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Cheap Car Hire Coolangatta Airport Gold Coast

Big savings on car Rental at Coolangatta Airport

Compare the best Coolangatta Airport car rental deals from over 21 rental brands. Avis, Hertz, Budget, Thrifty, Europcar, Alamo, National, Enterprise, Apex and more.

  • Low prices
  • Huge choice of brands
  • No booking fees
  • No credit card fees*
  • Instant confirmations
  • Free cancellation on most cars
  • Free amendments on most cars
  • 24/7 customer service

* Some rental car suppliers may charge a credit card fee for amounts payable on arrival.

4WD rental

Quick and convenient. Good prices.

Fraser Laidlaw Australia

Saved a lot of time thanks. Booked the car we wanted at a good price.

Fran Marshall Australia

Fair prices. Fast reply by customer service.

Brad Johnson USA

Car Hire Options at Coolangatta Airport

If you’re flying to Queensland's famous Gold Coast, Coolangatta Airport is the airport you’ll fly into. Coolangatta Airport to Surfers Paradise is a 30-minute drive and will cost as much as $70 by taxi. And that's just one-way. If you’re travelling further, then the cost will be even higher. So why not book a rental car instead? Hiring a car gives you the flexibility and freedom to travel at your own pace and can save you money.

There are over 21 rental car brands at Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport all competing for your business. If you want to find the best deal that’s a lot of websites to check out...

To make things easy, our car rental comparison search engine hunts down the very best offers available from all car rental suppliers and lists them side-by-side for you. This lets you instantly compare and find the best deals.

Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Abaa, Alamo, Dollar, Enterprise, Keddy, National, SIXT, and Thrifty Car Rentals are all “on-airport” and have counters in the airport terminal opposite the arrivals area. 

Other rental operators — Ace, Alpha, Apex, Bargain, East Coast, and Jucy — are “off-airport” and will transfer you between the terminal and their depot. Although this isn’t as convenient, it is often the cheaper way to rent a car from the airport. If you are meeting an off-airport car rental operator, proceed to the Meeting Place, located opposite the Transport and Information Desk.

Before you go to pick up your vehicle, make sure you have your booking confirmation voucher, a valid driver’s licence for each of the drivers, a credit card or cash for the bond and suitable ID.

If you return with your car and the depot is closed, you can drop your keys off in the drop-off boxes situated on the rental car counters.

On-Airport Rental Brands

“On-airport” means these rental companies have check-in desks within the airport terminal.

The big advantage of this for you is convenience and speed. Once you’ve checked in you can jump in your car and get going. No waiting around for transfer vans.

But it does come at a cost. The fees are higher than off-airport rental companies to offset the costs of being at the airport.

You'll find the check-in desks for “on-airport” car rental companies in the airport terminal at Gold Coast Airport, opposite the arrivals area.

Use our price comparison search tool to find the best prices for these on-airport car hire brands at Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport:

  • Avis
  • Budget
  • Europcar
  • Abaa
  • Enterprise
  • SIXT
  • Hertz
  • Dollar
  • Thrifty
  • Alamo
  • National
  • Keddy

Off-Airport Rental Brands

“Off-airport” companies don't have check-in desks within Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport. This means you'll need to make your way to their car hire depot to check in and collect your car.

Most provide free shuttle services and will collect you from the terminals. This gets arranged when you make your booking and you’ll need to let them know when you’ve arrived.

Some depots are within the airport grounds and so only a few minutes drive. Others are off the airport grounds and so take longer to get to.

Off-airport car hire companies aren’t as fast or convenient as using on-airport car rentals. But the big advantage is they are usually much cheaper.

Use our price comparison search tool to find the best prices for these off-airport car hire brands at Coolangatta Airport:

  • Ace
  • Bargain
  • Apex
  • Alpha
  • Jucy
  • East Coast

Maximum Choice. Best Deals.

  • All the best deals in one place from over 18 different rental brands at Coolangatta Gold Coast Airport.
  • Instantly compare the best deals. No need to waste your time checking out multiple websites.
  • Easily filter results by price, brand, or type of vehicle.
  • And if you’re finding it difficult to decide, check out the customer ratings to hear from those who've been there and done that.

Coolangatta Airport Car Hire Tips

Ways to save money on Coolangatta Airport car hire

Compare prices of on-airport and off-airport brands. If you're not in a big rush, hiring a vehicle from off-airport car hire depots can result in big savings.

But you will have to take extra time with the shuttle transfer. Transfers are usually free, but limited to opening hours, so check when you book.


Don’t hire a bigger vehicle than you require and consider if you really need all the extras you’ll be offered, such as a GPS. Google Maps on your phone will normally do the trick, provided phone data charges aren’t an issue.

With lengthy distances and long travel times between major cities, petrol stops are likely to be frequent. Fuel prices can vary widely from place to the next, so if you want to spend less at the pump use a mobile app like MotorMouth to find the best prices.

Driving in and around Coolangatta

One main terminal serves both international and domestic flights at Coolangatta Airport, a small airport distinguished by the fact that its runway crossed two states — New South Wales and Queensland. It is also commonly referred to as Gold Coast Airport.

Leaving the airport, head for the M1/Pacific Motorway if you are driving up to Brisbane or down to Byron Bay and New South Wales. If you are visiting the Gold Coast, the Gold Coast Highway will get you to places like Surfers Paradise, Southport, and Broadbeach.

When driving the Gold Coast be especially attentive to cyclists and pedestrians. Check your mirrors and blindspots, and make sure you give cyclists plenty of room (as much as you would another car — 1.5 metres  or about 5 feet) or more. In particular, watch out for them at intersections and when turning, and be careful to make sure it is safe when overtaking them.


If you’re driving up to Brisbane, be aware that you’ll likely come across some toll roads in places such as Bowen Hills, Kedron, Toombul and the city’s northern suburbs. Check with your hire car provider to make sure your car has an e-Tag for automatic toll payment.


Unless otherwise signposted, the speed limit in urban and suburban areas is 50km/h — 100km/h when you are driving on a highway. When driving your hire car, all occupants must wear seatbelts or an approved child restraint (a child safety seat or booster seat depending on the child’s size).

Return with a full tank

Make sure you return your rental car with a full tank of petrol, to avoid the higher price that will be charged by the rental company. There are petrol stations close to the airport, including Freedom Fuels which is situated near the airport on 1 Eastern Ave. Click here to find other petrol stations close to the airport.

Easy to use and we got a pretty good deal on a hire car for our Brisbane trip. Will recommend to others.

Lucy Cavendish Australia

Quick and convenient. Good prices.

Fraser Laidlaw Australia

Easy to use and make a booking. Will be back again.

Tom Greene Australia

Gold Coast Attractions

Aerial View of Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast, Australia


A rental car gives you the freedom and flexibility to make the most of your time exploring the Gold Coast and surrounding areas, including the theme parks, long sandy beaches and exciting attractions that make this part of Australia so famous. As one of Australia’s top tourist destinations, the Gold Coast has it all! Below are some of our favourite attractions that we know you will love. For more ideas, check out the Destination Gold Coast website.

Dreamworld

A rollercoaster ride at Dreamworld, Australia's largest theme park

Take a ride on the rollercoaster at Dreamworld

The Gold Coast is well known for a variety of fun-fares and adventure parks but with over 40 rides and attractions, Dreamworld is Australia’s largest theme park.

The park is so large, that it is made up of a variety of themed areas including Ocean Parade, DreamWorks Experience, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow and Tiger Island.

Whether you choose to have a go at one of the five different roller coasters, or you would like to have a try at the Tower of Terror, Dreamworld is full of thrills and spills and is not for the faint-hearted.

For those who are not so keen on a good adrenaline rush, there are also a variety of more conservative activities to enjoy. These include the Sunset Safari experience where you can enjoy the amazing variety of wild animals that live in the park.

For those who love to shop, there is a wide range of shopping areas where you can buy some great souvenirs to take home. For those with very young children, the fun activities at Wiggles World will get the kids giggling.

Just a 37-minute drive from Gold Coast Airport, Dreamworld is situated in Coomera. Turn left on to the Gold Coast Highway from the airport — then travel on to the Pacific Highway and take the Coomera exit. Signage will point you towards Dreamworld at exit 54.


Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

agamid dragon lizard, currumbin wildlife sanctuary

Agamid lizard, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils, dingos and much more. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a wide variety of Australian wildlife, with a knowledgeable team of staff members who love to showcase their beautiful country to visitors.

Voted one of the Gold Coast’s most popular tourist destinations, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is home to hundreds of native Australian animals in their natural bush and rainforest settings.

Currumbin Wildlife park is also home to a hospital which began under the management of sanctuary founder, Alex Griffiths. Decades later, the hospital can now assist over 8,000 injured and unwell wildlife patients every year — it is also the busiest wildlife hospital in the world.

Visitors are also given the opportunity to participate in a live Aboriginal dance show which kicks off the night tour, where you will get to see koalas, saltwater crocodiles, wombats and hand-feed the kangaroos. Take the miniature train through the rainforest and enjoy being involved with some traditional dances and dream-time stories.

Situated on Tomewin Street and open from 8am till 5pm, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is just a five-minute drive from Gold Coast Airport.

Lamington National Park

Starting the Treetops Walk at Lamington National Park in southeast Queensland.

Treetops Walk, Lamington National Park CC 2.0

Just an hour’s drive from Gold Coast Airport, Lamington National Park enjoys one of the most diverse vegetation in Australia and includes one of the largest upland subtropical rainforest remnants in the whole world.

The park’s vegetation includes sky-high trees, among them Antarctic beech trees, which are over 5,000 years old. The park also includes the largest remaining forests of hoop pine.

Lamington National Park is home to some of the rarest plants in the world, including the O'Reilly's pittosporum or the Lamington peach myrtle, only found in the park. Along with rare and almost extinct plants, there are interesting wildlife species, including threatened animals such as the Richmond birdwing butterfly, the Coxen's fig parrot, the Large-eared pied bat and the Eastern Bristlebird.

Get amongst the ancient wildlife on the Treetop walkway, which takes you through a winding canopy of trees and vines, with the sweet sound of birds and animals foraging around you. The walk is 180 metres long, 15 metres off the ground and made up of nine suspension bridges.

If you choose to stay the night, you might like to check out the Green Mountain camping area which includes a picnic area and amazing views of Morans Falls and Morans Creek gorge. But make sure you book in advance (especially during the summer months) and ensure that you bring comfortable clothes and footwear.

When driving along the final section to the park, make sure you drive carefully as it is very narrow.


Tamborine Mountain

Tamborine Mountain pines

Tamborine Mountain — peace, quiet and great walking tracks

Part of the Gold Coast’s hinterland, Tamborine Mountain, which is named after the Aboriginal Yugambeh word — Jambreen, which means ‘wild lime’ and refers to the finger lime trees growing on the mountain.

Originally part of a lava flow from the Mount Warring volcanic eruption, which took place 22 million years ago, Tamborine Mountain is home to a diverse range of trees and wildlife with stunning views of the Gold Coast landscape below. From the glow-worm caves located in one of the many wineries through to the luscious variety of rainforests that climb the mountain, you will be overwhelmed by the peace and quiet that makes Tamborine Mountain so special.

If you love walking, you will enjoy the tracks that wind through the rainforests, waterfalls and groves. Not only will you be wowed by the amazing wildlife that the mountain has to offer, there is also a variety of art galleries, souvenir shops and cafes along ‘Gallery Walk’ on Long Road.

If you would like to witness Tamborine Mountain from above, a hot-air balloon is the best way to get a bird's-eye view of the region. Hot Air Balloon Scenic Rim flies every day and showcases a 360-degree view of the rainforests and valleys from Lamington National Park through to Mount Tamborine.

Located 59 minutes drive from Gold Coast Airport, Tamborine Mountain includes a wide variety of accommodation options, so that you can spend a day or two on the mountain. The climate is subtropical and temperatures range from between 18 degrees Celcius (64 degrees Fahrenheit) and 30 degrees Celcius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). If you choose to leave your car in one of the carparks next to the walking tracks, make sure you secure any valuables and bring comfortable walking gear and a camera to capture the amazing wildlife that you are sure to find.

Last Updated on November 9, 2023