East Coast Car Rentals Reviews 

⭐☆☆☆☆

I wanted to support a smaller Australian car rental company instead of automatically booking with Budget, Avis or Thrifty. East Coast was only slightly cheaper, so I thought I’d give them my business. Unfortunately, the booking experience left me feeling misled.

I booked directly through East Coast and paid an extra $52 for the Express Package because it was advertised as including “No Excess or Bond.” Like most people, I understood that to mean I wouldn’t have to provide a security bond.

Before booking, I clicked the blue information icon to read the package details. It explained the zero excess, roadside assistance and windscreen & tyre cover, but it did not explain that first-time local renters would still be required to provide a $1,000 security deposit.

I completed the booking, and even the payment summary showed $0 damage liability, reinforcing that I had purchased the highest level of cover.

It wasn’t until around 18 hours before pickup that I received an email telling me I needed to bring a utility bill because I lived within 150 km of the branch and that a $1,000 security deposit would still be held.

To be clear, I have absolutely no problem with East Coast requiring a $1,000 security deposit if that’s their policy. My issue is that the website advertises the package as “No Excess or Bond”, yet nowhere during the package selection or checkout process was it made clear that this benefit doesn’t apply to first-time local renters.

By the time I received that email, I was already inside the cancellation period, so if I didn’t agree with the new condition, I would have forfeited my prepaid booking. That didn’t leave me with a fair opportunity to make an informed choice.

Because the package wasn’t providing the advertised “No Bond” benefit in my circumstances, I requested a refund of the $52 Express Package. That left me with the standard rental agreement and a $6,600 damage excess. Ironically, had this been made clear upfront, I could have booked through a broker like Vroom, purchased excess cover for less money, and still been better protected.

This review isn’t about the staff—they were polite and professional. It’s about the booking process. If the “No Bond” benefit doesn’t apply to first-time local renters, say so clearly at the point of booking. A simple note under the Express Package stating “First-time local renters are still required to provide a $1,000 security deposit” would have avoided this entire situation.

Transparency is all I was expecting.

East Coast care rentals staff are amazing when you rent a car. After sales service if there's an issue, not so much. When you rent they take a $1000 deposit which is passed to a third party, I assume to collect interest until they return it, which they say they will do as soon as the car is returned. In three days it will have been a month since I rented from them. A month of calling, being lied to, being promised things that don't happen and the money is still not back in my account. It was only a 2 day rental but I can't get my money back and I don't have time to keep chasing it. This has completely turned me off using East Coast Car rentals again. Rental agreement CA142735

Easy pick up and drop off. Friendly staff and quick response for any problems happens on my trip. Make my trip easy.

The staff pointed out 2 very small dints in the roof when I returned the car and accused me strapping my surfboard to the roof and causing the minor damage which was completely untrue, nothing ever went on the roof. They kept my $1,000 bond and are now demanding an additional $700 payment which is completely over the top for the damage. Would never use this company again after facing false accusations directed at me by two staff members.

I would avoid East Coast Rentals.

The customer service at the counter was very poor. Even after I repeatedly declined the additional insurance, the employee continued to pressure me relentlessly. I was told that wildlife damage is now very common and my insurance wouldn't cover it, wouldn't cover damage to third-party vehicles, and excess reimbursement would be delayed. Despite saying "no" several times, they simply wouldn't hand over the keys until I finally gave in because I didn't want to waste the first day of my holiday.

While East Coast Rentals may be cheaper than the major rental companies, the off-airport location combined with the aggressive sales tactics made the experience not worth the savings. I won't be using them again and would recommend looking elsewhere.

Lisa was so helpful. Her attitude was outstanding and she was so nice. Couldn't recommend her more highly.

So easy to book which was done via Booking.com. Booking.com did offer some insurance which isn't exactly what it was and East Coast explained it prior to me accepting and I applied for a refund from booking.com for that portion. I thank East Coast staff member for explaining and pointing out what it was and that it was needed and booked correct insurance direct with East Coast. Handing back car was seamless.

We hired cars from this Company in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. What a breath of fresh air! Very friendly people, eager to help and going the extra mile - pardon the pun. They couldn’t do enough to help us. No problems when returning the cars. We would definitely use them again.

Was easy to navigate booking. All went to plan and we received a near new car. Pick up and drop off to airport from their office was quick and seamless. Recommend highly

I would not recommend this car rental company. They have cheap prices but its not worth it. What ever cars are on their website is not what you get in reality. They will give you an old, not clean and a totally different car in size and model. And when you ask for the help, they are passing you to each other. No body in this company cares about customers. I don’t know if it is like this only here in Australia ? We get really good customer service in Europe.

I forgot to add in!
I personally talked on the phone with an east coast car rental customer service and made sure that i am going to get the exact car i booked. He said on the phone “of course” i will be getting the same car as it shows on the picture”
I would say very unprofessional customer service and disappointing.
Any way i cant do more then just write a honest review.

Thank you and please don’t do this with other customers.

A very easy experience. The shuttle service from Gold Coast airport was very efficient and fast, and lovely staff in the office too. Angela was great. Book direct and you get 0 hassle with 3rd parties. I’ll book again. Cheers.

I booked East Coast car rentals through a third-party booking company. It was all good and fine. I came to pick up the car. They said I would have to pay $197 for two days insurance. If I declined it I would have to pay a deposit of $1000. I didn’t have any spending money in my credit card as a result of them taking a $1000 deposit there was no way I could get out of this at all so I would want anyone who comes there and make sure that wherever they’re booked it to make sure that access insurance is paid before booking so there are no surprises. I do rent from Avis as well. I found that with the excess cover it appeared to be more expensive than Avis and sixtt as well. I’m hoping that my $1000 deposit will be returned.

Used a third party for insurance . When you go to their desk to get your car they’ll try everything to sell more insurance even though your third party tells you you don’t need it even mentioning them by name . As I said to them as they crapped on about third parties etc . Why do you use a third party and take their booking if not genuine ???? They took the normal $1000 holding fee , I had an accident ( minor ) 100 percent the other drivers fault , they reviewed incident report and agreed , but now have discovered they have banked my $1000. I used east coast for years but like many I see at their counter they are forever trying to screw more money from customers . Beware I don’t believe their good ratings . Sometimes better off going with a major car hirer . I’ll continue the battle to get my $1000 back which was ill gotten by East Coast .

Have read response I returned car no damage by me and fulfilled all contract clauses re this rental and holding of the $1000. There was nothing mentioned by east coast about holding my deposit . Again they accept bookings gained by third parties but will always attempt to flog extra charges or even with hold money .

I have booked rental cars with East Coast Rentals for many years and always found them very helpful, reliable and offer a good price. Their cars are very good and they have always been very helpful and flexible.
On this occasion we have had a car on their East Coast Rentals Subscription service as I needed a car for an extended period of 8 months. The price covers the rental, insurance, second driver and excess cover and can be charged to you weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
When I asked after a few months to change the car for a slightly bigger one Stacey was fantastic at sorting it all out, including having it brought to their Sunshine Coast depot so I didn’t have to return to Brisbane where I had collected the original car.
When I was arranging to return the car at the end of my trip Dave and the team were most helpful in making sure I could return the car to Brisbane as well as being innovative in finding a solution to me needing to keep the car for an extra couple of days after the end of the billing cycle.
I have never had anything but excellent service from anyone in East Coast Rentals and the fact that some of the people have worked there for many years I think says it all. It is nice to have a person with a name to deal with too!

Immense thank you to Damian for the amazing service provided for us on (May 8, 2026) during our car hire experience at 3 Karana St,Tugun (QLD). He was Warm, welcoming, and professional, he made the process smooth, easy and stress-free.

Fantastic service, I booked through another party but we had no issues. Very good pricing for 3 days plus full insurance which was also very reasonable. they provided a prompt shuttle service from Brisbane airport. Anne let us have 2 options of a vehicle in the same class, so we went for a Mazda 3. Great little car with heaps of room and good fuel consumption. In future I will book directly through East Coast Car Rentals. There was only one little annoyance, and that was, because we had a early flight we had to return the vehicle to another company nearby for a extra fee of $55.00, but that also included a shuttle bus to the Airport. I would gladly pay extra to be able to drop the car back at East Coast Car Rentals if they opened a bit earlier at 4am instead of 6am. or failing that, drop off at a car park at Brisbane Airport.
Photo 1 in review by Allan Anfilow

I am extremely disappointed with my experience booking an East Coast Car rental through Booking.com. My flight from Brisbane to Sydney was cancelled just one hour before departure- something completely beyond my control. As a result, I had no choice but to cancel the car hire.
Despite the circumstances I was charged a cancellation fee of $235.35 and only refunded $118.95. This feels excessive and unfair particularly given that the cancellation was due to an unforeseen flight disruption.
I understand that policies exist but there should be some flexibility or consideration in situations like this. Charging such a high fee under these circumstances is unreasonable.
Based on this experience I will not use Booking.com to book car hire again.

When we arrived Denzel was amazing: extremely helpful with little tios about our travels. We were in the car and driving within 7min of arriving by the shuttle bus. Returned the car and were in shuttle bus within 3min! Just a fantastic experience when compared to other car rental companies we used previously when in Melbourne and Europe. Highly recommend!

5* all the way from beginning to end, will definitely use this company again if we return to Brisbane.
Hired a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid plus satnav from Brisbane central office the young lass was professional and helpful, dropped car off at the airport hub and shuttle bus took us to the airport. It was all effortless.
Keep it up guys good work 👍

Even though we hired one of the slightly older, higher mileage cars, it drove perfectly. They were very accommodating with our mixup with the returning date (our fault). Would recommend East Coast Cars