Car Hire in Cairns

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Pick-up location

Cairns, Australia

Return car in same location

Pick-up date

Drop-off date

Driver's country of residence is United States of America (USA) and age is 30-65

700+ Trusted Suppliers:

Cheapest Car Hire Rates

Cairns Airport

Compact SUV

Hyundai Kona or comparable

5
2
4
A/C
Auto.

per day

Cairns Airport

Standard SUV

MG HS or comparable

5
2
4
A/C
Auto.

per day

Cairns Airport

Intermediate SUV

MG ZS or comparable

5
2
5
A/C
Auto.

per day

Cairns Airport

Full-size SUV

Toyota Prado or comparable

5
2
5
A/C
Auto.

per day

Travel information

Languages

English

Currency

AUD

Drive on

Left-hand side

Dialing code

+61

Average car hire price

£48 per day

Average car hire length

7 days

Speed limit within city centre

50 km/h or 31 mph

Speed limit out of city centre

100 - 130 km/h or 62 - 81 mph

Acceptable limit of BAC

0.05%

Score

9.5 / 10

Average petrol price

£0.83 per litre or £3.15 per gallon

Lowest petrol price

£0.78 per litre or £2.97 per gallon

Highest petrol price

£0.87 per litre or £3.28 per gallon

One-way Car Hire in Cairns

The most popular one-way car hire options for pick up in Cairns and drop off in another city include:

From Cairns to Gold Coast - 35 offers from £55.11 per day
From Cairns to Brisbane - 35 offers from £55.11 per day
From Cairns to Townsville - 35 offers from £33.34 per day

Top 20 cities near Cairns

Port Douglas starting at £26.78 per day

54.3 km / 33.7 miles
Rockhampton starting at £24.73 per day

874 km / 543.1 miles
Hervey Bay starting at £22.00 per day

1,193.4 km / 741.5 miles
Brisbane starting at £11.30 per day

1,391.1 km / 864.4 miles
Ipswich starting at £41.08 per day

1,394.4 km / 866.4 miles
Alice Springs starting at £56.10 per day

1,454.7 km / 903.9 miles
Tamworth starting at £30.58 per day

1,660.8 km / 1,032 miles
Darwin starting at £21.96 per day

1,675.3 km / 1,041 miles
Newcastle starting at £10.62 per day

1,871.3 km / 1,162.8 miles
Sydney starting at £10.75 per day

1,972 km / 1,225.3 miles
Wagga Wagga starting at £27.52 per day

2,035.3 km / 1,264.7 miles
Canberra starting at £20.79 per day

2,076.5 km / 1,290.3 miles
Adelaide starting at £8.55 per day

2,132.4 km / 1,325 miles
Bendigo starting at £34.18 per day

2,208.3 km / 1,372.2 miles
Melbourne starting at £9.52 per day

2,313.2 km / 1,437.4 miles
Mount Gambier starting at £23.68 per day

2,369.7 km / 1,472.5 miles
Devonport starting at £22.87 per day

2,701.9 km / 1,678.9 miles
Launceston starting at £10.54 per day

2,745.5 km / 1,706 miles
Kalgoorlie starting at £31.37 per day

2,903.9 km / 1,804.4 miles
Perth starting at £19.66 per day

3,431.9 km / 2,132.5 miles

Top 15 locations near Cairns

Alice Springs Airport starting at £56.10 per day

1,454.7 km / 903.9 miles
Darwin Airport starting at £21.96 per day

1,675.3 km / 1,041 miles
Sydney Penrith starting at £24.50 per day

1,939.3 km / 1,205 miles
Sydney St Mary's starting at £25.92 per day

1,943.7 km / 1,207.8 miles
Sydney Castle Hill starting at £25.92 per day

1,945.5 km / 1,208.9 miles
Sydney Parramatta starting at £25.92 per day

1,955.7 km / 1,215.2 miles
Sydney Artarmon starting at £28.52 per day

1,959.1 km / 1,217.3 miles
Sydney Airport starting at £10.75 per day

1,972 km / 1,225.3 miles
Canberra Airport starting at £29.32 per day

2,076.5 km / 1,290.3 miles
Adelaide Airport starting at £8.55 per day

2,132.4 km / 1,325 miles
Melbourne Airport starting at £9.52 per day

2,313.2 km / 1,437.4 miles
City Centre starting at £15.57 per day

2,327.9 km / 1,446.5 miles
Melbourne Hoppers Crossing starting at £24.45 per day

2,336 km / 1,451.5 miles
Melbourne Clayton starting at £20.91 per day

2,339.1 km / 1,453.4 miles
Perth Fremantle starting at £24.00 per day

3,455.1 km / 2,146.9 miles

In which month is car hire in Cairns the most affordable?

According to our data, prices for hiring a car in Cairns fluctuate depending on the time of year. This graph displays the average hire prices in each month in order to help you find the best bargain.

Average price for hiring a car per day in Cairns

£27.21

January

£20.25

February

£20.79

March

£36.84

April

£27.24

May

£29.36

June

£42.02

July

£38.08

August

£32.23

September

£34.75

October

£29.66

November

£38.99

December

The best month to hire a car in Cairns is February (when the average price is £20.25 per day). This is 36% less than the yearly average and 52% less than hiring in July (when the average price is £42.02).

This information can help you determine the low season. But note that these prices are only averages. The cost of your car hire is determined by the type of car you select, the length of time you hire it for, and how much in advance you book. Simply select your dates in the form at the top of the page to find out the exact prices.

What's the usual period for which people keep their hire cars, on average, in Cairns?

Car hire lengths vary from month to month: in July, the average hirer keeps their car for 9 days, and in March, they keep their car for 6 days.

Average number of hire days in Cairns

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

What is the most favoured month for hiring a car in Cairns?

Given the number of searches made by our customers, the most popular month for hiring a car in Cairns is December, and the least popular is September.

Popularity of Car Hire in Cairns by Monthly Searches

127%

January

87%

February

107%

March

97%

April

81%

May

81%

June

84%

July

91%

August

75%

September

103%

October

130%

November

136%

December

Car hire information

Car hire locations	3
Airport locations	1
Popular suppliers	Bargain Car Rentals, Simba Car Hire, EastCoast Car Rentals, Jucy, SIXT
Popular car categories	SUVs, Medium cars, Large cars, People Carriers
Lowest price	£26 per day
Cheapest supplier	Jucy

Most popular car models of suppliers

Hire Agency	Model	Doors	Luggage	Type
Bargain Car Rentals	Hyundai Accent	4	2	Medium cars
Bargain Car Rentals	MG HS	4	2	SUVs
Bargain Car Rentals	Kia Stonic	4	2	SUVs
Jucy	Toyota Corolla	5	2	Medium cars
Bargain Car Rentals	MG 5	5	2	Large cars
Simba Car Hire	Toyota Corolla	4	2	Medium cars
Simba Car Hire	Kia Cerato	5	2	Large cars
Simba Car Hire	MG 3	4	1	Medium cars
Simba Car Hire	MG ZS	4	2	SUVs
Simba Car Hire	Mitsubishi Outlander	4	2	SUVs

Our customers' reviews

Because we want to make sure each review listed here is left by a real customer, we don’t have the option to post a review here. Instead, we ask each and every customer to leave a review after they return their rental car. This way, you know that all reviews are authentic.

United Kingdom

Mitsubishi Outlander

02/03/2025

Met my daughter who is living in Tully. Drove into the Daintree National Park. Saw many beaches and waterfalls. Saw the wild life (birds, roos, crocs etc) Rode on the train to Kuranda and back on the cable car. Went down the Tully river white water rafting.

United Kingdom

Suzuki Swift

26/11/2024

Perfect for visiting port Douglas and Daintree

Malaysia

MG HS

21/09/2024

All went very well from Cairns to my drive to Cape Tribulation and back. Just a big disappointment that Skydive Australia had to cancel my tandem jump on my last day because of inclement weather. This was sad 😪

United Kingdom

Mitsubishi ASX

16/03/2024

Dauntree rainforest, Whitehaven islands tour with Sealink, Scenic flight with Ocean Rafting

United Kingdom

Toyota Corolla

02/03/2024

Magnetic Island was really good

United Kingdom

Toyota Corolla

18/02/2024

Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef - Rainforests and 3000k!!

United Kingdom

Kia Stonic

30/03/2023

Cape Tribulation was worth the drive

Australia

Hyundai Kona

14/03/2023

Was visiting family and friends so appreciated a good experience hiring a car.

Australia

Hyundai Kona

13/07/2022

Loved Skyrail, The Crystal Caves, Koala Park and Hartley's Crocodile Farm. I would recommend Reeftrippers for a great small experience at seeing the Great Barrier Reef, they were amazing.