P&A: Top 6 tips on car rental in Perth

The first seven days of our trip is one filled with warmth, laughter and happy moments with Angie’s family. Together with Verna, Uncle Boon, Christie and Ricky, we set foot in exploring part of the South West Australia as well as Cervantes.

We rented a Kia Carnival (an 8-seater car) which is very good for the 6 of us. It fits all our luggage just nicely =) We booked from Vroomvroomvroom.com.au (which we think is a good website as it compares all the major car rentals, and you just choose the cheaper of those). Just make sure on the terms and conditions, some might limit on the kilometers.

For 7 days rental, the price we booked in was $764 including the extra charges for picking up and return at the airport. The Hertz counter at Perth international airport only opens at 7am.

1) On arrival, we waited more than 40minutes before getting our car, so the guy at the Hertz counter gave us another $20 discount. Hehe…

2) When picking the car, check if there is any dent or damage before driving, take picture of it then report it to the company. So they won’t charge on you on the damage.

3) Check on how to operate the car’s wiper, aircond, heater, fuel lid, spare tyre and petrol type. . .

4) If returning the car at the airport, you can return it anytime; just drop the key at the counter box. But remember to take picture of car condition and fill up full tank if you are not buying fuel from the car rental.

5) Although there is a fee for picking the car at airport, but if there are many people sharing the cost, it is much cheaper than picking up yr car in the city since you have to take taxi or shuttle bus to the city.

6) Sometimes the car rental company will give you a different car than what you’ve booked for. We have booked for a Kia Carnival, but once there we were told that they only have a Toyota Rav4 which only seats 5 people. So that’s why we needed to wait for so long and they gave us a discount.
 
 

 
The backpackers campervan rental from ‘wicked campervans’. The cheap campervan rental around OZ. We have done a lot of research through online forums and websites, there good and bad points in hiring from this company. It’s a very cheap way to travel since you sleep in the van.
Previously we have considered renting a caravan for our 7 days trip, but considering the comfortable level and ease of driving around city, we rented a car instead. The cost for caravan is slightly higher. But if renting a caravan, you’ll have to rent a site in caravan parks for the night, which costs approx $30 for two people, and if you are a first timer, things will get quite troublesome on filling the water, charging your car… Parking is difficult too because it sure is a big car. But surely caravan looks fun =) If your travel period is longer than, caravan might be a better option. . .