Buying or hiring a car in Melbourne is easy with many options and providers available.
Buying a car
Melbourne and regional Victoria have many car dealers selling new and used cars. All Victorian car dealers in Victoria must be licensed.
Used (or second-hand) cars can be purchased through a car dealer or directly through private sale or auction.
There are many car sale websites available including:
If you are buying a used car in Victoria, it must have a Certificate of Roadworthiness to be fit to drive. You also need to transfer the ownership of the car within two weeks of purchase through the Victorian Government’s traffic authority, VicRoads.
To find out what it costs to run different cars, visit the RACV website.
Hiring a car
There are a large number of car hire providers in Melbourne. You can pick up your rental car from the airport or any of their offices in Melbourne or regional cities. You can also rent different types of vehicles such as:
- four-wheel drive vehicles
- motorhomes
- caravans
- mini-vans.
Keep in mind different vehicle types will have different licensing and use restrictions.
Car hire costs are usually calculated by the type of car and the number of days hired. Sometimes the distance you drive is also a factor. There are normally additional costs for younger drivers and for returning the car to a different location.
Insurance costs are normally included in the rental costs. Anyone who intends to drive the car must present their driver licence at the car hire depot and only these drivers are covered by insurance.
All drivers must be fully licensed and obey the road rules. Each car hire firm will also have a list of terms and conditions which you should check carefully before booking your hire car.
Information in other languages
VicRoads has developed a series of videos, handbooks and fact sheets in a variety of languages with information about getting your licence, buying and registering a car and road safety. See the Vicroads website.