In short
- Start with public transport: at the time of writing (October 2026) every Translink trip in South East Queensland is a flat 50 cents, and you can tap on with a Visa or Mastercard card or phone instead of buying a go card.[1]
- Check your licence before you drive: visitors can use a valid overseas licence,[5] but citizens and permanent residents who move here, including from interstate, need a Queensland licence once they have lived here for 3 months.[6]
- Renting by the week gives you a car while you find a job, a suburb and a car to buy. At Rentzy, Small car from A$160 a week · Medium SUV from A$229 a week; 4 weeks at the lowest price is A$640 in rent.
- Buying a used car in Queensland means a safety certificate from the seller,[8] a registration transfer within 14 days with vehicle registration duty to pay,[7] and registration that includes CTP insurance, which covers injuries to people, not damage to cars.[11]
Can I get by on public transport at first?
For the first week or two, often yes, especially if you are staying near a train line or busway. At the time of writing (October 2026), all Translink fares in Queensland are a flat 50 cents a journey, however far you go and however you pay. The exception that matters to new arrivals is Airtrain: trains to and from the domestic and international airport stations are charged special Airtrain fares.[1]
You have three ways to pay:
- A contactless Visa or Mastercard card, or the same card on your phone or watch. It works on all South East Queensland trains, trams, ferries and buses. Tap on and tap off with the same card or device, or you may be charged a default fare.[2]
- A go card, Translink's own travel card, bought online, from a retailer or by calling 13 12 30, and topped up the same ways or automatically. It covers trains including Airtrain.[3]
- A paper ticket from the fare machines at train, tram and busway stations.[1]
If you're starting university, Translink says tertiary students no longer need to apply for concession fares: in South East Queensland you can travel on a go card, a contactless bank card or a paper ticket at the same flat fare.[4]
Use the first fortnight to learn which trips are easy without a car. Commutes into the CBD and South Brisbane usually are. Weekend shopping for furniture, inspecting rentals across several suburbs, or a job in an industrial area like Eagle Farm or Hendra often aren't. That list tells you how much you need a car, and for how long.
Can I drive here on my current licence?
It depends on why you're here. Visitors can drive on a valid overseas licence, and temporary visas (students, temporary workers) don't count as resident visas. Citizens and permanent residents have 3 months after they start living in Queensland (or after a permanent visa is granted here) before they need a Queensland licence.[5] Our guide to driving in Queensland on an overseas licence sets out the rules, the translation you may need, and which countries' licences can be swapped without tests.
Moving from another state or territory? The same 3-month rule applies to Australian citizens and resident visa holders who have lived in Queensland for 3 months. You hand in your interstate licence at a transport customer service centre with original ID, proof of your Queensland address and a medical fitness declaration. If your licence is current, the unexpired period carries over (up to 5 years) for an interstate transfer fee; if it expires within 12 months you can give up the remaining time and pay a normal licence fee instead.[6]
What does renting by the week involve while I settle?
A weekly rental bridges the gap between arriving and owning a car: you hand it back once you've bought one, without taking on a loan or a registration in your first month.
Read the weekly car rental page for how weekly rentals work, or monthly car rental if you expect a longer search. When you book (or request a car), you'll need a licence that meets the rental conditions; an overseas licence is accepted on the terms set out there.
Getting there: the depot is at 238 Nudgee Road, Hendra, near Brisbane Airport. There's no airport desk or delivery, so plan the trip in on public transport or by taxi or rideshare; getting to Hendra has the details.
How much does a month of renting cost compared with buying?
Here is the arithmetic at the lowest current "from" price, a Small car at A$160 a week. It is rent only: fuel, tolls and parking are on top, and a bigger car costs more.
| Length | Working | Rent |
|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks | 4 × A$160 | A$640 |
| 4 weeks and 3 days | 4 × A$160 + 3 extra days at A$33 | A$739 |
| 8 weeks | 8 × A$160 | A$1,280 |
| 12 weeks | 12 × A$160 | A$1,920 |
Renting isn't a cheaper way to have a car over a long stretch, and this guide doesn't claim it is. What it buys you is time and no commitment: no purchase price, no registration duty, no registration or insurance to arrange, and no car to sell if your plans change. Against that, the rent is money you don't get back, while a car you buy keeps some resale value.
A fair comparison for your own situation puts these side by side:
- Buying: purchase price, vehicle registration duty, registration (which includes CTP insurance), your own comprehensive or third-party property insurance, servicing, tyres and repairs, and what you expect to sell it for later.
- Renting: the weekly rent for the weeks you need, a refundable A$500 bond held during the rental, and the excess you'd pay if the car were damaged (see fees and charges).
- Both: fuel, tolls and parking.
What does Queensland require when you buy a used car?
If you buy second-hand, privately or from a dealer, this is the paperwork in Queensland:
- Check the car's history. Get a PPSR certificate to make sure there is no money owing on the car, and check the registration certificate matches the owner's name, number plate, VIN and engine number.[9]
- Get the safety certificate from the seller. A seller must get one before selling a registered car (except to a dealer) and give it to the buyer. Only approved inspection stations issue them. A private seller's certificate lasts 2 months or 2,000 km, a licensed dealer's 3 months or 1,000 km.[8]
- Have it inspected anyway. A safety certificate checks basic safety items; it is not a full mechanical inspection or a guide to how long the car will last. The Queensland Government suggests a motoring group such as RACQ for a full inspection.[8]
- Transfer the registration within 14 days. Bring the transfer application (form F3520) signed by you and the seller, the safety certificate and your ID. You pay the transfer fee and vehicle registration duty, worked out on the higher of the price you paid and the car's market value. Some transfers can be done online.[7]
Buying privately saves the dealer's margin, but you don't get a cooling-off period or a statutory warranty.[9]
On insurance: a Queensland car's registration cost is made up of the registration fee, a traffic improvement fee and the compulsory third party (CTP) insurance premium.[10] CTP covers injuries to people caused by the driver; it does not cover damage to vehicles or property.[11] Cover for your own car, or for damage you do to someone else's, is a separate policy you choose.
What about tolls and other running costs?
Our guide to tolls in a Brisbane rental car explains which roads are tolled, how toll accounts work and how tolls on a rental are passed on.
In a Rentzy car, tolls are recharged at cost plus A$5 each, and fuel below the pickup level is A$15 for each eighth of a tank; everything is on fees and charges.
Once you own a car, set up a toll account for it (the tolls guide covers the options), and budget for registration renewals, insurance and servicing as the year goes on.
Sources
- Translink (Queensland Government): South East Queensland fares and tickets (read 23 October 2026)
- Translink (Queensland Government): Contactless payments (read 23 October 2026)
- Translink (Queensland Government): go card (read 23 October 2026)
- Translink (Queensland Government): Tertiary student travel (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Driving in Queensland on an interstate or overseas licence (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Transferring to a Queensland licence (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: How to transfer a Queensland registered vehicle, trailer, caravan or boat in person (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Safety certificates (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Office of Fair Trading: Buying used cars privately (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Registration costs (read 23 October 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): What is CTP 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.
