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Up to $50 off rides
Get $5 off 10 rides in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Newcastle. Valid for new users only. Maximum of 4 rides per day. T&Cs apply.
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It'd be easy to anchor yourself to the city centre on a trip to Adelaide. Its festivals, galleries and bars make it hard to leave.
However, if you hire a car, within a few revolutions you could find yourself in wine country, walking the foothills of a mountain range or unfurling on a sandy beach.
Before you start the ignition there are a few things to know, including how much you need to budget and the top road trip routes.
Compare hire cars and prices in Adelaide
To give you an idea of how much you should budget for hire, we searched our car hire tool for a week-long rental from Adelaide Airport for drivers 30–65 booked a month in advance.
We then looked at the cheapest prices based on vehicle size. Prices stated below were retrieved 28 October 2018.
Small, economy car
- Car: Kia Rio
- Seats: Four
- Luggage: One large bag, one small bag
- Rental company: Alamo
- Cost: $149.06 for 7 days or $21.29 per day
Medium car
- Car: Hyundai Accent
- Seats: Five
- Luggage: One large bag, one small bag
- Rental company: Alamo
- Cost: $152.36 for 7 days or $21.77 per day
Large car
- Car: Kia Cerato
- Seats: Five
- Luggage: Two large bags, one small bag
- Rental company: Enterprise
- Cost: $377.28 for 7 days or $53.90 per day
Estate car
- Car: Mitsubishi ASX
- Seats: Five
- Luggage: Three large bags
- Rental company: Europcar
- Cost: $391.19 for 7 days or $55.88 per day
Prices mentioned above were retrieved on 28 October 2018 and change constantly. Get the latest prices for your car hire today.
Car hire locations in Adelaide
East Coast Car Rentals, Budget, Avis, Hertz, Ace, Enterprise, Europcar and Jucy all offer car hire in Adelaide. Popular pick-up points include:- Adelaide Airport
- The A2 near Davenport Terrace
- North Terrace
Tips for driving around Adelaide
On the whole, driving is pretty straightforward in Adelaide. Drivers use the left side of the road and there are no toll roads to worry about. If you use common sense and brush up on the following tips your road trip around the city should go without a hitch.
- Stay wider of the rider. Drivers are required to give cyclists a berth of at least one metre when passing them on roads with speed limits of 60km/h or less. On roads with higher speed limits drivers must stay 1.5 metres from the rider.
- Speed restrictions. A couple of additional speed restrictions apply in Adelaide. Drivers must not go faster than 25km/h if they are overtaking a school bus or passing a stationary emergency services vehicle with flashing lights.
- Overtaking on the left. Drivers may overtake other vehicles using both the left- and right-hand lanes on multi-lane roads in Adelaide.
Tips for hiring a car in Adelaide
- P-platers might not be able to hire a car. Most car hire companies require you to have a full licence to rent a car in Adelaide. Redspot is one of the best-known brands that offers P-plate holders the opportunity to rent a car.
- It's good to compare car hire excess insurance. Hire cars come with basic insurance though this is often very high on the provided policies. Before signing up for this, compare your options on our car hire rental excess page as you'll often find more suitable budget-friendly policies elsewhere.
Car hire deals in Adelaide
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Campervan hire from $5 per day
Available on select routes, dates and locations in Australia, including Darwin, Alice Springs, Cairns and Brisbane and New Zealand.
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Up to 20% off all bookings with code
Available on rentals from January 2022 – December 2023. Destinations include Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Sydney, Adelaide and more. T&Cs apply.
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Up to 20% off Apollo campervan hires
Available on select rental dates until 27 February 2022. Pick up locations include Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Adelaide. T&Cs apply.
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Up to 15% off Australia car hires
Available on rentals until 31 March 2022 when you book for 5+ days. Destinations include Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and more. T&Cs apply.
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Up to 15% off Australia car and campervan hires
Available on select rental dates until 14 April 2022. Destinations include Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. T&Cs apply.
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$1/day one-way car hire in Australia
Valid on select dates for select car hire in Australia. Destinations updated regularly.
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Up to 15% off Jucy campervans
Available on rentals until 14 April 2022 across Australia. T&Cs apply.
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Get 2 days free on 7-day rentals
Available on rentals until 31 March 2022 across Australia. T&Cs apply.
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Extra 5% off Australia prepaid rentals
Available on rentals until 31 March 2022. Destinations include Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and more. T&Cs apply.
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Adelaide car hires from $30
Available on select rental dates in 2022 with Europcar, Thrifty, Hertz and more.
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Up to 25% off Oceania car hires
Available on select rental dates until April 2022 across Australia and New Zealand. T&Cs apply.
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Up to 50% off + an extra 10% off Australia car hires
Available on rentals when you book for 6+ months. Destinations include Melbourne, Brisbane and more. T&Cs apply.
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Car hire from $21 per day
Hire cars across Australia from as little as $21 per day. T&Cs apply.
Deal
Earn Qantas Points on rentals
Earn 4 Qantas Points per $1 spent on car rentals across Australia. T&Cs apply.
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Australia: Up to 7.5% off Let’s Go Motorhomes rentals
Available on select rental dates until 31 March 2022 when you book 180 days in advance. T&Cs apply.
Deal
Free car rental for members
Join the Emerald Club and earn 1 rental credit for every qualified car rental. Inclusive of free rental days and other benefits. Destinations include Australia, Canada, United States and more. T&Cs apply.
Deal
Free upgrade on car hires
Sign up your email and receive the best car rental offers across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane and more. T&Cs apply.
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Adelaide car hires from $16.05/day
Available on select rental dates in 2020. Car types include intermediate, economy, compact and more. T&Cs apply.
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Australia car hires from $14.99/day
Available on select dates in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Melbourne and more.
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Adelaide car hires from $36/day
Available on select rental dates until 2022 with Hertz, Budget, Avis, Europcar and more. Sample rate is for a sedan car.
3 popular driving routes in Adelaide
The Epicurean Way (Adelaide to the Barossa and Clare Valley)
- How long is the drive? 282 km return
- How long do I need? Two days
- Must-sees along the way: McLaren Vale, Hahndorf Hills, Barossa, Clare Valley
You could do this drive in a couple of hours but you wouldn't really be able to make the most of all this region has offer. This is wine country so it was made for lazy vineyard lunches, wine tasting sessions and nights of deep sleep in winery accommodation.
The Coastal Way (Adelaide to Moonta)
- How long is the drive? 324 km, round trip
- How long do I need? Two days
- Must-sees along the way: Ardrossan, Stansbury, Edithburgh, Inneston, Point Pearce
This road trip is lined with pit stops where you can get out and enjoy the fresh air. Walk to the Arrium Lookout, go crabbing in Ardrossan, shuck oysters by the sea in Port Vincent and visit the lighthouse at Troubridge. If you're into hiking then devote a few hours to exploring Innes National Park.
Kangaroo Island
- How long is the drive? 530km, round trip
- How long do I need? One or two days
- Must-sees along the way: Flinders Chase National Park, Admirals Arch, The Remarkables.
Kangaroo Island sits off the coast of Adelaide and is one of the area's most lauded national beauties. A third of the island is protected by national reserves and native wildlife abounds. You'll need to hop on the ferry to cross over but this takes vehicles so you can drive around to your heart's content while on the island. The island also has accommodation if you wish to stay overnight.
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