What are some common additional charges?

When you pick up and return a rental vehicle, there may be some additional charges you will be required to pay. VroomVroomVroom has put together a list of some of the potential things you can be charged for by the car rental company.

Fuel

You can choose to pre-purchase fuel at the start of your rental, which you will have to pay for upon collecting your hire car. Compared to purchasing fuel separately at a petrol station, this is more convenient as you won't be required to return the car with a full tank. If you wish to compare fuel prices before booking, you can use the Vroom Fuel Price Compare app.

However, do keep in mind that if you fail to use up all the fuel you pre-purchased, regardless of if you purchased a full or half tank, there will be no refund for the unused fuel. Learn more about our return policy on fuel.

Optional extras

Our car rental providers currently offer car rental extras that include a GPS and child seats. When you purchase extras, you will pay for them along with your rental booking. However, be aware some providers only provide extras upon request, so the price for the extras won’t be reflected on your booking right away. In such cases, our customer care team will inform you when the GPS and/or child seat have been added to your total booking cost.

Additional driver

If you want to authorise an additional driver to drive the rental vehicle, you may have to pay an additional daily surcharge, but in some cases, the additional driver is included in the rate. Apart from the additional driver fee, you must have on hand the additional driver’s licence and, if the licence is not in English, an International Driving Permit. Also note that for drivers aged 21-24, a Young Driver Surcharge may be applied.

Along with their driver license and other required documents, the additional driver has to be present at the rental car depot upon pickup. If the additional driver is your spouse, some providers waive the additional driver fee. Please consult the Terms and Conditions of your rental car to find out the rules specific to your case.

Young driver surcharge

Even though our providers require drivers to be at least 21 years old to rent a car, some rental car providers will add a surcharge for drivers aged 21-24. This is referred to as a Young Driver Surcharge and it’s to cover potential insurance costs of young drivers.

Apart from the age requirement, be aware that surcharge rates vary between providers, and in some cases only specific models are available to drivers under 25 years old. You can learn more about the Young Driver Surcharge by reading the Terms and Conditions of your rental car provider.

One-way fee

If you are dropping your rental car in a different location to the one you collected it, a one-way fee may be added to your total rental cost. This amount varies depending on the collection and return locations.

In case you’re renting a car to drive to the airport before your flight, extra charges may apply, as airports are considered Premium Locations and levy surcharges to reflect this. Meanwhile, dropping off a rental car at a different location outside business hours probably won’t incur any extra charge apart from the one-way fee. So, whether you’re planning to drop off your hire car at a different location or at the airport, make sure to coordinate with our team if you’re unsure of the process.

Excess reduction products

When you rent a hire car, it comes with a base level of insurance, but the excess can be thousands of dollars. Excess reduction products allow customers to reduce their financial liability, either to a lower amount or zero, depending on the product purchased. Prosura and other third-party providers offer excess reduction products. 

The excess is the maximum amount you are required to pay to cover damage costs. When damage costs are higher than the excess set for your booking, the rental car provider will then cover the remaining amount.

When you purchase excess reduction, the damage expense you are liable for will be less than the full excess amount. This is an optional extra for car renters who wish to save on additional costs, in case of accidents or minor damages. However, rules on excess reduction vary among hire car providers, depot locations, and vehicle models, so it’s important to read the fine print before finalizing your booking.

Toll charges

If you’re planning on using toll roads, you’re responsible for any toll charges incurred. How tolls are handled by rental car providers varies from one to another — some fit their vehicles with e-Tags, others offer prepaid solutions. If you’re planning on using toll roads, check your provider’s Terms and Conditions to familiarise yourself with their toll policy.

Parking and speeding fines

When you are driving in Australia — especially if it’s your first time — it pays to familiarise yourself with the local traffic rules. Wherever you are in Australia, if you are fined for speeding or parking in prohibited areas during your rental period, the car rental company will pass these charges on to you.

Speeding tickets are very costly and can result in loss of your licence. Rental providers may also levy an administrative fee for passing any fine on to you.

Kilometre charges

If your rental car has a kilometre limit that you have exceeded, you will be charged an additional fee to cover the excess kilometres. Kilometre limits put a cap on the distance you are permitted to travel with the hire car, often relevant to rentals for long roadtrips and Outback drives.

Rental providers usually charge by each kilometre exceeded, but the rate varies among providers. Additionally, the kilometre limit may increase when you’re renting a car for several days, such as in the Northern Territory.

Cleaning fees

Rental providers may charge you for cleaning services if they find that the hire car needs extra cleaning after you return the car. Some situations that may warrant professional cleaning is a pet making a mess or simple spills that could stain the car’s upholstery. Smoking in the rental car — which is strictly prohibited — could also leave unpleasant odors in the car that only deep cleaning can tackle.

For example

Zoe wants to drive from Melbourne to Sydney

Zoe made a reservation for a rental car with VroomVroomVroom. The following points explain the additional charges that apply to her booking:

• When she arrives at the depot, the car rental company representative tells her that she will need to pay a Young Driver Surcharge because she is 22 years old.

• Zoe also said she would like to hire a GPS, which incurs an extra daily surcharge.

• Because Zoe is planning to drop the car off in Sydney, she will need to pay a One-Way Surcharge.

• When she returns the car to Sydney, Zoe does not have time to fill the car with fuel, so as a result, she is charged a fee for re-fuelling the car.

• Because her car did not have a kilometre limit, she did not use any toll roads and no additional damage was found, Zoe will not be further charged anything extra.