The short answer
Long term car rental in Australia means hiring a car for weeks or months at a weekly rate, usually with insurance, registration and servicing included. Of the 81 independent operators in our rankings across 9 cities, 9 publish a weekly rate on their own website, from $169 to $350 a week. The rest do not publish one, so you have to ask.
Long term car rental is hiring a car for weeks or months at a time, priced by the week. It sits between a daily rental, which is built for a trip, and buying or financing a car, which is built for keeping one. People use it while they wait for a car, on a work contract, or because they do not want to own.
Rates below were read from each operator’s own website in August 2026. We only list a rate the operator publishes; where a business quotes by email, it is not in the table.
How long term car rental works
You make one weekly payment, and the car comes with registration, servicing and insurance already sorted. You agree a minimum term at the start, pay a bond, and return the car at the end. Businesses differ in the fine print, and the checklist below covers what to read.
Published weekly rates
Of the 81 independent operators in our rankings across 9 Australian cities, 9 publish a weekly rate on their own site, in 4 of those cities. They run from $169 to $350 a week. The other 72 do not publish one, so for most of the market the only way to find out is to ask.
| Operator | City | Published rate |
|---|---|---|
| Cazoom Rentals | Brisbane | $169/week |
| Flex Drive Rentals | Brisbane | $170/week |
| Beepz Auto Solutions | Brisbane | $175/week |
| Rent Wize Cars | Adelaide | $175/week |
| EZ Car Rentals | Melbourne | $195/week |
| UB Cars | Adelaide | $225/week |
| Baraka Car Rentals | Melbourne | $240/week |
| Sydney Long Term Car Rental | Sydney | $245/week |
| ZA Car Rental | Sydney | $350/week |
Each figure is a starting rate. Some sit on a fleet page rather than a price page, and the rate does not tell you what is included. Kilometres, bond and excess change what the same number costs you. Being on this list does not move an operator’s place in any ranking.
Long term rental, subscription, rent-to-own
Three products get sold with similar words. A long term rental is a hire agreement: you pay weekly and give the car back. A subscription bundles the car and its running costs into one payment, often with the option to swap. Rent-to-own adds an ownership step at the end, and our guide to rent-to-own and car subscriptions in Australia covers it.
What to check before you sign
- Minimum term and exit. How many weeks you are committed to, and what ending early costs.
- Bond. The amount, how it is held, and when it comes back.
- Kilometres. Unlimited or capped, and the price per kilometre beyond the cap. A daily cap can outweigh the whole saving.
- Excess and what insurance covers. The excess if something happens, and anything the policy excludes.
- Permitted use. Whether rideshare, delivery or other commercial use is allowed, in writing.
- Where you can drive it. Limits on interstate travel or unsealed roads.
- What is in the weekly rate. Registration, servicing, roadside assistance, tolls, and who pays for each.
Operators differ on each of these. We do not summarise another business’s terms here, so ask each one and get the answer written into the agreement.
Compare independent operators by city
We compare independent operators city by city on their Google rating, weighted by how many reviews stand behind it. Pick yours:
The full picture across all 9 cities is on the national comparison page. If you are working out a fair weekly price from the other side, our guide to pricing weekly car rentals shows how operators set theirs.
Frequently asked questions
- What is long term car rental?
- Hiring a car for weeks or months instead of days, normally billed by the week. Unlike a daily rental, the rate is usually a flat weekly amount that bundles insurance, registration and servicing, and the agreement runs for a minimum term you agree at the start.
- How much does long term car rental cost in Australia?
- Among the independent operators that publish a weekly rate, 9 of the 81 in our city rankings, rates run from $169 to $350 a week. Most operators do not publish a price, so the range covers only the prices you can see. Ask for a written quote.
- Is long term car rental cheaper than a daily rental?
- Not always. None of the independent operators we read publishes both a daily and a weekly rate, and the daily “from” prices that others publish overlap with weekly rates divided by seven. Compare the weekly total with kilometre limits, bond and excess included.
- What is the difference between long term rental, a subscription and rent-to-own?
- Long term rental is a hire agreement: you pay weekly and hand the car back. A subscription bundles the car and running costs into one payment, often with a swap option. Rent-to-own is a different product with an ownership step at the end, covered separately.
- What should I check before signing a long term hire agreement?
- The minimum term and how you can end early, the bond and how it is returned, the kilometre allowance, the insurance excess, whether commercial use such as rideshare or delivery is allowed, and any limits on where you can drive the car.
Cristobal Galilea
Co-founder, Carz
Cristobal builds Carz alongside the operators who use it — fleet software for independent car-rental businesses leasing weekly to gig drivers in Australia.