Experience the Vibrancy of Victoria’s Capital with Car Rental in Melbourne

No. DriveNow does not charge booking fees or service charges when making a booking through our website.

Comparison platform – DriveNow has been designed for customers to easily compare prices and vehicles. DriveNow searches, finds and compares the best price for you and the results allow you to compare on 1 page.

Offers the major brands - Rental cars including Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Thrifty, and many more. This helps you avoid overpaying or missing a better vehicle option. Campervan brands range from the best in quality to the budget traveller, offering Maui Elite, Apollo, Britz, Let’s Go, Cruisin, Star, Mighty Lite, Jucy, Cruise America, Cruise Canada and many more.

Trusted and recommended - DriveNow offers a transparent, neutral and impartial comparison service featuring the major brands, displaying the best rate of the day and instantly confirming vehicles for customers.

Best rate of the day and live pricing —All prices on DriveNow are live and come directly from our rental partners with no added charges, so you will always see the best live price of the day. Drivenow does not charge a booking fee or a handling fee for their service.

Instant booking confirmation — Campervans and Motorhomes can confirm instantly, which gives you the confidence to book your flights and other arrangements for your trip. Most car bookings don’t require a credit card or payment upfront, which reduces commitment and risk and it is free to cancel at any stage.

Extensive location coverage - DriveNow offer car rentals in world-wide locations, Europe Car Leasing, Campervan, Motorhomes and RV’s hires in Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and throughout Europe.

Australian-owned and operated — The service is 100% Australian owned and has been operating for over 23 years, located in Melbourne.

Leader in customer service – Our experienced team at DriveNow will always put the customer first. From changing dates, vehicle type, locations or securing the last minute vehicle our friendly team is here to assist you.

With some exceptions you need to be over 21 to hire a car in Australia. If you are between 21 and 25 the rental car supplier at the collection point may ask you:

· To pay a Young Driver's Age surcharge to complete the rental agreement

· Be required to choose a particular insurance liability option

· To select a specific vehicle category that allows drivers to be under 25 years of age (some suppliers restrict certain vehicle categories to only 25+ hirers)

· Have your rental agreement denied and your booking cancelled if the driver does not meet the requirements of that rental branch (refer to the rental car supplier’s cancellation policy)

In Australia all drivers are required to hold a current full and valid driver’s licence for at least 12 months, without any restrictions. Probationary licences are not accepted. Your valid driver’s licence must be presented when collecting your rental vehicle along with the licenses of any additional drivers.

Driver licences must be in English or supported by a certified translation or international driving permit along with your licence. For non-English language-based driving licenses we always recommend to also carry an International Driving Permit. Full details on driver's licence requirements cover what you need across all Australian states.

At the time of collection you will be required to pay for your rental by credit card. At this time you will have the option to add additional items such as GPS hire, child seats, additional drivers, age surcharge, excess liability reduction, windscreen damage cover, premium roadside assistance, snow cover and toll passes.

In some countries the car rental supplier may add to your total rental cost a credit card surcharge fee to cover the cost of processing the credit card payment. This amount will depend on the credit card type used. American Express and Diners Cards often attract a higher % fee.

Most rental companies facilitate automatic charging of road tolls to the credit card used when paying for your vehicle. These charges may appear after your rental period has completed. Check with your supplier when picking up your vehicle.

Melbourne offers an extensive toll road system, including part of the Tullamarine Freeway which is the main conduit from Melbourne Airport to the city, the Bolte Bridge, the Monash Freeway covering the Domain and Burnely tunnels and EastLink between Springvale Road (Nunawading) and Frankston Freeway (Seaford). Most suppliers use e-Tags and charge toll roads to your credit card after the rental period.

Yes. Additional excess liability reduction is optional. DriveNow recommend you consider all options when collecting your vehicle. Some travel insurance policies & credit card company insurance cover include car hire excess option and not the car insurance itself.

Check with your travel insurer or credit card provider as to what you are covered for. In the event of an accident, you will still be required to pay the full excess amount to the car rental supplier and then submit a claim to your insurer. As a general rule travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Excess amounts, additional cover and security bond amounts will only be available at the time of vehicle collection from the rental company, as the costs of these may vary based on the customer’s and booking details. Please contact your rental location to confirm prior to pick-up if you have any questions.

Comparing your insurance and excess reduction options before you collect your vehicle can save you from unwanted surprises at the counter.

Each vehicle is displayed with ‘or similar’. When making a reservation, you are booking a vehicle category and not a specific vehicle model. Specific makes and models within a vehicle category may vary in availability and features such as passenger seating, luggage capacity, equipment, mileage and engine size.

Car rental companies turn over their rental fleets on a regular basis and as vehicles move between branch locations and different cities. Therefore, occasionally the vehicle you pick up may not be the exact make and model you selected at the time of booking. Normally the vehicle will be within the vehicle category booked however if none are available it will be a similar size or alternatively the next category available.

Not all vehicles are available from all locations. We are unable to monitor a supplier’s fleet movements across a particular country.

As rental car companies will not guarantee that a particular make, model or colour will be available for a specific reservation, unfortunately DriveNow cannot either.

Yes. You can select additional items in Step 2 on the booking page or include them in the comments box of the booking page.

· Child, Booster & Infant Seats – Select at the time of booking

· GPS - Select at the time of booking, if doing a one-way rental you will need to request in comments box

· Excess Liability Reduction – Request at the time of pick-up with the rental branch staff

· Additional driver - Request at the time of pick-up with the rental branch staff

· Snow Cover Package - Request at the time of pick-up with rental branch staff

Yes. Check with the staff at the rental branch where you collect your vehicle before departing. Failure to adhere to restrictions will invalidate all insurance cover.

Rental companies do impose restrictions on vehicle usage and these may include driving only on maintained sealed roads with strictly no off-road use and not taking the vehicle on a ferry.

Rental companies reserve the right to restrict vehicle movements in certain areas due to adverse road or weather conditions (such as Outback Australia and the Northern Territory during the Wet Season). There may be certain exceptions to this, your chosen rental company can advise you when collecting your vehicle.

No. No rental supplier will guarantee that a particular make, model or colour will be available for a specific reservation. You will notice that vehicles are always designated “or similar” as specific makes & models within a vehicle category may vary in availability and features such as passenger seating, luggage capacity, equipment, mileage and engine size.

Vehicle types, images and specifications displayed online are given as a guide only, they are simply an example of the type of vehicle that the rental company includes within that Vehicle category. You will be booking a particular category rather than a specific vehicle model.

Yes. A security bond amount will be required when you collect your vehicle and will be applied to your credit card. It is important you have sufficient credit on the card to cover this.

The amount on the security bond can vary due to a number of different factors including; the total amount of your rental cost, credit card type, age of the renter, type of vehicle, location of residency, length of the reservation, insurance options taken and if collection is from an airport, city, regional location or franchised owned branch.

The security bond is released when the vehicle is returned and without any damage. The release of the bond and the return of your funds are subject to your credit card’s terms and conditions (for example how long it takes for the bond to be credited back to your card).

A hook turn is a right hand turn you make from the left hand lane, something unique to Melbourne.

In central Melbourne in order to maintain tram traffic flow turning right at several major intersections is completed from the left hand lane using the following steps.

• Approach and enter the intersection from the far left hand lane with your right indicator on
• Move forward to the other side of the intersection, keeping as near as possible to the left of the intersection and clear of any pedestrian crossings
• Remain stationary until the traffic lights on the road you are turning into have turned green and then turn right into that road

No. Rental companies preclude pets being carried in their vehicles.

Yes. DriveNow is a comparison web site with live pricing fed directly from our rental partners. As such pricing can change at the discretion of the rental provider and as vehicles are booked by other customers. However once you have made your confirmed booking the rates are locked in for the booking dates you have selected.

Booking in advance is always recommended to secure the best rate, generally the earlier you book the cheaper the rate.

Where possible it is recommended that you book in advance. During peak periods such as long weekends, Easter, Christmas and School Holidays, vehicles sell out well in advance.

This is particularly true for specialty vehicles such as 12-seaters, People Movers, luxury & sport cars along with 4WD’s which all sell-out quickly and early. Customers should consider booking 3-4 months in advance to secure the best rate and avoid the disappointment of missing out due to supply being exhausted.

No. All of our suppliers do not permit towing with their vehicles.

With some suppliers the maximum age to rent a car in Australia is 75. Others including Budget have no maximum age limit whilst providers such as Hertz recommend a medical certificate for drivers over 75 and a letter from your insurance company stating you have not had an accident within the last 5 years. Ultimately it is at the individual branch’s discretion as to whether they will rent a vehicle to 75+ driver.

Freeways are limited to 100km/h with some exceptions. Residential streets are 50km/h and in many shopping strips this is further reduced to 40km/h. Dual carriageways operate at 70-80km/h. These and other road rules and vehicle requirements are consistent across Victoria, though penalties vary by state.

The price displayed on DriveNow will include the rental cost and standard liability. Your reservation may have additional costs involved however DriveNow displays the included items and excluded items, nothing is hidden as the customer has the opportunity to view this information prior to making a reservation.

The rental car rate price does not include additional extras such as liability reduction options, windscreen damage, additional driver fee, driver age surcharge for under 25’s, GPS, Child seats, toll charges, vehicle upgrades, premium roadside assistance, snow cover, credit card surcharges issued by the rental car supplier, security bond amount and all other optional extra items you choose to add on to your rental.

Credit card surcharge and a security bond amount will apply, these amounts cannot be built into the rental cost as prices can vary between card type, Airport, City, Regional or franchised owned locations.

All prices on DriveNow come directly from the supplier with no added charges. These are for the basic rental of a vehicle with standard excess insurance and do not include optional extras or Young Driver charges which are payable to the rental company when collecting your vehicle.

Rates displayed are based on drivers over the age of 25 years. The majority of rental companies around the world charge a Young Driver fee for those between 21 and 25.

Yes. Victoria operates an extensive network of fixed and mobile speed cameras. Often the fixed cameras will be located out of sight behind road signs or bridges. Drivers of rental cars in Melbourne and elsewhere in Australia are liable for any speeding fine incurred and rental companies will often charge an administration fee in handling the associated paperwork.

No. Not unless you have purchased a specific snow package from the car hire company. Driving a rental car above the snow line in Victoria or NSW without a snow package voids your insurance cover and you are liable for all and any damage to a vehicle. The Snow package includes things such as Snow Chains which are mandated in Australia above the snow line.

In Victoria all drivers and riders must slow to 40 km/h when passing stationary enforcement or emergency vehicles with flashing lights

Yes you can. One way rentals are a common occurrence. In some locations there may be a one-way fee, this is more common when picking up or dropping off at remote rental branches in country Victoria or travelling interstate.