Australian car rental. In Australia, you drive on the left hand side of the road.

Enter your destination in Australia + "car hire" to find car rental companies at your destination in Australia:

To rent a car in Australia, you must be at least 21 years old (age may vary by car category) and have held your license for at least 1 year. Drivers under the age of 25 may incur a young driver surcharge. The maximum age to rent with some suppliers is 75 years old. An international visitor may drive in Australia on a valid overseas driver's license for the same class of vehicle. If your license is not in English, you must also carry a International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive legally. The IDP is a translation of your driver's license and must in this case be a translation into English.

In Australia, you drive on the left hand side of the road. The steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. Seat belts and child restraints must be worn by all vehicle occupants. Using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is an offense. Strict drink driving rules apply in all states. For experienced drivers the blood alcohol level is 0.05%. Provisional drivers and young drivers may not have any alcohol before driving.

The speed limit in residential areas has always been 60 kph/35mph, but an increasing number of towns are adopting the lower 50 kph/30 mph limits. This is the case of all cities in the New South Wales region. On most country roads the speed limit is 100-110 kph/62-68 mph, although on some highways the speed limit is 130 kph/81 mph.

Make sure you know in advance what kind of car you need, e.g. a small/big car, a luxury car, an off roader etc., and also the kind of extras you want to have with the car, like automatic gear shift, GPS navigator etc. If you have decided in advance what you want, it makes booking much easier.

Compare prices from different rental companies. This is best done through the internet, also investigate any special deals the company may offer. If you book at your destination you may often be able to negotiate the price.

If you are not traveling alone, make sure your partner is also registered in the contract to be allowed to drive the car. Often an extra fee is charged, but again this may be negotiable.

Inspect the car when you take delivery, and make sure that any scratches or dents are registered. The same applies when you return the car.

Read the contract, and make sure that the boxes you want are marked with your initials, this is important in respect of the insurance cover you are getting. Save a copy of the contract.