One Way Car Hire Melbourne to Adelaide

Free comparison tool · 1000s of rental cars · Major brands · No booking fees

: 730 km; Melbourne to Adelaide on the Western and Dukes Highways
: 8–8.5 h; driving time without stops
: from $720; small car for 4 days, one-way fee included
: 11 companies; offer one-way hire on this route

Compare Car Rental Melbourne to Adelaide

Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, Europcar, Avis, Budget and 5 smaller companies rent cars one way from Melbourne to Adelaide. To book, enter Melbourne as the pick-up and Adelaide as the drop-off. The results show only cars you can leave in Adelaide.

There are no booking fees. Most cars come with free cancellation and unlimited kilometres.

Melbourne to Adelaide One Way Car Hire Prices

A small car for 4 days costs about $930 in total. An SUV costs about $1,210 and a people mover about $1,750.

Longer hires cost only a little more. A small car costs about $760 for 2 days and $1,090 for 7 days. A 1-day hire costs about $690, nearly as much as 2 days.

For a 4-day hire, November and early December are the cheapest time. Christmas week costs about 20% more for a small car and about 50% more for an SUV. In January and February, prices are about 25 to 40% higher than in November. The January school holidays cost only a little more than February. Prices fall again in early March.

Cheapest to typical price for the whole hire, one-way fee included. Pick-up at Melbourne Airport, November 2026 to March 2027, except Christmas week. Checked 19 October 2026.
Hire length	Small car	SUV	People mover
2 days	$590 to $760	$670 to $990	$1,020 to $1,200
4 days	$720 to $930	$800 to $1,210	$1,490 to $1,750
7 days	$800 to $1,090	$920 to $1,400	$1,470 to $2,040

Typical price for the whole hire, one-way fee included. Pick-up at Melbourne Airport, November 2026 to March 2027. Checked 19 October 2026.
Pick-up	Small car, 4 days	SUV, 4 days
Mid-November	$810	$980
Late November	$820	$910
Early December	$830	$1,080
Christmas week	$970	$1,570
Mid-January, school holidays	$1,090	$1,440
Early February	$1,010	$1,420
Early March	$950	$1,100

Additional Fees

Are there additional fees for one way car rental?

Usually, yes. Most companies charge a fee to leave the car in a different city. The prices in our search include the one-way fee, so you can compare companies side by side. Before you book, check what your total price covers.

Distance Between Melbourne & Adelaide

How far is it from Melbourne to Adelaide?

About 730 km on the A8 (the Western Highway, then the Dukes Highway in South Australia), or 8 to 8.5 hours of driving. The Great Ocean Road way is about 1,000 kilometres. That is at least 12 hours behind the wheel, plus breaks and sightseeing.

Satellite map of western Victoria and south-east South Australia. The Western and Dukes highways run from Melbourne to Adelaide in dark blue past Ballarat, Horsham and Bordertown. A lighter line shows the Great Ocean Road and the coast past Port Campbell and Mount Gambier. — Route map: the A8 inland and the Great Ocean Road along the coast.

Western and Dukes Highways (A8)

Via Ballarat, Horsham, Bordertown, Tailem Bend

730 km · 8–8.5 h · 1–2 days

Drive it in 1 day, or in 2 days with a night in Horsham.

Great Ocean Road and the coast

Via Torquay, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, Mount Gambier, the Coorong

about 1,000 km · about 12 h · 3 days

The Twelve Apostles and the South Australian coast.

Melbourne to Adelaide Drive: Attractions on the Road

You can drive the inland A8 in 1 day. The coast road needs about 3.

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road starts at Torquay, about 100 km from Melbourne, and follows the cliffs to Apollo Bay. From there it cuts inland through the Otways before meeting the sea again at the Twelve Apostles. After Warrnambool and Port Fairy the Princes Highway crosses into South Australia before Mount Gambier. The last day runs past Robe and along the Coorong to Adelaide.

Day 1
200 km · about 3 h
Melbourne to Apollo Bay
Geelong, then Torquay and Bells Beach. The road follows the cliffs past Anglesea and Lorne. Look for koalas in the trees at Kennett River.
Day 2
360 km · about 4.5 h
Apollo Bay to Mount Gambier
Cape Otway lighthouse is a detour off the Otways stretch. Then the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Arch near Port Campbell. Mount Gambier's Blue Lake is bluest from November to March.
Day 3
460 km · about 5.5 h
Mount Gambier to Adelaide
Robe's beaches, then the lagoons and dunes of the Coorong beside the Princes Highway. Cross the Murray at Murray Bridge and come into Adelaide through the Hills.

Inland on the Western Highway

The A8 passes Ballarat, where Sovereign Hill recreates the 1850s gold-rush town. Halls Gap in the Grampians is about 25 km off the highway at Stawell. Horsham, about 300 km from Melbourne, is a good place for the night if you split the drive. In South Australia the Dukes Highway runs through Bordertown and Keith to Tailem Bend. Hahndorf, an old German settlement in the Adelaide Hills, is the last stop before the city.

Picking Up in Melbourne, Dropping Off in Adelaide

Outside Christmas week, a 4-day Hertz, Thrifty or Dollar hire costs $100 to $400 less at their city depot than at Melbourne Airport. The depot is at Shop 3/8 Franklin Street in the city centre. Europcar is often cheaper at its city depot too, at 89 Franklin Street. Search "Melbourne – All areas" as the pick-up to see them.
Avalon Airport, on the Geelong side of Melbourne, is the closer pick-up for the Great Ocean Road.
From Melbourne Airport, the Western Ring Road (M80) takes you to the Western Highway or the Geelong road with no toll. The only toll road you might use is CityLink, into the city. Hire cars usually carry a toll tag. The company bills the toll after the hire, often with an admin fee.
In Adelaide you can return the car at the airport or a city depot. South Australia has no toll roads.
Adelaide is 30 minutes behind Melbourne. Keep that in mind for a drop-off near closing time.

Melbourne to Adelaide One Way Car Hire FAQ

Can I hire a car in Melbourne and drop it off in Adelaide?

Yes. 10 or 11 companies offer it, depending on the date. Set Adelaide as the drop-off to see their cars.

Which car rental companies offer one-way rentals from Melbourne to Adelaide?

Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, Europcar, Avis, Budget, Ace, Apex, East Coast, Karmo and Routes. Karmo does not have cars on every date.

How long does it take to drive from Melbourne to Adelaide?

About 8 to 8.5 hours of driving on the A8. Drive it in 1 long day, or in 2 days with a night in Horsham. The Great Ocean Road way is about 12 hours of driving. Allow 3 days for it.

Is it cheaper to hire one way from Adelaide to Melbourne?

For a short hire, yes. A 2 to 4-day hire costs about 10 to 20% less from Adelaide. For 7 days, prices are about the same in both directions. 9 companies rent one way from Adelaide, compared with 11 from Melbourne. See Adelaide to Melbourne car hire.

Can I drop the car at Adelaide Airport?

Yes. Choose Adelaide Airport (ADL) as the drop-off instead of Adelaide – All areas. The results show which companies take cars back there and their prices. Adelaide is 30 minutes behind Melbourne. Allow for that if your flight leaves soon after the drop-off.

Do one-way hires include unlimited kilometres?

Nearly all do. Each result shows its kilometre allowance.

What is the excess on a one-way hire?

The excess is the most you pay if the car is damaged. Most cars have a standard excess of $5,000 to $6,000. Each result shows the excess for that car.

Popular One-Way Routes

Other one-way trips that start in Melbourne or end in Adelaide:

Going on from Adelaide: compare Adelaide to Alice Springs, Adelaide to Darwin or Adelaide to Perth, or see all one-way car hire in Australia.

Prices updated October 2026

If your trip begins in Melbourne, see car hire in Melbourne or the desks at Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Avalon Airport (AVV). Dropping off in Adelaide? Compare Adelaide car hire or the desks at Adelaide Airport (ADL).