Melbourne Airport – Best Independent Car Hire Companies

Hiring from the companies located on-site Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport (Avis, Hertz, Budget, Thrifty or Europcar) will incur you a 13.85% Premium Location Fee which you can avoid by either hiring from Melbourne city (of course) or the independent car hire companies located about 5 minutes off-site. Amongst these, we’ve filtered through the duds and overpriced to find the ones with the best rates.

East Coast Car Rentals Go To Site

Great value for all car sizes with unlimited km’s

With over 20 years of history, East Coast Car Rentals have recently expanded to serve Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. With unlimited mileage included in all their rentals, they offer likely one of the best rates across all vehicle sizes from the economy Toyota Yaris hatchback (manual), mid-sized Toyota Corolla sedan, standard Toyota Camry, Mitsubishi Outlander SUV and Kia Carnival van.

The standard damage liability is A$3000 that will cost A$13.20/day or less to lower to A$200. Being a few minutes off-site, they will arrange a courtesy shuttle to transfer you to and from Tullamarine Airport. Placing a booking online will require you to input your credit card details but you will only be charged when you arrive at their depot for your pickup.

Note: In early 2008, an Australian consumer affairs television program aired an episode alleging ECCR made charges to customers’ credit cards for unfounded damages to the rental car. It is inconclusive whether it was mere misunderstanding with disgruntled customers or ill-intent on the company’s part. Certainly the company has been around for almost three decades and must have their share of satisfied customers, but determine for yourself what you feel comfortable with.

Bargain Wheels Go To Site

New/Used Small and Mid-sized Cars. Used Cars only for anything Larger. Unlimited km’s

Bargain Wheels’ prices are certainly competitive especially for rentals 3 days and under after taking into account they include unlimited km’s. They are located just 3 minutes off-site and offer free pickup and return service from both the airport or your local accommodation. Or, depending on how comfortable you are with the idea, you could go for their used cars for some major savings (e.g. a 7-day rental for a mid-size may cost you A$290 for a new car but only A$220 for a used car) but you probably run a higher risk of running into car problems. For anything larger than the mid-sized Toyota Corolla sedan, they only carry used cars. They have a collision damage liability/excess of A$2500 and an extra A$15/day reduces it to A$350.

Airport Rent-A-Car Go To Site

Good value on Economy (smallest) and Mid-Size Car. Only 200km/day

If you are renting for two or more days, their economy Hyundai hatchbacks (manual or automatic) and mid-sized Toyota Corolla sedans are one of the lowest priced you’ll find for a Melbourne airport car hire (particularly during non-holiday periods where they offer 10% discounts). Bear in mind prices only include only 200km/day (A$0.25/extra km). Their standard Collision Damage Liability is A$2500 which you can reduce to A$500 for A$15/day (compared to A$24-26.40/day charged by the Big Boys). Located 5 minutes off-site, they offer free pickups from the airport. The site is somewhat wordy so you’ll need to scroll down a little to get to the booking section.

Discount Car Rental Go To Site

Great prices especially for Mid/Full-sized Sedans. Check for Wagons too. Only 250km/day

Rent for 2 or more days and there’s a good chance you’ll find decent savings (particularly on Intermediate Toyota Corolla Sedans and the Standard-sized Toyota Camry). Their Ford Falcon Wagon can also be cheaper. Their rates include only 250km/day with a standard Collision Damage Liability of A$2750 that can be lowered to A$550 for A$16/day (which again is cheaper than the Big Boys who charge between A$24-26.40/day) and they offer a free customer pick-up and return service to the airport.