Cheap Car Rental in Adelaide

Car Rental in Adelaide: Australia’s wine and food capital

The capital of South Australia, Adelaide is an excellent destination for lovers of fine wines and great multicultural cuisine. Home to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in the summer, the city is a real pleasure to explore year-round, not least for the variety of metropolitan and rural activities it has to offer. Make a point of driving out to the Cleland and Gorge Wildlife Parks, just outside the city, before heading out to the region’s excellent wineries and beyond. Stay mobile during your visit to Adelaide by booking your rental car today.

Spring, summer and fall are excellent seasons to visit Adelaide for its weather and its activity. Flower lovers will enjoy visiting in the spring and festival goers will want to head to the city in the fall.

The de facto official language of Australia is English, which is also the language spoken by the majority of Adelaide’s residents. About 15% of Adelaide’s residents also speak native Mandarin. Kaurna Warra is the Aboriginal language primarily spoken in the Adelaide plains area.

Adelaide is located in the Australian Central Standard Time Zone, UTC+9:30.

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

Car hire is available in 9 locations throughout Adelaide, including Adelaide Airport (ADL), downtown, north, and in Beverly.

There is a lot to explore in South Australia, including Barossa Valley (70 km northward), Flinders Range (470 km northward), and the Yorke Peninsula across the St. Vincent Gulf from Adelaide (about 190 km by car).

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 Adelaide

While central Adelaide is certainly navigable by foot or public transportation, you’ll want to rent a car during your stay in the city if you plan on visiting neighborhoods outside the central business district. A drive out to any number of the region’s famous wineries is an experience not to be missed while visiting Adelaide!

Left-Hand Driving

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

Speed Limits

• In the city: 50 km/h
• On major roadways to and from highways: 60 km/h
• On the highway: 100-110 km/h
• Speed is strictly regulated by speed cameras throughout Australia.
• Make the most of your travel time by avoiding the roads during morning and afternoon rush hours in Adelaide, from 7 to 9 am and 4 to 7 pm respectively.

Other Regulations

1. Parking can be quite expensive in downtown Adelaide, regardless of whether you find a spot on the street or in a lot or garage. Planning ahead by researching the cheapest garages and booking reduced rates is highly recommended if you can’t find a hotel that offers complementary off-street parking.
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. There are no toll roads in South Australia.
4. The minimum driving age in South Australia is as young as 17 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 Adelaide

Car hire in Adelaide typically starts at around $25 a day. Here are some of the best deals in Adelaide:

• Toyota Corolla or similar (economy class) – $25/day
• Hyundai I20 or similar (compact class) – $27/day
• Ford Focus or similar (intermediate class) – $34/day
• Mitsubishi Lancer or similar (standard class) – $37/day
• Toyota Camry or similar (fullsize class) – $39/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 Adelaide

There is no seasonal variation in price for rental cars in Adelaide, with options for cars lingering below $30 a day at locations across the city year-round. Still, if you’re planning on visiting Adelaide during the popular summer months of November through March, booking your car well in advance is recommended. By booking in advance, you can often take advantage of excellent discounts of around 17%!

You can often find the cheapest prices for rental cars at Adelaide Airport, where car rental agencies such as Economy Bookings, Thrifty, and Ace Rental Cars offer excellent prices year-round. Still, Thrifty’s locations in northern Adelaide and downtown can often meet the cheap car hire prices offered at the airport.

You can also often save up to $10 a day by extending your rental period to over a week!