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$633 a day: Families cancel Easter plans as hire car prices skyrocket

Poppy Johnston
·2-min read
Cars for hire at the airport in Sydney
Hire cars are always in high demand over holiday periods and this Easter will be no different. (Source: Reuters)

Archana Menon from Melbourne was dreaming of a road trip over the Easter weekend but was shocked to discover a hire car would cost her family around $400 a day.

“That’s just too expensive,” she said.

Menon said the family would probably just stay home over the four-day break rather than fork out so much for a set of wheels.

Melbourne hire cars were expensive but at least there were some available.

Due to a shortage of rental cars, vehicles were not available at all in Brisbane, Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Adelaide and other tourist hotspots, according to comparison site Vroomvroomvroom.

The most expensive rental cars were in Hobart, where a hire car started at $633 a day for the long weekend.

Vroomvroomvroom’s hire car rates for the Easter long weekend:

  • Sydney – starts at $247/day

  • Melbourne – starts at $369/ day

  • Brisbane - no cars available

  • Byron Bay – no cars available

  • Gold Coast – no cars available

  • Cairns – no cars available

  • Sunshine Coast - no cars available

  • Hobart - starts at $633/day

  • Adelaide - no cars available

Other ways to snag a car

There are other ways to rent a vehicle rather than going through traditional hire car companies such as Hertz and Budget.

There’s a plethora of car-sharing and car-subscription services that come with different perks and downfalls. Exactly how affordable they are will depend on your trip and how far you intend to travel.

The general manager of rental car company KINTO, Mark Ramsay, offered some general advice for finding the right service for your next trip:

  • Shop around: There can be huge differences in rates. Sometimes those last-minute deals aren’t the best.

  • Rent the right car: Make sure the car suits the conditions you’re driving to. If you’re covering long distances, ensure you’re hiring a car that’s suitable.

  • Read the fine print: Know what’s covered with your insurance and what you’ll be up for if something goes wrong - this is where surprise costs often come in.

  • Look for flexibility: Can you extend the hire date if needed? Is the actual hire process easy or will you be waiting in long queues to rent your vehicle?

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