We Compare Car Hire at Melbourne Airport

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

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.

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.

For further information on insurance options with Prosura, contact DriveNow.

Yes your arrival flight number is important information for the car rental company if you are collecting a vehicle from an airport. Your flight number will indicate to the rental car company which terminal you will be arriving at (Domestic or International Terminal).

If you experience a flight delay and the rental company is aware of your flight details, they are more likely to hold the vehicle for you. Without arrival flight details in your reservation and if you haven’t collected the vehicle at the booked time, they may treat your reservation as a ‘no-show’ and release the vehicle to another customer.

If no flight details are entered into your reservation, we cannot guarantee the rental car supplier will hold the vehicle for you, especially during busy holiday periods.

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).

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.

There are 10 major car rental brands with onsite branches at Melbourne Airport in both the Domestic and International Terminals. These include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, National, Sixt and Thrifty. Brands which are offsite from Melbourne Airport are Alpha, Bargain Car Rentals and East Coast Rentals.

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).

Melbourne Airport is located 24 kms north of the city and accessible via the Tullamarine Freeway.

Rental companies offer both child and booster seats. You can hire infant and child seats when making your car booking. Use the comments section to provide any further details. Each rental provider has its own charges and conditions on seat hire, and fees can vary depending if you’re hiring from Melbourne Airport, Avalon Airport or another Melbourne location.

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.

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

No. All of our suppliers do not permit towing with 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 considering booking 3-4 months in advance to secure the best rate and avoid the disappointment of missing out due to supply being exhausted.

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.

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.

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

Some rental companies will allow you to nominate a second (and more) driver for free whilst others charge a small daily fee per additional driver. All must have full and valid licenses covering the vehicle being hired.

Your valid driver’s licence must be presented when collecting your rental vehicle along with the licenses of any additional drivers.

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

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