In short
- Rental: short commitment, the rental company looks after the car, and you can hand it back after any minimum period.
- Subscription: a recurring fee on each provider's own terms; check what it includes and what leaving costs.
- Novated lease: a car packaged through your employer, usually leased from a financing company; you can't claim deductions for its running costs.[1]
- Consumer lease: fixed payments, no ownership at the end, usually no cooling-off, and ending early can cost every remaining payment.[3]
- Each car has its own minimum rental, shown with the car (from 4 weeks to 6 weeks).
What is the difference between renting, subscribing and leasing a car?
All three give you a car you don't own. They differ in who holds the contract, how long you're tied in, and which running costs land on you.
- Weekly rental. You hire a car from the company that owns it, pay rent by the week, and hand it back. Looking after the car is the rental company's job.
- Car subscription. A recurring fee for a car from a provider, which may bundle some running costs. The details are whatever each provider's contract says.
- Novated lease. A car leased through your employer as part of salary packaging. The ATO describes the car as usually leased by your employer from a financing company.[1]
- Consumer lease. You rent goods for a set term with regular payments and, Moneysmart notes, don't own them when the lease ends.[3]
How do they compare side by side?
| Weekly rental (Rentzy) | Car subscription | Novated lease | Consumer lease | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How long you're tied in | Each car's own minimum, then week to week | Set by the provider's contract | The lease term agreed with your employer and financier | The fixed term in the lease agreement |
| Who registers it | Rentzy, as owner | Check the contract | Check the lease and package | Check the lease |
| Insurance | Rentzy's insurer; you're liable up to the excess per incident | Check the contract | Check the package | Check the lease |
| Servicing | Rentzy maintains the car (clause 8.1) | Check the contract | Check the package | Check the lease |
| Ending early | Notice, and rent to the end of any minimum (clauses 3.5, 5.3) | Check exit fees | Ask what happens if you change jobs | May cost all remaining payments |
"Check" isn't a dodge: these products differ provider by provider, and the contract is the only reliable answer. The sections below give the questions to ask, and what government sources say where they say something.
Who pays registration, CTP, insurance and servicing?
In Queensland, every vehicle on the road must have compulsory third party (CTP) insurance, and its cost is included in the vehicle's registration fees. CTP covers injuries to other people caused by the vehicle; it doesn't cover damage to cars or property.[5] That damage is the job of comprehensive or third party property insurance, and Moneysmart notes that an insurer works out the premium using, among other things, who will be driving the car.[6]
So whoever owns the car registers it, and the question for each option is how the rest is split:
- Rental: at Rentzy, the car is Rentzy's to maintain and is covered by Rentzy's insurer, with you liable up to the excess if it's damaged (clause 9). Fuel, tolls and fines are yours.
- Subscription: ask exactly which of registration, insurance, servicing, tyres and roadside help the fee includes, and what excess applies on the insurance.
- Novated lease: ask which running costs are packaged and paid from your salary. The ATO says you can't claim a tax deduction for car expenses you pay under a salary sacrifice or novated lease arrangement.[1]
- Consumer lease: Moneysmart warns that if leased goods are damaged you might have to pay for repairs, and if they're lost or stolen you could still owe every payment to the end of the lease.[3]
What do you need to qualify?
For a rental, the checks are about the driver. At Rentzy that means being aged 21 to 75 with a full licence held for at least 1 year, and the licence and identity are checked at pickup (clause 2).
Finance is different. For car loans, Moneysmart notes that the interest rate offered on car finance can depend on your credit score, among other things, and that a lender must give you a comparison rate covering interest and fees.[4]
A novated lease also depends on your employer. Moneysmart says salary packaging has to be arranged before you're paid, what can be packaged depends on what your employer offers, and your employer pays fringe benefits tax on most packaged benefits, including a car.[2] It suggests financial advice or a registered tax agent if you're unsure.
What does it cost to get out early?
Read the exit terms before anything else; this is where the four differ most.
- Consumer lease: there's usually no cooling-off period, and ending early can mean paying an amount equal to all remaining rental payments. Moneysmart says to ask for the agreement first and compare its total with buying outright.[3]
- Finance with a guaranteed future value: Moneysmart notes conditions such as a kilometre limit and returning the car without damage beyond fair wear and tear.[4]
- Novated lease: ask the provider and your employer what happens to the lease and its payments if you leave the job.
- Subscription: ask about minimum terms, notice periods and exit fees, in writing.
When does each one make sense?
A rental suits a known, limited need: weeks between cars, a project, the first months in a new city. A lease commits you for its whole term. A subscription sits wherever its provider's terms put it.
- Need a car for weeks, or don't know how long? A weekly rental keeps the commitment short.
- Settled job, an employer that offers packaging, and planning to keep a car for years? A novated lease is worth costing with advice.
- Comparing any lease? Add up every payment over the full term and set it against the alternatives, as Moneysmart suggests for consumer leases.[3]
Rentzy's weekly prices: Medium SUV from A$229 a week · Small car from A$229 a week. Each car has its own minimum rental, shown with the car (from 4 weeks to 6 weeks). Unlimited kilometres: no kilometre limit and no charge per kilometre.
What a rental costs over a month or more is worked through in weekly vs monthly car rental cost, and buying a car here is covered in new to Brisbane: getting a car.
Sources
- Australian Taxation Office (ATO): Work-related car expenses (myTax 2026) (read 23 October 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Salary packaging (read 23 October 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Consumer leases (read 23 October 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Car loans (read 23 October 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): What is CTP insurance? (read 23 October 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Choosing car insurance (read 23 October 2026)
Written by the Rentzy team at Rentzy Car Rentals. Rentzy prices, fees and rules in this guide come from our published terms and update with them; rules set by others (roads, tolls, licences, transport) are from the official pages above, as read on the dates shown. Something out of date? Tell us.
