Kilometre Limits on Weekly Car Rentals: What to Check

Does a rental car come with unlimited mileage? Often, but not always, and the answer can change by vehicle and rate. Avis, for example, says that unless it tells you otherwise at booking, its rentals include unlimited kilometres, and where a vehicle or rate has a limit, you're told the daily allowance and the cost of extra kilometres. Whatever the company, the number that matters is the total weekly cost at the distance you actually drive.

For most private renters a kilometre cap is a footnote. For rideshare and delivery drivers it can matter more than the weekly rate, because the kilometres pile up fast. This guide shows how caps work, how to compare offers, and what to ask about interstate and one-way trips.

Do weekly rentals include unlimited kilometres?

There is no industry rule. Some companies include unlimited kilometres on every rental, some include them only on certain rates, and some set a daily or weekly allowance. The ACCC's car hire guidance says businesses must include all mandatory fees in the advertised headline price and be transparent about how any usage-based fees are calculated. A per-kilometre charge is exactly that kind of fee, so it should be stated before you agree to the rental.

Our weekly rentals come with unlimited kilometres, and roadside assistance is included, so there's no per-kilometre charge to budget for.

How excess-kilometre charges work

A capped rental gives you an allowance, per day or per week, and charges for every kilometre above it:

Extra charge = (kilometres driven − allowance) × rate per kilometre.

As a worked example with made-up numbers, take an allowance of 1,000 km a week and a rate of 25 cents per extra kilometre. Drive 1,400 km and you are 400 km over, so the extra charge is 400 × $0.25 = $100 for that week. The same rental is $0 extra in a week when you stay under 1,000 km.

Check three details in the terms: whether the allowance is per day or per rental, whether unused kilometres carry over from quiet days, and how the reading is taken (odometer at pickup and return, usually).

How far do rideshare drivers really go each week?

We haven't found a reliable public figure, and it varies hugely with hours, area and platform, so we won't quote one. Your own odometer is the best source. If you are new to the work, note the reading at the start and end of your first full week, then multiply up.

What we can say is that distance compounds. A driver doing 200 km a day, six days a week, covers 1,200 km. Add a few airport runs or trips across town and 1,500 km is easy to reach. That's why the cap matters more to a driver than to someone using the car for the school run.

Fuel scales with distance too. Our Uber driver weekly budget shows how to work out fuel from kilometres and litres per 100 km, and the rideshare profit calculator runs the numbers for you.

How to compare offers at your real distance

Here are two invented offers, to show the method. Offer A is $230 a week with 1,000 km included and 25 cents per extra kilometre. Offer B is $280 a week with unlimited kilometres.

In this example the break-even point is 1,200 km a week. Below it, the capped deal wins; above it, unlimited wins. Run the same sum with the real numbers from each quote, and then add anything else that differs, such as the bond and fuel economy.

Can you take a rental interstate?

It depends on the company and the vehicle. Some restrict interstate travel altogether, some allow it, and some allow it only for certain vehicles. Avis, for instance, says interstate one-way rentals aren't permitted on its Signature Series vehicles. Before a long trip, ask the rental company directly:

1. Is interstate travel allowed in this vehicle?
2. Does the insurance cover the car in other states?
3. Are there roads the car must not be driven on, such as unsealed roads?
4. Does a kilometre cap apply on top of the weekly rent?

For our cars, ask us before you plan an interstate trip, and get the answer in writing. Our Rental Agreement sets out the general terms, including that you pay fuel, tolls, parking, fines and damage up to the excess.

One-way rentals

A one-way rental is picked up in one place and returned to another. Avis explains that it charges a one-way fee in these cases to cover the cost of returning the car to where it started, and that this can apply between cities, between airports and sometimes within the same city. The ACCC suggests asking before you hire whether the car can be returned to another location and what it costs.

Our rentals are picked up from our Dandenong South base, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. If you would need to return the car anywhere else, ask us when you request so the answer is agreed up front.

Questions to ask about kilometres before you sign

1. Is there a kilometre allowance on this vehicle and rate, or are kilometres unlimited?
2. If there is an allowance, is it per day, per week or for the whole rental?
3. What is the charge for each extra kilometre, and is it shown in the agreement?
4. Does the allowance change if the car is used for rideshare or delivery work?
5. How is the distance measured, and when is it charged: weekly, or at the end?

At pickup, photograph the odometer along with the fuel gauge and any existing damage, and do the same when you return the car. If a charge is ever disputed, those photos are your record. Our rental car inspection checklist covers the rest of the walk-around.

Weekly rental vs a subscription or a daily hire

Kilometre terms are one of the biggest differences between rental models. Daily hire and subscriptions each handle distance differently, and our car subscription vs rental guide compares them. For long stretches, our long-term car rental page explains how our weekly billing works: rent billed weekly in advance, a one-month minimum, then 2 weeks' notice to hand the car back, with scheduled servicing and wear-and-tear repairs paid by us.

Questions people ask