How to Select the Best Rental Car for a Road Trip?

Nothing can be more exciting than exploring Australia by car. Besides travelling through beautiful Australian roads, you will also have enough space and freedom to visit the places you want, spend ample time and get to know them. Organised tours and public transport are indeed a convenient option to see the main points of attraction of a city. But when you have a car, you will get the chance to discover things in a fascinating way. Several companies provide vehicles of different sizes to suit specific requirements.

So, if you are travelling with your friends and families, you may hire a family car for rent and explore Australia at your convenience. Because the options are plenty, it may be challenging to choose the best rental car.

What Type of Rental Car Can Suit Your Travel Requirements?

First, you have to consider the type of trip you will go for. Next, you must consider your rental car priorities – comfort, space, economy, and style. For different trips, you will need different car types.

• A road trip: When you go for a long road trip, you must consider reliability, comfort, and a strong GPS. A full-size car offering adequate luggage space will be an ideal option.

• City driving: While driving through city roads, you will be required to stop your car so often. So a manual car is a better option for city driving. Also, because you will need to keep your vehicle in a proper parking area, the small size will be ideal for a car.

• Family driving: When you travel with a larger group, choosing a spacious family car will be appropriate. SUVs and people movers can accommodate seven to nine people inside and thus suit all the needs for a family trip. If you have small children in your group, you may request the renting company to install a baby seat in exchange for an additional fee.

• Adventurous driving: Four-wheel drives and manual transmission will be the best options to choose when driving through winding and steep roads.

• A YOLO trip: YOLO stands for ‘you only live once.’ For these trips, you will need to hire a luxury car that will give you the best comfort and various refreshment options.

What to Do if You Are a Young Driver?

While renting a car from a major car rental company in Australia, make sure you are at least 21 years old. All restrictions and extra charges apply to drivers who have not crossed 25.

For young drivers, restrictions are imposed on the types of vehicles they can rent. For example, they are not offered any powerful and premium cars. However, they can choose from an extensive range of mini, full size and compact vehicles.

Consider These Factors While Choosing the Rental Car

When you book your car, you must consider the following vital factors.

Number of Passengers

Knowing how many people will be travelling will not be difficult to understand how much space the car must have. For example, if the number of passengers is two, choosing a small car for rent will be ideal. On the other hand, SUVs and people movers can effectively accommodate families and large groups.

Car Class

You can choose from mini, compact, economy, premium, full size, and intermediate cars.

Car Type

Car types include SUV, van, estate, convertible, etc.

Pick Up Options

Your rental costs will be affected by pick-up and drop-off locations in Australia. If you pick up your car at an airport, it will save you time but limit the choices. It will be better to go for free shuttle buses and meet-and-greet services.

Features

Features such as air conditioning, unlimited mileage, free cancellation, free breakdown assistance, GPS, four-wheel drive, and free additional driver will also influence your car rental.

Fuel Policy

In Australia, there are two fuel policies, including:

1. Full-to-full: Under this service, you will pick up your car when its tank is full and make sure it is full at the time of returning.

2. Same-to-same: You will refill the fuel tank to the level it was when it was picked up.

Transmission

You have to choose between manual and automatic transmission. While you will need to put physical effort into driving a manual car, it will be less costly compared to an automatic car.

Star Rating

Checking the vehicle star rating is necessary because it impacts the budget.

Booking Website

All the car rental companies have their websites to check the necessary details.

Drop-off Point

The drop-off location may be different from the pick-up location. For example, you may collect your car at Sydney Airport and return it to Melbourne Airport. You may also return a car to the airport you have rented in the city.

Take a Look at the Different Car Classes

We have already mentioned the six different car classes available in the market. Here we give a detailed description of each.

Final Words

Australia is a beautiful country with so many natural wonders to see. So, for the most amazing road trip experience, check these factors discussed here.

Also Read:- How International Students Become A Professional Carpenter in Australia