Your quick travel guide to Gold Coast

Car Rental in Gold Coast: Australia`s famous holiday destination

Gold Coast should be a top destination on any visitor’s list: boasting a beautiful skyline, Surfers Paradise, a wide range of theme parks, and access to Queensland’s ancient rainforest hinterland, the Gold Coast area is guaranteed to keep you busy. Make sure you make the most of the city and its surroundings by staying mobile with a hire car. Book yours today!

In terms of temperature, Gold Coast is fairly comfortable to visit year-round, with winter temperatures lingering around room temperature, and summer temperatures rarely reaching oppressive heat. To avoid the crowds, plan to visit in April and May, though you may witness more rainfall during these months.

The de facto official language of Australia is English, which is also the language spoken by the majority of Gold Coast’s residents. Yugambeh is the Aboriginal language primarily spoken in the Gold Coast area.

Gold Coast is in the Australian Eastern Standard Time Zone, UTC+10 or +11 during Daylight Savings Time.

The currency is the Australian dollar and credit cards are widely accepted throughout the country.

Car hire is available in 7 locations throughout Gold Coast, including downtown, in Coolangatta, and at Gold Coast Airport (OOL).

You’ll be kept busy in the Gold Coast area, with theme parks like Warner Bros. Movie World and Dream World in the city’s direct vicinity, but make a point of driving about 100 km southwest to the Scenic Rim for spectacular views of the area’s ancient rainforest.

Visa Regulations

All visitors to Australia require a visa to enter the country, except those coming from New Zealand. Depending on your country of citizenship, you can apply for these visas online for a fee of $20 to $130; be sure to only visit government websites for these applications in order to avoid surcharges and other fees. Some nationalities will have to apply for a visa via a paper application at an Australian embassy. Double check regulations for your nationality before you confirm your travel plans.

Driving in Gold Coast

Particularly with a GPS or satnav, driving in and around Gold Coast is fairly effortless. Though you will likely have to pay for parking in the city itself, a car makes your travel to the region’s theme parks and outdoor attractions much more convenient!

Left-Hand Driving

  • Traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road throughout Australia.

Speed Limits

  • In the city: 50 km/h
  • On the highway: 110 km/h
  • While rush hour traffic congestion is by no means as frustrating in Gold Coast as it is in nearby Brisbane, you’ll still want to avoid driving during peak morning and evening rush hours, which typically stretch from 7 am to 9 am and 4:30 pm to 6 pm respectively.

Other Regulations

  1. Parking is regulated by time and fee throughout Gold Coast, with city council street parking spot and car parks charging between $1.20 and $2.60 an hour. Parking is particularly expensive in Surfers Paradise.
  2. If your domestic driver’s license has been issued in a language other than English, an international driver’s permit will be necessary to rent a car in Australia.
  3. While there are no toll roads in and around Gold Coast, the motorways around Brisbane are tolled, and prices vary according to how far along them you travel. Ask your rental company if your rental includes a pre-paid toll account in order to ease your travel along these tolled motorways.
  4. The minimum driving age in Queensland is as young as 16 years, though most rental companies will require that you are at least 21 years old to rent a car, and you are likely to face young-driver surcharges until the age of 25.

Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast

Car hire in Gold Coast typically starts at around $15 a day. Here are some of the best deals in Gold Coast:

  • Hyundai I20 or similar (economy class) – $16/day
  • Hyundai Accent or similar (compact class) – $20/day
  • Toyota Corolla or similar (intermediate class) – $22/day
  • Mitsubishi Outlander or similar (standard class) – $27/day
  • Holden Malibu or similar (fullsize class) – $32/day

Note that prices vary depending on the availability of each specific car and the season in which you rent. For the most accurate offers, use the search bar above.

Tips for Renting a Car Inexpensively in Gold Coast

Though car hire typically starts at around $28 a day at a variety of locations and car rental agencies throughout Gold Coast, Bargain Car Rentals can beat the best car hire prices in Gold Coast by 50% at their airport location. Particularly with the assistance of discounts of around 23%, Bargain Car Rentals offers unbeatably cheap rental car prices of around $14 a day! This price is typically available year-round in Gold Coast, though it is recommended to book in advance if you are planning on arriving in the area during the busy summer months.

At other locations throughout Gold Coast, such as in Coolangatta, you can also grab cheap rental car prices by extending your rental period to over a week.

Experience the top locations with car rental in Gold Coast

Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport
Bargain
8.6

All car rental in Gold Coast

Discover the cheapest car rental in Gold Coast

Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Hyundai i20
Hyundai i20
5
2
5
A
From US$ 13.45 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Nissan X-Trail
Nissan X-Trail
5
2
5
A
From US$ 22.76 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
5
2
4
A
From US$ 17.94 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast MG HS Aut.
MG HS Aut.
5
3
5
A
From US$ 34.83 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Suzuki Swift
Suzuki Swift
5
1
5
A
From US$ 14.72 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Kia Carnival
Kia Carnival
8
2
5
A
From US$ 64.54 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Peugeot 508s
Peugeot 508s
5
3
5
A
From US$ 64.83 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Toyota Kluger Grande
Toyota Kluger Grande
5
4
5
A
From US$ 91.96 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast Dual Cab Ute
Dual Cab Ute
3
A
From US$ 69.34 per day
*
Cheap Car Rental in Gold Coast M5 FORD MUSTANG
M5 FORD MUSTANG
2
3
A
From US$ 191.10 per day
*

* Disclaimer: Prices displayed may not reflect today's rates.

What our customers say

Car rental companies in Gold Coast

We have prepared a shortlist of top rental companies in Gold Coast. To save both time and money compare offers on EconomyBookings.com to find the best deal.

Bargain
star
8.6 /88 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off9.2
Cleanliness of the car9.2
Overall condition of the car8.5
Time it took to pick your car up8.0
EastCoast
star
8.5 /58 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off9.3
Cleanliness of the car9.3
Overall condition of the car9.1
Time it took to pick your car up8.1
SIXT
star
8.9 /42 reviews
Available in 1 location
Time it took to drop your car off9.8
Cleanliness of the car8.9
Overall condition of the car8.8
Time it took to pick your car up8.9