Vehicle relocation in Australia

You could travel Australia for next to nothing

Daly River Crossing, Daly Region, NT. Photo credit: Peter Eve/Tourism NT

Vehicle relocation in Australia

You could travel Australia for next to nothing with your petrol included. If you’re willing to stick to a schedule.

Getting all its vehicles in the right place for the next customers must be a rental company’s ultimate logistical nightmare. Especially in a country the size of Australia.

So they’ve developed an ingenious way to get their cars where they need to be without paying their staff to do it for them. They’d like you to do it instead. And provided you can stick to their timescales, it will cost you virtually nothing.

The Australian vehicle relocation deal

You relocate a car or campervan to a given location within a strict time limit. Subject to you arriving on time and paying a little extra for the additional mileage (see below) you’re free to travel wherever you like along the way.

You may pay $1 a day. You may find it’s free
Some or all of your petrol will be included
You’ll have a free km allowance. Anything above that will be charged at a small amount per km

The small print
Vehicle relocation can be a terrific way of travelling Australia for a ridiculously low cost – but it only works in your favour if:

i) You arrive on time; and
ii) You’re flexible as to your end destination. You could end up somewhere that wasn’t on your radar – and that may or may not be your idea of fun.

You’ll face a hefty upfront deposit and/or bond which could be up to (and occasionally in excess of) $2500. It’s returnable when you deliver the vehicle safely and on time, but if you don’t, the penalties are hefty. You may be able to extend the ‘rental’ period for a few days, but usually only before you set off and at the regular rental rate.

You will need to be able to travel at fairly short notice; usually a 2-3 week time frame.

Find an Australian vehicle relocation deal

You will need to:

Be at least 21 years old (some companies differ)
Hold a credit card – cash, travellers cheques and often American Express cards won’t be accepted.Hold a full driver’s licence (obviously)
Hold a full driver’s licence (obviously)
Register your details with the vehicle relocation company (some companies differ).

You can find a vehicle relocation deal here:

Jayride
Drivenow
Transfercar

Or find them (and others) on Facebook or Twitter.