East Coast Car Rentals Reviews 

Stay away from this scam.
Besides giving me a smaller car than I booked, they charged me the full liability amount for a small scratch someone had intentionally made on one of the doors, without providing me with any estimate for repairing the damage. Furthermore, they didn't respond to my emails informing them of the incident and asking for instructions (even though I had filed a report with the local police anyway). Worst of all, after checking in, at least two agency employees told me the superficial scratch was nothing and that I could leave without worrying. To confirm this, they initially sent me a check-in report formally stating that the exterior of the car was fine, only to send me another one later complaining about the damage and simply informing me that I would be charged the full liability amount. Avoid them if you don't want to be scammed. I've never had such a terrible experience with a car rental.

From pick up to drop off we cannot fault the service.(Cairns)
I booked direct and was able to pay full insurance direct at the time.
The pick up was absolutely no wait and organised, the driver knew exactly who he was there to collect, we got an express ticket as we had booked direct and went straight to the counter, the
Friendly helpful staff member, walked us to the car and made sure we were ok.
Car ran smoothly and at drop off it was pick up in reverse, fast and efficient!
Cannot fault them, which is probably the first time I’ve ever said this about a car rental company!
Excellent service

Very very smooth collection and return process. Excellent staff. Helpful and friendly. Vehicle was excellent.

When I left my phone in the car, Adelaide East Coast Car Rentals could not have been more helpful. They got it back to me in Queensland quick-smart. Previously, a few years ago, I did the same thing with my wallet and they made an emergency dash to the airport to get it back to me before my flight left. Thank you so much, guys. Next time, I'll try to make sure I've got all my stuff!

East Coast Car Rentals operates with zero maintenance standards and zero regard for customer safety. I chose their subscription service to save money while waiting a month for my new car to arrive, expecting a spacious, modern vehicle as advertised. Their website clearly pictured the new 2021 redesigned model. Instead, I was handed an old, pre-2021 Kia Sportage (Rego: 708CJ7) with over 90,000 km and no Apple CarPlay—a complete bait-and-switch. Right before returning it, the battery died completely, wasting an entire day waiting for RACV roadside assistance. I was then forced to drive non-stop for 45 minutes just to charge their faulty battery. When I reached out, customer service says they cannot help due to its subscription vehicle, claiming the "subscription department was not available during weekend." It is the same company—what is the point of customer service if no one takes responsibility of the subscription vehicles? I wasted hours driving to the airport to swap cars, only for the replacement 2024 Hyundai Kona (Rego: 511LK6) to be even worse. The tyre pressure light came on within just 1–2 days. When confronted, customer service sent a "pre-check photo" as proof, which literally just showed an open door on the dashboard rather than tyre pressure levels. This proves they perform zero safety checks before handing over vehicles. The most critical hazard occurred during recent heavy rains at night. The windshield was coated in an extremely thick oil film. When I used the wipers, the glass became completely blurred with blinding glare, totally obscuring my view of the road. Panicked, I had to pull into a gas station just to buy washer fluid myself. They don't even bother refilling washer fluid or cleaning glass oil films.

The whole experience was seamless, from booking to return drop off. Costs were clear, reasonable and transparent. Hugely appreciated the shuttle bus service to and from the airport. Staff were attentive and courteous. Highly recommend the Adelaide branch of this company.

This was a really great experience with an easy pick-up at airport point ADL and then a well-priced rental that was in good condition. Would definitely use again.

Easy online booking, friendly helpful staff, quick Shuttle service to and from airport, modern low kms car and very competitive and affordable price. Have used many times before and will definitely keep using ECCR in the future. Well done guys
Alec

From the booking to the drop off back at the airport - everything was great! No age discrimination, if you have a licence you can hire a car! Cars all in great shape
Cost of rental great. Highly recommended
Staff very friendly and helpful

⭐☆☆☆☆

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.

Booking R3XQ1C

Edit: replying

Thanks for your reply.

I understand what you’re saying, but you’re still not answering the question I’ve been asking from the beginning.

I know the Local Renter Policy exists. That’s not what I’m disputing. I’ve read the Booking Terms & Conditions, the Rental Terms & Conditions and the Fees & Charges Guide, and I can clearly see that first-time local renters are required to provide a utility bill and a $1,000 security bond.

What I’m asking is where it says that the advertised “No Excess or Bond” benefit of the Express Package doesn’t apply to first-time local renters.

Your response says the Express Package doesn’t override the Local Renter Policy, but where is that actually disclosed before purchase?

I’ve read the documents several times and I can’t find any clause that says first-time local renters are excluded from the advertised “No Bond” benefit, or that explains who the “No Bond” benefit actually applies to.

If I’ve missed it, please point me to the exact clause.

The “No Excess or Bond” benefit was one of the reasons I purchased the Express Package. If I’d been clearly told before paying that this benefit didn’t apply to me, I wouldn’t have purchased it.

What I don’t understand is why I was able to buy a package advertising “No Excess or Bond” if, because I was a first-time local renter, that advertised benefit was never available to me.

That’s the question I’ve been asking all along, and I still don’t feel it’s been answered.

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.