Distance charges, unsealed roads, and discount codes

[StevePER]

Next month I'm off to Karratha for a day thanks for Virgin's $9 flights so I'm suddenly learning a lot about hiring a car for one day in a remote location. Maybe this is helpful to other people, or maybe I'm missing something that I should be thinking about...

Distance charges
The first thing you find is that nearly everyone includes only 100km per day, plus between 22 cents and 30 cents per kilometre.

• You can sometimes find 150km or 200km included (eg Europcar gives 200km when booked through the Flight Centre website).
• The Hertz UK website gives you unlimited kilometres at a higher daily rate, but requires you to be a UK resident.
• Other UK-based online travel agents (such as Car Hire 3000) give you unlimited kilometres, without being restricted to UK residents.

Discount codes
Finding discount codes for all the major car hire companies is trivial, but finding ones that work (and are valid for anyone to use) is a bit more difficult.

• All American Express cardholders can use Avis P908503, which gives a slightly discounted rate but also reduces the insurance from $24 to $15.
• Citibank cardholders can use Hertz CDP 1556481 for a slight discount.
• Anyone can use Budget code W810011 for a significant discount (found on the Walmart website with no restrictions on usage). This takes $12 per day off a Getz, and the better the car the more you save.

Unsealed roads
If you want to drive on unsealed roads you need to be careful what you hire - most places require you to have a 4WD which gives you two options. Either you pay a lot more and get a 4WD or you get a normal car and hope you don't have an accident because you would not be insured. But there are exceptions!

• Avis vehicles may not be operated on non-paved roads. No exceptions.
• Thrifty and Europcar only allow 4WD vehicles on unpaved roads. And it seems that not all 4WD vehicles are covered by everyone (eg Outlander, X-trail type vehicles).
• Hertz only allows 4WD vehicles on unpaved roads, except for some "short access roads" (eg to National Parks). They don't specify what constitutes short.
• Budget allows all vehicles to be taken on unsealed roads, as long as they are gazetted (ie shown on a map) and is therefore the cheapest option. (source: Budget Reservations email)
• If you require a 4WD, the cheapest option is usually a ute (eg a Hilux). These don't always come up in the default search - you might need to specify truck/van/ute.

[medhead]

those unpaved road rules must be only for WA. I have hired avis in SA and the restriction has been not to take the vehicle off road. This means all gazetted roads, paved or not, are acceptable.

[StevePER]

those unpaved road rules must be only for WA. I have hired avis in SA and the restriction has been not to take the vehicle off road. This means all gazetted roads, paved or not, are acceptable.

From this page it appears to be an Australia-wide policy. Avis vehicles may not be operated on non-paved roads.

[docjames]

Admittedly it was in 2001 but Hertz in NT had a "no dirt road policy" except for "access roads to tourist attractions" (pretty loose definition if you ask me). That was fine, missing the kangaroo that appeared in the middle of the road in the middle of the day (whilst i was doing 130kph) was more of a worry!

[rwatts]

From this page it appears to be an Australia-wide policy. Avis vehicles may not be operated on non-paved roads.

Interesting that it also says

Vehicles are not allowed to be taken onto ferries or cross bodies of water.

I wonder if that applies to all the government operated ferries across the River Murray in South Australia ?

Richard.

[Mal]

A few tips of mine for Hertz.

If a check with the Hertz site shows a max km allowance, try calling Hertz or using another site such as the Qantas Hire Car booking site (or maybe webjet etc) to see if they offer rentals with unlimited kms. This works particularly well in rural areas where there are 200km limits, as often there is also an unlimited KM deal available (or at least more generous KM wise deal) for a few more $ which is not normally shown on the Hertz AU site.

Sometimes you can get better (one way) rates than the web by calling due to them wanting to move cars around. I've heard moving cars south in Queensland (ie from North Queensland) is one that works well - and it may only be a few hundred KM's they want it moved!

If renting in NT with Hertz, read the fine print carefully. There are high excesses for single vehicle accidents (esp in 4WD's), and exclusions for damage from wildlife between certain hours. Also rentals tend to have a low max km's on them if booked through Hertz (or calling Hertz Res). Try calling Hertz NT direct.

[jn82]

I am making a trip to NT at the end of the year, and found a website which searched across all the various large and small car hire company options. Managed to come across come pretty reasonable unlimited KM deals for either Darwin or Alice Springs, which I could not seem to get off the individual car hire company websites. Have not actually utilised the service and made by booking yet though.

*Could not post a direct link to the website as I have under 10 post count, but you access it under cheapcarhireonline.com.au*

Regarding the "no off-road" rule for 4WD rentals, doesn't that defeat the purpose of renting one for somewhere like Alice Springs or Kakadu National Park? Or would the trail from somewhere like Kings Canyon to Uluru be classified as an access road for tourist attraction?

[Mal]

Regarding the "no off-road" rule for 4WD rentals, doesn't that defeat the purpose of renting one for somewhere like Alice Springs or Kakadu National Park? Or would the trail from somewhere like Kings Canyon to Uluru be classified as an access road for tourist attraction?

Based on my Hertz experience, 4WD hires in the NT are allowed to go on dirt roads etc. However, there are certain excluded tracks.

eg:

Certain areas in the Northern Territory are accessible only by 4wd vehicles ie. Palm valley.

Hertz Northern Territory do not allow 4wd vehicles to be taken into -

Jim Jim or Twin falls under any circumstances.

Exceptions:

Kings canyon - accessible by car (2wd) using the Lasseter, Luritja highways. All other access to Kings Canyon requires 4wd.

The Meerenie Loop road & the Ernest Giless Hwy are 4wd only.

Litchfield park - there is bitumen access via Batchelor to Litchfield park as far as the main site of Wangi Falls. Customers can visit Litchfield park using the Batchelor Access in & out. They cannot travel on dirt roads in the Park, however, majority of main sites are now bitumen.

Drivers are responsible for all damage by animals whilst driving at night.

[oz_mark]

From this page it appears to be an Australia-wide policy. Avis vehicles may not be operated on non-paved roads.

This page (Avis Preferred Service Rental Transaction) says

6.1 You and any Authorised Driver must only use the Vehicle on a road which is properly formed and constructed as a sealed, metalled or gravel road.

Not sure how this works from Newman

(b) into or out of the Northern Territory, Tasmania or to any points in Western Australia north of Carnarvon

[medhead]

Based on my Hertz experience, 4WD hires in the NT are allowed to go on dirt roads etc. However, there are certain excluded tracks.

eg:

Jim Jim Falls - What a joke!

How about Ubirr? Which is paved road but I've been through there in a crusier with water sloshing at the bottom of the windscreen

This page (Avis Preferred Service Rental Transaction) says

6.1 You and any Authorised Driver must only use the Vehicle on a road which is properly formed and constructed as a sealed, metalled or gravel road.

So clearly avis's policy about non-paved roads is just a smoke screen, basically all gazetted roads are at least metalled or gravelled.