When choosing a hire car in Australia, check the company named on the rental agreement as well as the booking-page brand. Franchise arrangements mean they may be different; the agreement names the company responsible for the hire.
Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty, Europcar and SIXT publish Australian location or booking information. Their branch counts and cancellation terms are not directly comparable, so check the pick-up location and rate before booking.
Australian car hire brands and locations
| Brand | Australian operator or group | Published coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | Avis Australia identifies W.T.H. Pty Limited as its Australian entity and places the brand within Avis Budget Group, Inc. | Avis says it has more than 220 Australian locations, including airport and city branches. |
| Budget | Budget Rent a Car Australia Pty Ltd is a subsidiary of Budget Rent a Car System, LLC. The rental agreement may name Budget or another vehicle provider. | Budget lists service in all eight Australian states and territories, without a comparable national branch count. |
| Hertz | Hertz publishes Australian rental terms, but the reviewed company information does not establish its ultimate parent or a current national branch count. | Hertz promotes neighbourhood locations nationwide. Check its location directory for the town or airport you need. |
| Thrifty | Thrifty’s Australian rental terms identify Hertz Australia Pty Ltd as the provider unless the agreement names a local sub-licensee. | Thrifty publishes different figures on different pages: more than 170 locations on one, and over 250 across Australia and New Zealand on another. These figures do not establish a single comparable Australia-only count. |
| Europcar | Europcar’s Australian legal information links to Europcar Mobility Group. The current Australian contracting entity is not established by the reviewed material. | Its location listings include major cities, airports and regional areas, but do not provide a comparable Australian branch count. |
| SIXT | Kingmill Pty Limited operates SIXT in Australia and is wholly owned by the NRMA. SIXT describes its local network as a franchise network. | SIXT says it has more than 163 locations and over 16,000 vehicles nationwide. |
| Enterprise | Enterprise’s Australian site describes a local franchise partnership that was due to end on 1 February 2026. | The site still carries a transition notice and does not confirm that a replacement Australian operator has resumed bookings. Treat its local status as unresolved. |
The figures are company-published claims, not a like-for-like ranking. The brands do not use a common counting method, and some figures cover different geographic areas. For a particular itinerary, the relevant question is whether the brand has a suitable branch at the pick-up and drop-off locations.
Booking terms vary by rate
A brand’s published terms do not necessarily apply to every booking it sells. Prepaid rates, in particular, can have different cancellation rules from bookings paid later, while branch services such as after-hours returns also depend on location.
Budget’s standard Australian rental terms are dated 4 June 2025. Its booking FAQ says non-prepaid reservations generally have no cancellation fee. For the prepaid bookings covered by that FAQ, cancellation at least 24 hours before pick-up attracts an A$82.50 fee including GST; cancellation within 24 hours attracts A$165 including GST. A customer who does not cancel and does not collect the car forfeits the prepaid amount. Budget also says rentals generally include unlimited kilometres unless the booking states otherwise.
Hertz’s Australian Pay Now terms state that a cancellation by midnight two days before pick-up receives a full refund. A later cancellation attracts a A$70 fee, while a no-show or failure to meet the pick-up terms attracts a A$150 fee. The page does not show an effective date, so these amounts describe the terms displayed on the page at the time of review, not a permanent policy.
Avis offers a Pay Now rate at selected locations and for selected travel dates. Its published information directs customers to separate Pay Now terms, but does not provide a verified set of current cancellation amounts for a direct numerical comparison with Budget or Hertz.
Europcar separates its general hire terms from its online-booking and prepayment terms. SIXT links to Australian rental terms, but no specific cancellation charges are established in the available information. Thrifty’s located rental-terms documents date from 2022, so they provide no current basis for comparing booking fees.
Choosing between brands
Start with the exact branch and rate you need. A large national network figure does not confirm that a branch serves a particular regional town, offers the vehicle category you want or supports the return arrangements in your booking.
Then compare the terms attached to that reservation. For a prepaid booking, read the cancellation and no-show conditions before paying. For Budget, confirm whether the booking specifies a kilometre limit; for any brand, check whether the named provider on the rental document matches the company you expect to deal with. If you are considering Enterprise, confirm that Australian bookings have resumed before relying on the brand for your trip.
