Long-term car rental in Brisbane: how it works and what to check

What counts as a long-term car rental?

There's no fixed definition: providers use "long-term" for anything from a few weeks to several months. How the contract is built matters more than the label. Most long hires take one of two shapes:

• Rolling weekly. Rent is charged a week at a time and the hire carries on until you give notice, often after a minimum term. Check the notice period, and whether rent runs to the end of the minimum anyway.
• Fixed term. You book set dates and the price covers that whole period. Simpler to budget, but if plans change you may pay for weeks you don't use.

For a two-to-six-month need (a work contract, waiting for a new car, the first months after a move), kilometres, servicing, breakdowns and a flexible end date matter as much as the weekly price. Renting against a subscription or a lease is compared in weekly rental, car subscription or a lease.

What is usually included, and what costs extra?

Small costs add up over three or four months. This is the usual split; the contract is the only reliable answer for any one provider.

Every vehicle on a Queensland road must have compulsory third party (CTP) insurance, and its cost is included in the registration fees.^[4] CTP covers injuries to other people; it doesn't cover damage to the car or anyone's property,^[4] so the damage cover and excess still need checking (see bond, deposit and excess).

What should you ask before a two-to-six-month hire?

The ACCC's car hire checklist opens with the full price of the hire, liability cover and extras included.^[1] For a long hire, these are the questions that matter after the first few weeks:

1. What is the kilometre cap, and what does each extra kilometre cost? A weekly allowance can run out on a daily cross-town commute. The ACCC tells car hire businesses to be transparent about how usage-based fees are calculated,^[1] so get the rate in writing.
2. Who arranges servicing during the hire? A car kept for months may fall due for one. Ask who books it, how much notice you get, and whether you get another car meanwhile.
3. What happens if the car breaks down? Ask who you call, whether roadside help is included, and whether you get a replacement or a pause in rent. The ACCC suggests understanding the breakdown procedure before signing.^[1]
4. How is rent collected? Weekly by direct debit, card or transfer, or the whole term up front (see below).
5. When does the bond come back? The ACCC lists this among its questions;^[1] get the number of days in writing.
6. What if you return the car early? Ask whether any rent is refunded.^[1] Over months, that answer can matter more than the weekly price.
7. Is there a minimum term or a notice period? Ask both, and whether rent is owed to the end of the minimum regardless.
8. Who can drive? Another ACCC question.^[1] If a partner will share the car, settle this first.

Weekly direct debit or paying up front?

Paying weekly keeps less of your money with the provider at any time. Paying a fixed term up front is simpler, but if unused weeks aren't refunded, the whole sum is committed on day one.

With direct debit, Moneysmart notes that a short balance can bring a dishonour or overdraft fee from your bank and the provider, and suggests timing debits for the day after payday.^[3]

Your bank must stop a bank-account direct debit when you ask. Where direct debit is a condition of the contract and you still owe money, Moneysmart says to negotiate another way to pay and consider legal advice first.^[3] Stopping a debit doesn't end the hire; give notice under the contract too.

Totals over four to twelve weeks, and part weeks, are worked through in weekly vs monthly car rental cost.

What protects you under consumer law?

The ACCC says most consumer guarantees apply when you hire a car, except those related to ownership, and that laws against unfair contract terms in standard form contracts apply to most car hire contracts.^[1]

A standard form contract is the pre-written kind you take or leave. The ACCC's examples of terms that may be unfair include ones letting only one side end the contract or change its terms.^[2] Since 9 November 2023, using or relying on an unfair term in such a contract is banned, with penalties.^[2]

The ACCC's own example suits long hires: a multi-year contract letting a business raise the price while the customer can't leave is likely unfair, but likely fine if the customer can exit without penalty.^[2] So check whether the price can change mid-hire, and whether you can then hand the car back.

Two limits: the law doesn't cover terms that set the upfront price, and only a court can finally decide that a term is unfair.^[2] The ACCC takes reports about businesses but doesn't resolve individual car hire disputes.^[1]

How a long-term rental works at Rentzy

Rentzy rents cars by the week from 238 Nudgee Road, Hendra, near Brisbane Airport. Our answers to the questions above:

• Minimum and end date. Each car has its own minimum rental, shown with the car (at the moment 8 weeks for every car). A weekly rental carries on until you give notice; rent runs to the later of the end of the minimum and the end of the notice (clause 3.5).
• Kilometres. Unlimited kilometres: no kilometre limit and no charge per kilometre.
• How rent is paid. An A$100 deposit is paid online when you book. It is part of your rent, not an extra charge. The rest of the first period's rent and the bond are paid at pickup, at the counter. After that, rent is payable weekly in advance, due on the same weekday the rental started (clause 3.3).
• Bond. A refundable A$500 security bond is paid at pickup, separate from your rent. We return it within 7 business days of the return, less any charges allowed by the rental terms.
• Extending. Ask from your booking at least 24 hours before your return time; closer to it, call us. Our team approves each extension first; then you pay the difference before it takes effect. Extra time is charged at the prices you booked at.
• Returning early. Handing the car back before the end of the minimum or your notice doesn't refund the unused days, so book the length you're sure of and extend if needed. What's refunded if you cancel before pickup is set out in cancelling a booking.
• Who can drive. Drivers aged 21 to 75 with a full licence held for at least 1 year (no learner or provisional licences). Only the hirer named on the booking may drive the car: Rentzy doesn't add second or additional drivers.
• Servicing and breakdowns. We maintain the car; you make it available for scheduled servicing on reasonable notice, and we try to provide a replacement where practical (clause 8.1). Rentzy cars don't include roadside assistance yet (RACQ cover is planned). If the car breaks down, get somewhere safe and call Rentzy on 0414 427 760: don't arrange repairs or a tow yourself without our OK.
• Damage. You're liable up to the renter's excess of A$2,500 per incident, with the exceptions in the rental terms.
• Hours. Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday. There are no after-hours pickups or returns.

When is a long rental the wrong choice?

A rental suits a need with an end date, or one whose length you don't know yet. If you already know you'll want a car for a year or more, cost buying or a lease against a year of rent before you commit.

Buying a car here is covered in new to Brisbane: getting a car; a rental can bridge the gap while you shop.