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Car Rental & Common Requirements
Car Rental in Australia can be extremely cost effective when planning to travel around Australia by road. It is all dependant with what your choices are: a new car or an old car. You will find that you have a wide choice but choose wisely. Sometimes you will find that paying that little bit more might just save you from car troubles around the corner. When renting a car in Australia, there are certain requirements which are essential which are common within the car rental industry. The most common are:
Drivers Licence
You must provide your valid drivers licence. If your drivers licence is from overseas and is not written in English, an International Driving Permit with an English translation must be carried with the licence. An International Driving Permit must be valid for the entire term of your car rental.
Credit Card
With most car rental companies in australia, you will be required to provide a credit card as a form of security.
Passport
If you are from overseas, a passport also may be required.
Finding a Genuine Car Rental Company
There are plenty of car rental companies in Australia who are well established and provide excellent service. It has become evident that from time to time, new small operations open and want to be seen with the same recognition as those who have worked hard to be recognised and trusted. We have therefore in your interest, provided some points so you can recogise those who are genuine from those who may not be.
Genuine Rental Rates
Beware of car rental and sports car rental companies who offer large discounts such as 20 to 25% off their rental rates when they don't publish their rental rates on their websites. You might find that their rates are inflated before applying the promised discount.
Testimonials
While we believe testimonials are a great way to find out the experience of other customers, as no contact details are provided, can you really know if they are genuine?
Pickup/Contact Address
When a alleged genuine business does not provide a pickup address or any other address, this may prove to be a problem.
Contact Phone
Although mobile phones are commonly used in business these days, the use of a mobile phone as a main business contact can easily provide you with the size of the company you are dealing with.
We hope this information provided is useful to ensure that you conduct your car rental safely. We have gathered this information due to our observations of some car rental companies which proclaim:
1) They are the "largest" yet they do not have any pickup or return locations in Australia and have only been in business for the last few months.
2) They only advertise cars which they do not have on their own fleet or have direct access to.
3) Do not advertise rental rates and offer high discount offers.
You will find most of the major international car rental companies are here in australia like Avis Car Rental, Sports Car Rentals Online, Hertz, Thrifty, Budget & Europcar.
Road Safety
Ensure that you have some knowledge of the road rules which are applicable in australia, this will ensure your safety and the safety of others.
Remember that australia is a very large country and takes a lot of time to travel around. One of the most important factors is to make sure you don't try to drive long distances in one day. We strongly recommend that you take a rest after two hours of driving, even a ten minute rest can make a big difference. The australian government has been marketing a plan to ensure that all driver make a safe trip and to reduce road fatilities. Just remember "Stop, Revive, Survive".
Driving Distances
To view the driving distances to the major destinations in Australia, click here.
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