One-way “relocation” deals let rental companies move a car or campervan from where it landed to where it’s needed – and let you drive it there for next to nothing. Here’s how the deals work, and which providers are worth checking first.
Rental companies end up with cars and campervans stranded in the wrong city all the time. A tourist picks up a van in Cairns and drops it in Hobart; a family collects a 4WD in Perth and leaves it in Adelaide. Someone then has to get that vehicle back to where demand actually is – and paying a driver or a transport company to do it costs the rental company real money.
The alternative is a relocation deal: the company advertises the one-way trip at a steep discount (sometimes as little as $1 a day) – because getting the car there cheaply beats paying to truck it back empty. You get a car or campervan, often with a fuel allowance and generous travel days thrown in, for a fraction of a normal rental rate. It’s one of the better-kept budget travel hacks in Australia and New Zealand, and it’s why relocation deals are a fixture of backpacker and road-trip planning.
The trade-off is flexibility. Relocation deals appear on a fixed route, for a fixed window, usually only a few weeks to a couple of months out – so this works best if your travel dates aren’t locked in and you’re happy to go wherever the deal takes you.
How relocation deals work
Relocation offers show up on one-way routes rental companies need filled – take Sydney to Cairns, Darwin to Adelaide, Perth to Adelaide across the Nullarbor, or Auckland to Christchurch. You’ll typically get:
- A set number of days to complete the drive (usually generous enough to include stops)
- A daily rate as low as $1, sometimes with a fuel allowance or ferry crossing included (useful for Tasmania and South Island routes)
- A liability bond placed on your card, refunded once the vehicle is returned undamaged
- A vehicle from that company’s regular fleet – sedans, 4WDs, and campervans all turn up as relocations, and they’re serviced to the same standard as any other rental despite the high kilometres
Deals move fast and don’t hang around, so it’s worth checking each provider’s relocation page directly rather than relying on stale listings elsewhere.
Where to find a relocation deal
Each major rental and campervan brand posts its own relocation offers, and availability changes daily. The six rental car brands and two campervan specialists below are the ones worth checking first.
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Tips for booking a relocation deal
- Be flexible, not fixed. Relocation deals surface two to three months out at most, on routes the rental company chooses, not you. This works best if your trip dates and destination can flex around whatever’s available.
- Read the fine print on days and kilometres. Relocation deals come with a set window to complete the drive and sometimes a kilometre cap, go over either and the discount rate can disappear.
- Ask about the bond. Expect a liability bond placed on your card (commonly $500–$2,500 depending on the provider), refunded after a damage-free return; this isn’t a charge, but it does need available credit.
- Don’t skip insurance. These are still full rental agreements. If you hold a credit card with complimentary rental excess cover, check the policy extends to relocation and one-way bookings before relying on it.
- Check in often. Relocation stock changes daily and gets snapped up fast, so bookmark each provider’s relocation page rather than relying on a single search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the $1-a-day relocation deal real?
Yes. Rental and campervan companies genuinely discount one-way relocation routes this heavily, because it’s cheaper than paying to transport an empty vehicle themselves. The trade-off is fixed routes and short booking windows rather than picking your own dates and destination.
How far in advance are relocation deals posted?
Most appear two to three months before travel and only for a specific, short window, so relocation road trips suit travellers who can move quickly and stay flexible on dates.
What’s included in a relocation deal?
Typically a set number of driving days, unlimited or generous kilometres, and sometimes a fuel allowance or a ferry crossing (useful for Tasmania or South Island routes). Exact inclusions vary by provider and by deal.
Do I still need to pay a bond?
Yes. Rental companies place a liability bond on your card – commonly in the $500–$2,500 range depending on the provider, which is released after the vehicle is returned without damage.
Can I extend a relocation booking?
Some providers allow extra days at a separate daily rate if you need more time to reach the destination, but this isn’t guaranteed and availability depends on when the vehicle is needed at the other end.
Michael is a contributor to The Champagne Mile – Deals. No fancy credentials – just a genuine obsession with finding ways to travel better for less, and sharing those finds with anyone who’ll listen. Michael figures there are plenty of other Australians who’d rather spend five seconds clicking a link than five hours searching for a working code. When he’s not buried in promo codes, Michael is probably planning his next trip overseas or dirtbike adventure.
