Australia

Cheap Brisbane Airport Car Hire: The Best Companies

by Paul Joseph  |  Published July 18, 2017

There are six car hire desks at Brisbane Airport, offering visitors to this bustling city in the northeast of Australia the chance to explore the region in comfort. Among them are a number of renowned car rental names, each providing assurance of a certain level of service and reliability. The reasons to hire a car here are multiple, but in a country with vast distances between cities, anyone wanting to venture afar would find great benefits in having their own vehicle. And you’ll almost certainly end up spending less money for the privilege than by relying on public transport.

A view over Brisbane River with skyscrapers in the background (Photo: Lisa Berriman via Flickr)

The car rental customer service desks are located on Level 2 in the International terminal and on Level 1 in the Domestic Terminal. The airport is well connected to the city’s public transport network, but hiring a car often works out cheaper. Booking a car hire at Brisbane Airport gives you more freedom and greater convenience. If you are travelling to either the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast, the journey by car should take you just over an hour.

Our car rental company search results

If you’re thinking of hiring a car at Brisbane Airport, you’ll want to do all you can to get the best deal and the best chance of a seamless experience. To help you along the way, the team at TravelMag have put in some of the leg work for you by researching all of the six hire companies available. We’ve then whittled down you findings to come up with our top recommendations based on three categories – Best value, Best for families and Best for luxury cars. Our conclusions are below – let us know how helpful they turned out to be!

Best value: Thrifty

Book at RentalCars.com

Thrifty’s fleet of affordable cars put them top in our ‘best value’ category, with simple but comfortable vehicles including the Kia Rio Hatch and Toyota Yaris Hatch available for around £200 for 7 days use. Previous customers have also reported impressive customer service. And if you’re one of Thrifty’s Blue Chip members, you’ll have access to a dedicated reservations phone line, as well as features such as Thrifty Arrive and Drive, which allows you to bypass the counter and go straight to your hire car. If you do need the rental desk, it’s open from 5am – 12am daily.

Best for families: Europcar

Book at RentalCars.com

For cars offering that bit more space and comfort for you and your kids, Europcar would be our pick of the companies at Brisbane Airport. Models such as the Toyota Camry and Mercedes A-Class are ideal for families, and won’t break the bank either – as both can usually be hired for less than £300 a week, according to our research. The more eco-friendly among you will also appreciate that Europcar have wholeheartedly embraced a sustainable development program, and are the first car hire company at Brisbane Airport with certified commitments. Their desk is open from 5am – 12am
each day.

Best for luxury cars: Hertz

Book at RentalCars.com

To experience Australia’s northeastern coast in maximum style, you might want to consider pushing the boat out (apologies for the mixed metaphor) for a luxury car hire. Hertz offer a good choice of lavish SUVs, including the Nissan Dualis and Toyota Rav 4. Of course, you’ll have to pay that bit extra for such models, but many will feel it’s worth it. Hertz also offer a number of excellent deals that should bring your costs down, including 1 day free when you book a long weekend and 20% off rentals of longer than 7 days. Their rental desk is open from 5am to 12.30am throughout the week.