Many people go through the car hire booking process and get frustrated with the manner in which prices and discounts are actually shown. Some car rental companies give you an online booking price per day, some don't include taxes and fees except in fine print and some do a combination. Some make the price look like it's a discount car hire that you are about to undertake.
The ACCC recently made changes to the Trade Practices Act to ensure that car rental pricing is standardised. Here is how a car rental price is required to be laid out:
Total Price
$200.00
Breakdown
Local Taxes (GST): $15.00
Airport Fees/Surcharges: $25.00
Other Fees (e.g. Underage surcharge): $0.00
Admin Fee (aka Recovery Fee, Registration Fee): $10.00
Base Rental Price: $150.00
Other things effecting the price include whether or not excess is included and whether or not unlimited kilometers are included. On CarRental.com.au excess is not included and kilometer's are almost always unlimited (we display it either way int he car comparison tables). When you book with a travel agent (e.g. Flight Centre) or car wholesaler (a small operator) excess is often included and kilometers are often limited to 200.
With CarRental.com.au you just need to enter your personal details (name and phone number) to make a booking. Some travel agents and car rental agencies or wholesalers require that you pay them a deposit. This deposit amount is their commission on a sale. The rest you typically pay at the counter.
We don't charge you a booking fee, so the price you see is the price that you would get on Hertz.com.au, Europcar.com.au, Thrifty.com.au, Budget.com.au or Avis.com.au. Pay us back by using us again and again (and spread the love)!