Down Under!

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