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Uber Carshare vs Traditional Hire this Easter long weekend

Planning a getaway this Easter long weekend? We've crunched the numbers on trips to 4 popular holiday destinations across Australia to find out how Uber Carshare stacks up to traditional hire companies.

Jessica Pilon-Summons

If you’re dreaming of a getaway, don’t let the Easter long weekend demand or the hire car shortage stand in the way of your adventure.

We’ve crunched the numbers on availability, hire fees, trip cover, fuel and distance on 4 popular long weekend locations around Australia to see how travelling with Uber Carshare compares with traditional hire car companies over the Easter long weekend.

Save $441.96 on this holiday from Sydney to the Central Coast

For this trip we’ve looked at:

  • 4 days away, commencing 10am 15 April 2022 and ending 10am 19 April 2022
  • 390 kilometres (Sydney to the Central Coast and back, plus 200km extra driving around)
  • Premium cover as it’s a longer trip
  • Medium-sized car (Toyota Corolla)
Rental car Uber Carshare
Time $759.16 ($189.79/day) $188.00 ($47/day)
Fuel/ distance* $78.00 $206.7
Booking fee $0.00 $6.99
Basic cover (mandatory) $0.00 ($5,500 excess) $18.90 ($2,000 excess)
Excess reduction $97.39 $72.00
Total $934.55 $492.59

Excess reduction: the hire car’s premium cover reimburses you for up to $10,000 in fees paid to the rental provider if your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Uber Carshare’s premium cover reduces your excess to $500 and provides basic roadside assistance.

Availability - 12 hire cars are available on vroomvroomvroom.com.au during that period. 102 hire cars are available on Uber Carshare.

*Fuel costs were calculated based on 53c/km with Uber Carshare, and 20c/km in a rental car, assuming $2.00/L for fuel and consumption of 10L/100km. We have calculated the cost for a rental car at $189.79/day (the average daily price of a Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid in the week of 15 to 19 April 2022 as advertised on vroomvroomvroom.com.au on 23 March 2022) and an equivalent Uber Carshare Toyota Corolla at $47.00/day.

Save $445.76 on this trip from Melbourne to Lorne

For this trip we’ve looked at:

  • 4 days away, commencing 10am 15 April 2022 and ending 10am 19 April 2022
  • 483 kilometres (Melbourne to Lorne and back, plus 200km extra driving around)
  • Premium cover as it’s a longer trip
  • Medium-sized car (like a Toyota Corolla)
Rental car Uber Carshare
Time $758.35 ($189.59/day) $156 ($39/day)
Fuel/ distance* $96.60 $255.99
Booking fee $0.00 $6.99
Basic cover (mandatory) $0 ($4,608 excess) $15.60 ($2,000 excess)
Excess reduction $97.39 $72.00
Total $952.34 $506.58

Excess reduction: the hire car’s premium cover reimburses you for up to $10,000 for fees paid to the rental provider if your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Uber Carshare’s premium cover reduces your excess to $500 and provides basic roadside assistance.

Availability - 21 hire cars are available on vroomvroomvroom.com.au during that period. 90 hire cars are available on Uber Carshare.

*Fuel costs were calculated based on 53c/km with Uber Carshare, and 20c/km in a rental car, assuming $2.00/L for fuel and consumption of 10L/100km. We have calculated the cost for a rental car at $189.79/day (the average daily price of a Toyota Corolla Hatch in the week of 15 to 19 April 2022 as advertised on vroomvroomvroom.com.au on 23 March 2022) and an equivalent Uber Carshare Toyota Corolla at $39.00/day.

Save $1,036.96 on this trip from Hobart to ​​Launceston

For this trip we’ve looked at:

  • 4 days away, commencing 10am 15 April 2022 and ending 10am 19 April 2022
  • 604 kilometres (Hobart to Launceston and back, plus 200km extra driving around)
  • Premium cover as it’s a longer trip
  • Medium-sized car (like a Toyota Corolla)
Rental car Uber Carshare
Time $1,515.44 ($378.86/day) $314.44 ($78.61/day)
Fuel/ distance* $120.80 $271.80
Booking fee $0.00 $6.99
Basic cover (mandatory) $0.00 ($4,608 excess) $31.44 ($2,000 excess)
Excess reduction $97.39 $72.00
Total $1,733.63 $696.67

Excess reduction: the hire car’s premium cover reimburses you for up to $10,000 for fees paid to the rental provider if your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Uber Carshare’s premium cover reduces your excess to $500 and provides basic roadside assistance.

Availability - 11 hire cars are available on vroomvroomvroom.com.au during that period. 68 hire cars are available on Uber Carshare.

*Fuel costs were calculated based on 45c/km with Uber Carshare, and 20c/km in a rental car, assuming $2.00/L for fuel and consumption of 10L/100km. We have calculated the cost for a rental car at $378.86/day (the average daily price of a Toyota Corolla Hatch in the week of 15 to 19 April 2022 as advertised on vroomvroomvroom.com.au on 23 March 2022) and an equivalent Uber Carshare Toyota Corolla at $78.61/day.

Save $557.23 on this trip from Goldcoast to Byron Bay

For this trip we’ve looked at:

  • 4 days away, commencing 10am 15 April 2022 and ending 10am 19 April 2022
  • 382 kilometres (Goldcoast to Byron Bay round trip, plus 200km extra driving around)
  • Premium cover as it’s a longer trip
  • Medium-sized car (like a Toyota Corolla)
Rental car Uber Carshare
Time $863.00 ($215.75/day) $200 ($50/day)
Fuel/ distance* $76.40 $202.46
Booking fee $0.00 $6.99
Basic cover (mandatory) $0.00 ($4,400 excess) $20.00 ($2,000 excess)
Excess reduction $119.28 $72.00
Total $1,058.68 $501.45

Excess reduction: booking.com’s premium cover reimburses you for up to the full value of the car for fees paid to the rental provider if your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Uber Carshare’s premium cover reduces your excess to $500 and provides basic roadside assistance.

Availability - 10 hire cars are available on booking.com during that period. 87 hire cars are available on Uber Carshare.

*Fuel costs were calculated based on 53c/km with Uber Carshare, and 20c/km in a rental car, assuming $2.00/L for fuel and consumption of 10L/100km. We have calculated the cost for a rental car at $215.75/day (the average daily price of a Toyota Corolla in the week of 15 to 19 April 2022 as advertised on booking.com on 23 March 2022) and an equivalent Uber Carshare Toyota Corolla at $50/day.

Findings

Cost - Taking into account the cost of hire, fuel, distance, booking fees and cover, travelling with Uber Carshare was the more affordable option, with savings of hundreds of dollars in all of the locations considered.

Availability - Looking at availability over the Easter Long weekend, travelling with Uber Carshare gave you more options in all of the locations.

Flexibility - It’s also worth noting that we set the return date to Tuesday the 19 March as many of the hire car companies didn't allow drop-off after midday on the 18th due to it being a public holiday which would have cut the long weekend trip short. Uber Carshare rentals have more flexibility as you are not limited to business hours for the pickup or return.

Planning an Easter long weekend getaway? Search cars

*Information included in this article is accurate as of 23 March 2022.

Hero image by okeykat on Unsplash