To rent in Australia, each company sets its own conditions: age, how long you have held your licence, card and bond. Avis, for example, asks for 21 years of age and a licence held for 12 months. A relocation is something else: you take a vehicle from one city to another for very little money, with fuel at your cost and fixed dates.
The information in this guide is what each company publishes. We have not tested it with a booking. Amounts are in Australian dollars.
What do they ask for to rent a car?
These are the conditions published by Avis Australia, as an example of what to look at. Other companies may ask for something different.
| Condition | What is published |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 21 years. Under 25, only certain vehicle groups |
| Licence | Current, held for at least 12 months in a row. Not a learner, provisional or restricted licence |
| Overseas licence | Valid if it is in English. If not, an English translation or international permit with the licence |
| Digital licence | Only from accepted countries. A photo or screenshot is not valid |
| Card | Physical and in your name. Phone or watch payments are not valid |
| Hold | Standard car, with credit: $0. With debit: the rental plus $200 |
Avis also does not accept prepaid or travel cards and charges 1.29% for paying by card. It says there may be restrictions and charges for under-25s, but the amount does not appear in what we have read.
And to rent a camper?
Britz says an overseas licence must be current, cover full-size vehicles without restrictions and come with an international permit. If it is not in English, it asks for an accredited translation. This is stricter than the general rule in some states: what the company asks for is not the same as what the law asks for to drive. See driving with an overseas licence.
Apollo and Britz publish their contracts by season. The 2026/27 ones apply to pick-ups from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Age and bond should be there, but they are separate documents that we have not read. Both websites also advertise offers with no one-way fee and options to reduce your liability in case of damage, without giving amounts on those home pages.
Questions to have answered before you sign
These questions come from what is not clear on the pages we opened:
- How much is the excess if there is a bump?
- Is driving on unsealed roads allowed?
- Is there a charge for leaving it in another city?
- How much do they hold on the card, and for how long?
- Do my licence and my age count for that vehicle?
What is a relocation and how does it work?
Rental companies need to move vehicles between cities. A platform such as Imoova publishes these trips from $1 a day, according to its own website. This is what it says:
- Fuel, tolls and parking are at your cost. Some companies refund part of the fuel, against receipts.
- Dates: there is a limited window and the vehicle must arrive by a set date.
- Notice: most appear between 1 and 14 days before pick-up.
- Vehicle: you know the type, seats and beds, but not the make, model or year until you pick it up.
- Fuel on return: the same level as at pick-up.
On 5 November, its listing included trips such as Perth to Esperance and Broome to Perth. If you are interested in that area, see the west coast route.
What is the small print on a relocation?
According to the Imoova terms:
- Bond: the rental company asks for it, on a card in your name. Getting it back can take up to 4 weeks after you hand the vehicle in.
- Cancelling: after confirmation, what you paid is not refunded.
- Extra days: they are paid in advance, and any you do not use are not refunded.
- If the company cancels: Imoova only refunds what you paid to it. It does not cover accommodation, food or travel changes.
- Bond disputes: Imoova says it cannot get involved.
On licences, its overseas licence guide says full driving rights are needed. Learner or provisional licences are not usually accepted. Licences in English are generally accepted, and so are European ones in French, German or Spanish. Chinese ones are not.
The minimum age and the excess do not appear in those terms. They depend on each rental company.
Rental, relocation or buying?
It depends on your trip, and there is no single answer here. These are the facts to do your own sums:
| Rental | Relocation | Buying | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | You choose | Fixed | No limit |
| Route | Return, or one-way with a possible charge | Only the one published | Free |
| Paperwork | Contract | Contract and bond | Transfer, duty and later sale |
If you stay for months in one city, you also have the transport options in Sydney and in each city. There are more national companies in services.
What we could not confirm
- Other companies: the Hertz and Europcar pages we opened do not show their conditions. We could not check the Transfercar website, another relocation platform.
- Camper age and bond: they are in Apollo and Britz PDFs that we have not read.
- Excesses and the under-25 charge: they do not appear on the pages we opened.
- The $1 a day price: it is a promotional figure from Imoova and we have not verified it with a booking.
Sources
All viewed on 5 November 2026. They are company sources: they tell you what each one says about itself.