Weekly vs Long-Term Car Rental in Melbourne's South-East
Weekly and long-term rental are the same product here: rent is billed weekly in advance with a one-month minimum, and you keep the car at the same rate until you give two weeks' notice.
With Subhan Rental Services, weekly and long-term rental are the same product. Rent is charged weekly in advance, the minimum term is one month, and after that you keep the car at the same weekly rate for as long as you need it. Either side can end the rental with two weeks' notice once the minimum term has passed. There is no lease, no finance contract and no discount for staying longer: the weekly rate is the same at one month or twelve.
Below is how that works in practice, what it costs over different lengths of time, what we look after while you have the car, and how it compares with buying or financing a vehicle.
Is long-term car rental a lease?
No. It is a rental under our rental agreement, not a lease or a finance agreement. You never own the car and never make a balloon payment. You pay a flat weekly rent and a refundable security bond, both shown on the vehicle's listing before you enquire. A rental starts when we confirm your booking by phone or WhatsApp; sending a request through the website does not create a rental or reserve a car.
How does weekly billing work?
- Rent is charged weekly in advance for the whole rental. You do not pay the minimum term as one lump sum.
- The security bond is payable at pickup. It is held as security, not as a fee, and is refunded within 30 days of the car being returned, sooner if nothing is outstanding. See how rental bonds work.
- GST: the business is not registered for GST, so no GST is added to rent and our invoices are not tax invoices.
What happens after the one-month minimum?
Nothing changes unless you want it to. The car stays with you on the same weekly rate with no fixed end date and no need to renegotiate. When you are ready to hand it back, give us two weeks' notice. We can also end the rental on two weeks' notice after the minimum term, and if we do, we refund any rent you paid in advance for the period after the car comes back.
If you return the car before the one-month minimum is up, the cancellation policy says you are not refunded rent already charged for a period in which you had the car. Rent paid in advance for any period after the car is returned is refunded.
Is long-term rental cheaper per week?
No, and we would rather say so plainly. What long-term rental gives you is a predictable cost: weekly rent multiplied by the number of weeks, plus a bond you get back. Here is the arithmetic for a car at $160 a week, as an example only:
| How long you keep it | Rent at $160 a week |
|---|---|
| 4 weeks | $640 |
| 13 weeks (about 3 months) | $2,080 |
| 26 weeks (about 6 months) | $4,160 |
| 52 weeks (about 12 months) | $8,320 |
Current weekly rents run from about $150 for older petrol sedans, roughly $220 to $430 for 2025 and 2026 hybrids, and from about $430 for a Kia Carnival 8-seater. Fuel, tolls, parking and fines are on top. The car rental cost guide lists what is included and what is not.
What do we look after while you have the car?
Scheduled servicing and repairs for ordinary wear and tear or a pre-existing fault are our responsibility. If the car becomes unavailable to you because of a fault that is not your doing, we supply a comparable replacement where one is available, or adjust the rent for the time you were without a car. The vehicle is insured; the cover, excess and exclusions are in the insurance documents provided with your booking.
Your side of it is ordinary care: routine checks such as tyre pressures, engine oil and coolant, the correct fuel, reporting any accident, damage or fault as soon as it is safe, and paying tolls, parking fees and infringements during the rental. Do not arrange a repair yourself without our agreement unless it is needed in an emergency to make the car safe or lawful.
Long-term rental vs buying or financing a car
| Question | Long-term rental | Buying or financing |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | A refundable bond and weekly rent in advance | Purchase price or a deposit, plus registration and insurance |
| Commitment | One-month minimum, then two weeks' notice | Ownership, or a finance term of several years |
| Servicing and wear-and-tear repairs | Our responsibility | Yours |
| Depreciation | Not your risk | Your risk |
| Getting out | Hand the car back with notice | Sell the car or settle the loan |
Over a long enough period, owning a car can work out cheaper than renting one. Renting suits you when flexibility, a known weekly cost and not tying up savings matter more than the lowest possible total over several years.
Who is long-term rental suited to?
- Rideshare and delivery drivers who want to test the work before buying a car. Check the platform's own rules first; our Uber and rideshare guide covers Uber's Victorian requirements.
- People between cars: a car off the road, sold, written off, or waiting on finance.
- New arrivals in Melbourne's south-east. VicRoads lets you drive on a current overseas licence if you live in Victoria for less than six months; after that you need to convert to a Victorian licence. If your licence is not in English, carry an English translation or an International Driving Permit.
- Small businesses that need a van for an ongoing job. See our van hire guide.
It does not suit a one-day job or a weekend away, because of the one-month minimum. A daily rental company is the better choice for that.
How to start a long-term rental
Browse the long-term car rental page or the full fleet, choose a car, and send a free request with your licence type and when you want to collect. We confirm by phone or WhatsApp and arrange pickup from Dandenong South / Dandenong.
Questions people ask
Is there a discount for renting long-term?
No. The weekly rate is the same whether you keep the car for one month or a year. What you get from a longer rental is a predictable weekly cost, with servicing and wear-and-tear repairs covered.
How much notice do I need to give to end a rental?
After the one-month minimum term, either you or we can end the rental by giving two weeks' notice. Rent paid in advance for any period after the car is returned is refunded.
Can I keep a rental car for a year or more?
Yes. There is no fixed end date after the minimum term. The rental continues on the same weekly rate until either side gives two weeks' notice.
Can I rent for less than a month?
The minimum term in our rental agreement is one month unless we agree otherwise in writing. If you only need a car for a few days, a daily rental company will usually suit you better.
Sources
We checked the rules and figures in this guide against these official sources on 3 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm anything critical with the source before you rely on it.