Car hire in Hobart is the key to seeing Tasmania properly. Within an hour of the airport you can be standing on top of Mount Wellington, wandering the Port Arthur Historic Site or queueing for the Bruny Island ferry, and the whole state is small enough to loop in a week or two. The catch is that Tasmanian roads are slower than they look on a map, wildlife is everywhere after dark, and rental agreements have some rules that only matter here, like ferries and snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This guide covers what actually matters when you book car rental in Hobart, from the airport desks and peak season to parks passes, Bruny Island, the Spirit of Tasmania and driving at dusk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hobart Airport is in Cambridge, about 18 km east of the city and roughly a 20-minute drive over the Tasman Bridge. The on-airport rental desks are inside the arrivals hall, opposite the baggage carousels, with major brands including Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Thrifty and Bargain Car Rentals. That makes Hobart Airport car hire very easy: collect your bags, sign the paperwork and walk out to the car park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some cheaper operators sit just off the airport. East Coast Car Rentals, for example, has a depot in Cambridge about five minutes away and runs a free shuttle from the public pick-up area. When you return a car to either type of provider, allow around 30 minutes for the check-in, and longer if you need the shuttle back to the terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are spending your first day or two in the city, a CBD pickup can make more sense. Salamanca Place, Battery Point and the waterfront are easy to explore on foot, and Hobart’s steep, narrow inner streets and paid parking are no fun on day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summer, roughly December to February, is peak season for car rental in Hobart. Demand from interstate visitors climbs, cheap car hire in Hobart gets harder to find, and campervans book out early. Book a few months ahead if you are travelling over Christmas or January, and earlier still if you need a one-way hire, as those cars are limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winter brings a second spike in June with the Dark Mofo festival, plus cold, short days and snow on kunanyi and the Central Highlands. Most rental companies do not supply snow chains, and some ban driving in snow altogether, so if Cradle Mountain or Lake St Clair is on your winter plan, read the agreement or use the park shuttle services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need a valid parks pass to enter any Tasmanian national park, including Freycinet, Mount Field, the Tasman National Park near Port Arthur and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair. For most road trips the Holiday Pass is the one to buy. It covers one vehicle and up to 8 people for up to two months, and at $98.35 per vehicle it costs about the same as two daily passes ($49.15 per vehicle each).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cradle Mountain works a little differently. It has its own daily pass that includes the shuttle bus to Dove Lake, and if you already hold a Holiday Pass you pay for the shuttle separately. Buy passes online through Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania<\/a> before you go. Fees are reviewed every year, so check the current price when you book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n kunanyi \/ Mount Wellington is the obvious first drive. Pinnacle Road is sealed to the summit, but it closes in snow and ice, and during closures no cars are allowed at all, including 4WDs and cars with chains. Check the Pinnacle Road status page<\/a> before you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hobart to Port Arthur is about 92 km, roughly 1 hour 30 minutes, and you can add the Tasman Peninsula lookouts and Eaglehawk Neck on the way. Bruny Island is a 35-minute drive to the ferry terminal at Kettering, followed by a short SeaLink vehicle ferry crossing. Mount Field National Park, with Russell Falls, and the Huon Valley, around 55 minutes to Geeveston, are both easy day trips too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standard rental agreements in Tasmania do not allow unsealed roads, apart from short, direct access roads to a recognised attraction or campground. There are plenty of gravel roads here, especially on Bruny Island, in the west and on the way to some walks, and damage on them is usually not covered by your excess reduction. Our rental car excess guide<\/a> explains why that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ferries are the other Tasmania-specific rule. Some companies allow their cars on the Bruny Island ferry and others do not, so tell the counter staff if you plan to go. The Spirit of Tasmania is stricter: most rental companies do not let their cars leave the state, so if you are sailing to Melbourne you will usually need to return the car in Devonport and hire another on the mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\tDay Trips From Hobart by Car<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unsealed Roads, Ferries and What Your Rental Allows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n