My advice is to hire a car from the UK. Just go to a travelagency and ask them about rentals. I also would recommend to hire a car at one of the major companies like Hertz etc. You'll have an often brand new car and we never had problems with them. It's important that all insurances are included. To give you an idea, we hire a car next year from Sydney Airport for a long periode and we pay Euro 43,-- per day for a large SUV all costs included. You can go much cheaper with a smaller car. We always hire a car from our own country and don't have to pay extra fees at delivery. Just fill the tank. After the long flight it's not the best time to negotiate prices at an a/p desk. If you book via the internet make sure all insurances are included. You can save some $$ by picking up the car from a city location instead the a/p location but that will add costs for the taxi.

Tet

Perfect advice by Tet.....

Thanks Ellemay!!

look at site www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au to compare prices and hire companies as there can be big differences in price and types of car.

If you book in advance on this site the prices can be very reasonable but the extra insurance is always expensive (which we always decline).

PS petrol now in Oz is expensive so look at smaller cars

Petrol is expensive everywhere but still half the price compared to the UK. I would not hire a small car. It won't have cruise control (very handy driving long distances) and your luggage will not fit into the boot so you'll have to keep some of your luggage in the compartment. Not advisable.

Tet

We find that travel insurance taken out with our own automobile group covers some of the insurance that hire care companies add to their insurance. So the hire cars are effectively doubling your insurance. Check what your own travel insurance covers.

I live in Sydney, but don't own a car, so rent quite frequently. The best I've come across is www.britz.com.au.

They actually source vehicles from Thrifty in most locations, meaning that you always get a new car from a reputable company but at a considerably lower price. They have locations across Australia. Britz include the excess in the prices they quote too, meaning no surprises or hidden costs that the major companies tend to build into their pricing. The only possible drawback is that you have to pay upfront at the time of booking, rather than at the completion of your rental.

Definitely plan your rental in advance. You don't want to risk cars being sold out or stuck with higher prices upon your arrival.

Within Sydney, if you are staying or going into the City, I hesitate to say that you'd need a car because parking in the City is so expensive these days that you might be better off taking trains. Outside of the City in the suburbs, having a car is not a bad idea since you can usually find reasonable parking or even free parking in malls or on the streets.

Sydney roads are filled with speed and red light cameras so be sure to drive safe.