Hobart Airport (HBA) is a small airport located 11 miles northeast of Hobart. All flights come through the same terminal with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia operating domestic flights predominantly to Melbourne and Sydney. Due to the airport’s southern location, there are also regular flights to the Antarctica.
Hobart (Photo: S. Penton via Flickr/ CC BY 2.0)
In an island as diverse and spread out as Tasmania, renting a vehicle is the best way to explore and it couldn’t be easier with eight major rental cars operating from the one airport terminal.
To determine which car rental companies offer the best vehicles across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com carefully researched prices, availability, policies and customer reviews of the car rental companies operating out of HBA airport. Here are our findings.
Most Affordable: Hertz
Hertz was the cheapest option we found among well-known car rental agencies at HBA airport with the cheapest cars starting at just €44 per day for a Suzuki Swift and a few euros more for the larger Toyota Corolla (before taxes and fees). Famed for having some of the most affordable rates, this was still less than East Coast Rental’s best deal, the Hyundai I20, which was being rented out €61 per day. Moreover, Hertz scored better on customer satisfaction (9.3/10). With a free cancellation policy (up to 48 hrs in advance), unlimited mileage and plenty of cars to choose from, it’s hard to go with any other agency other than Hertz.
Best for Luxury: National
As Hertz proudly announces ‘with the average intermediate cost-ing €83.33 per day… this car is a real bargain’ and it most certainly is with their Nissan Qashqai costing just €54 to rent on the various dates we tried. However, despite this being the very first car to appear in the Premium category of rentalcars.com, it struggles to fit into the luxury market. For a more upmarket and luxurious selection of cars, we would recommend National who had the Toyota Kia, Holden Commodore and Kia Cerato in amongst its premium selection of cars. All these aforementioned vehicles can be rented out for under €130 per day (before taxes and fees) which in this part of the world, is good value.
Best for Minivans: Hertz
Friendly staff and lightening quick returns are just some of the notable advantages of renting with Hertz at Hobart Airport. But once gain, it’s their cheaper rates that set them apart with a Kia Carnival available at just €70 per day. The same vehicle is also available with other agencies at the airport but at almost twice the price. For something bigger, the Toyota Commuter can accommodate up to twelve people and multiple bags in its sizeable boot. Both Europcar and Bargain Car Rentals rent these large family carriers out for €210 and over €300 per day respectively.