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A CAR HIRE ULURU GUIDE | How to Book A CHEAP Uluru Car Rental

A CAR HIRE ULURU GUIDE | How to Book A CHEAP Uluru Car Rental

Are you heading to Uluru but having trouble finding a suitable and affordable car rental? Well, I had the same problem when planning my trip to the Outback.

I kept on coming across expensive options with limited kilometers and one-way car rental fees, making the car rental very costly.

I wanted to put together this guide to walk you through how to book the best Uluru car hire for your time in the region and help answer any of your questions along the way.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase through the links provided, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting the work I put into TripTins!

2022 Update: Currently Voyages is no longer taking car rental reservations, however Tourism Central Australia does offer similar deals. Read on for more helpful info on how to save money while booking a car around Uluru!

Important note before diving into the guide:

You will find this guide to be most useful if you are planning an Outback road trip from Yulara to Alice Springs or vice versa. Limited kilometers and one-way car rental fees won’t be as much of an issue if just exploring one region.

If spending your time in one place, just head on over to Rentalcars.com and see how prices compare.

1) Driving in Uluru Background

If you are planning a trip to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park alongside potential other spots like Kings Canyon and the West MacDonnell Ranges, then having your own car is your best bet.

There is a ton to do on a daily basis out there, and if you do not have your own car then you are stuck traveling according to bus schedules or group tours.

By having your own car, you will have the chance to go to as many sunsets or sunrises as you would like, take a midday break back in your hotel, and make your way to any and all attractions that you are interested in visiting.

Having that flexibility on a daily basis is well worth it and you probably will even be saving money by having your own Uluru car rental.

Uluru Sunset

2) An Uluru Car Hire Road Trip

I wanted to lay out a potential itinerary for your time in the region so you can get a better idea on why having your own car is a great decision.

Altogether it would be a 6 day car hire (pick up day 1, drop off day 7).

» Read the 7 Day Red Centre Way Itinerary for more detail!

Day 1 – Arrive at Yulara/Ayers Rock Airport and transfer by free bus to Yulara (the main town next to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park). Pick up rental car in town (or at airport depending on options). Enjoy an Uluru Sunset!

Day 2 – Enjoy an Uluru Sunrise and then take part of the Uluru Base Walk

Day 3 – Head to Kata Tjuta for the Valley of the Winds Walk and take in a sunrise and/or sunset before/after your time walking Kata Tjuta

Day 4 – Leave Yulara and drive to Kings Canyon. Complete the Kings Canyon Rim Walk

Day 5 – Drive to Alice Springs and head to the Kangaroo Sanctuary for a sunset tour

Day 6 – Take part of a West MacDonnell Ranges day trip visiting several attractions along the way. Return to Alice Springs at day’s end

Day 7 – Return car rental in Alice Springs Airport and depart to your next destination

As mentioned before though, there are two potential issues when renting a car that may make a car rental way more expensive than necessary – limited kilometers and one way rental fees. Below I will touch on each of these issues a bit more…

Valley of the Winds Path

3) Issue #1: Car Hire Uluru Limited Kilometers

The first main issue I wanted to touch on are limited kilometers for most car rentals in the region.

If you are browsing car rental websites, you will find many of your options only allow a certain amount of kilometers per day (100 KM or so).

Every kilometer over your total allowance will cost $0.17 – $0.21 USD ($0.25 – $0.30 AUD).

Since some of the distances on an Outback road trip can be so much greater than that (300KM from Yulara to Kings Canyon & 500KM from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs), you will soon realize that those additional kilometers will add up very quickly.

High level (given the itinerary above) you are looking at around 1,200+ KM of driving over 6 days. If you are only allowed 600KM (100KM per day), then you will need to pay for the additional 600KM.

At $0.20 USD, that means the overages will be at least $120 USD ($0.20 * 600 = $120; and potentially more depending on exact mileage).

You will probably be able to find some unlimited kilometer options out there too but that may come at a higher car rental cost altogether. So, either way you look at it, the car rental will be quite expensive.

Limited Kilometers Uluru Car
Additional Kilometers Charge Uluru

4) Issue #2: Yulara – Alice Springs One Way Car Rental Fees

The second main issue you may come across if doing an itinerary similar to the one above (starting in Yulara or Alice Springs and finishing up in the other), are one-way car rental fees.

Car rental companies charge these since they may need to return the car to its original location at the end of the car rental period.

These fees can be expensive and completely ruin a car rental budget. Below is a screenshot with a $137.68 USD fee for the one way rental!

One Way Fee Uluru Car

So, how do we solve both of these issues…

5) Ayers Rock Resort Voyages Car Rental

The town of Yulara is basically run by the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort. From accommodation to dining to tour options, Ayers Rock Resort has you covered.

Since they are the main player in the region, they also have access to some great deals when it comes to car rentals.

If you book through Voyages, you will have access to these great deals with the three main car rental companies in the region – Hertz, Avis and Thrifty.

Not only will the prices be very competitive but also ALL car rentals will include unlimited kilometers. No need to worry about making all of those calculations!

Also, depending on car rental length, you can also be eligible for free one way rentals. No $100+ one way drop fees!

Here are the minimum number of car rental days by provider to avoid the fees: Avis (3 days minimum), Hertz (1 day within Northern Territory), Thrifty (4 days minimum).

2022 UPDATE: While Voyages no longer offers car rentals at the moment, Tourism Central Australia offers the same type of deals through the Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre. Feel free to contact Tourism Central Australia to book your car today. 

→ If neither of those work for you, feel free to check out Rentalcars.com, which will have various options to browse through. You can filter by car type, price, and more to find the perfect car for your trip.

By going through Rentalcars.com though, there is a higher chance you won’t get those lower prices for one way rentals / unlimited kilometers.

West MacDonnell Ranges Scenic Route

6) Car Hire Uluru Prices

Now that you understand how to get those costs down, I wanted to lay out your different options by company. 

Please note that all of the below is past information booking through Voyages.

Unfortunately, Tourism Central Australia does not have a similar detailed price list available. However, I was told that prices are in the same ballpark so you can still use the below as a reference.

Important Notes:

> If you pickup from airports there is an airport surcharge as you can see in the price lists below. Instead pick up from downtown Ayers Rock/Yulara or Alice Springs. One exception though: Thrifty offers the same price for Ayers Rock/Yulara downtown and airport pickups at a pretty reasonable rate.

> Note that only HERTZ AND THRIFTY offer the option for Yulara/Ayers Rock downtown pickups.

> All prices in the lists below are in AUD

A) Hertz Prices

The first screenshot is for downtown pickups for Ayers Rock and Alice Springs and the second screenshot is for airport pickups. As you can see the airport pickups will come at a higher rate.

Hertz Downtown Pick Ups Uluru
Hertz Airport Pickups Uluru

B) Avis Prices

The first screenshot is for downtown pickups in Alice Springs only. There are no downtown pickups for Ayers Rock/Yulara. The second screenshot shows prices for airport pickups.

Avis Downtown Pickups Alice Springs
Avis Airport Pickups Uluru

C) Thrifty Prices

The first screenshot is for downtown Alice Springs pickups. The second screenshot is for airport pickups AND Ayers Rock/Yulara town pickups.

Thrifty Downtown Pickups Alice Springs
Thrifty Airport Pickups Uluru

7) Uluru Car Hire Cost Comparison

Now that you have a better idea about the car rental cost issues and how to save some money, I wanted to layout a cost comparison between renting a Hertz car rental through Kayak and booking through Voyages/Tourism Central Australia just to give you one example.

Below is cost comparison for a 6 day car rental between Hertz through Kayak and Hertz through Voyages/Tourism Central Australia for a Toyota Corolla.

Note that you can get EVEN CHEAPER car options through Voyages/Tourism Central Australia, however Kayak only had the Corolla to compare.

Hertz through Kayak (USD): $497.92 (includes one way rental fee) + $120 (additional KM estimate) = $617.92

Hertz Kayak Uluru

Hertz through Voyages/Tourism Central Australia: $607.98 AUD ($101.33 * 6) =$400 USD

So just off this one example you can save $200+ USD. And like I mentioned before, you can get even cheaper rates if you opt for a smaller car.

Uluru Car Rental Savings

8) Voyages Booking

Once you have a good understanding of your dates and car rental choice, it is time to make your reservation. Unfortunately, Voyages does not have an online booking option so you will need to email them with your preference.

If your car option is available, they will send you a reference number and total price along with the below form to fill out with your car details and credit card information. Once you send that back to them, you should be all good to go for your Uluru car hire.

Note that Tourism Central Australia has a similar process. Simply contact them through info@discoverca.com.au and they should respond within 1-2 business days asking for additional information regarding your booking.

Voyages Confirmation Form

9) Where to Stay in Yulara

As mentioned, the main place to stay when visiting Uluru would be the town of Yulara.

The entire town is built around one large loop, where you will find several accommodation options, a small town center with restaurants, shops, and a supermarket, and other things like a gas station, emergency services, etc.

Below are a few of the places you can choose from:

1) Sails in the Desert

2) Desert Gardens Hotel

3) The Lost Camel Hotel

Looking for a budget option? The Outback Pioneer Lodge has some shared room options.

Yulara Australia

I hope this guide has helped you out a bit with understanding your options to book a more affordable car rental when visiting the Outback.

As mentioned earlier, this will be more useful for those that are looking for unlimited kilometers and one way rentals but it still may be good for those that are just headed to one place.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them in below and take a look at the other Australia itineraries and guides to better help you plan your trip.

Have fun out there and safe travels!

Uluru Car Rental

Sharing is caring!

Melissa

Sunday 12th of February 2023

Fabulous tip about finding cheaper car rental. I followed your link to Tourism Central Australia and asked for a quote, it has translated to a saving of up to $1000 over the week of car hire. Well worth the read. Thanks heaps

Peter

Friday 23rd of June 2023

That you so much, Charles! We just saved $750 on a 4 day Ayers Rock car hire (plus unlimited kms) by going through Tourism Central Australia - and their staff were lovely to deal with and very efficient. We're TripTins newest fans!

Charles

Monday 13th of February 2023

So glad to hear it Melissa! Hope you enjoy your time in the Outback.

Julia

Wednesday 1st of June 2022

Thank you! You just saved me $800 on car hire. Quotes from the big companies were about $1400 including only 400km for four days hire. Went to the Central Tourism Australia and they came back with a quote from one of the same big companies at only $570 including unlimited Kms. This has meant it we're getting to rent a car cheaper than one of the tours we were looking at and means we don't have to be at the mercy (with children) of bus/tour schedules on our upcoming trip. Thank you!!!

Lyndal

Monday 26th of April 2021

Hi Charles, Great blog and very informative. Do you know if there are any additional fees outside of the park entry of $38 if you drive from Yulara resort to park at one of the sunset viewing within the park? Or is the initial entry fee the only fee charged?

Lyndal

Tuesday 27th of April 2021

@Charles, Brilliant! Thanks again for the very handy info and quick reply. You're a legend!

Charles

Tuesday 27th of April 2021

Hi Lyndal - the only fee that is charged is the one park entry fee. Once you are in the park, you are able to visit all sunset/sunrise viewing areas, Uluru, and Kata Tjuta as part of the entry fee.

Hope that helps!

breeze

Wednesday 10th of March 2021

Voyages don't do car hire anymore - they directed us to hertz etc etc

Cesar

Monday 22nd of February 2021

Hi Charles - thanks so much for this information, I am in the process of organising a trip in NT and am having the same issue. Unfortunately, bad news, I contacted Voyages and received this response:

As of 12 November 2020 Voyages no longer offers car hire. We would direct you to contact the 3 Ayers Rock car hire suppliers directly, Hertz, Avis or Thrifty. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

I will contact them directly and see what I can find out.

Kim

Thursday 1st of April 2021

Hi Charles, appreciate all the work you've put into this blog, so informative, the best I've read yet online. I read this piece last year but our Uluru trip was cancelled due to Covid19 and had to search for it again for our trip this year. I've now bookmarked your site! I know how much work goes into blog writing, so thank you 🙏🏽

Charles

Thursday 25th of February 2021

Hi Cesar - thanks so much for the update here. That's frustrating to hear. Voyages really helped with some of those issues.

I am in the midst of updating some posts so will be sure to add an update to this one.

Hope you can still have luck with the car rentals directly!