Perfect Three-Day Road Trip on the Great Ocean Road

There were many people when we picked up the car, but the staff remained polite and enthusiastic when it was our turn. Because I had purchased full insurance on the app and prepared all the necessary documents, the car pickup process was very smooth. When returning the car, an elderly gentleman kindly took care of the processing and helped to properly store the items we left in the car. However, the $200 AUD deposit has not been settled yet.

Overall satisfied

There were a lot of people in line. We arrived early to pick up the car, but the staff didn't inform us and said they would charge us an extra half-day fee. After explaining for a long time, they told us we must wait until the scheduled pickup time to get the car.

The Hertz service was excellent, very detailed and attentive. The staff in Melbourne recommended additional services based on my situation, such as upgrading the car for $5 a day or prepaying for toll roads. These services depend on personal preference though.

Although I had some reservations about HERTZ pushing me to upgrade the car, to be fair, their service was still pretty good. The wait time in line wasn't long, and while communicating in English wasn't as convenient as in Chinese, I couldn't expect too much while abroad. At pickup, the staff informed me that my reserved Corolla wasn't available and suggested I upgrade to an Audi Q5 by paying extra. I thought it was an additional 18 AUD per day, so I accepted. Later, I found out it was actually 45 AUD per day, totaling 180 AUD for the 4 days. While I was okay with the cost, suggesting a luxury car upgrade immediately did feel a bit pushy. The Q5 was in excellent condition and very new, but there was no manual with the car, making opening the fuel cap a bit challenging. The car was great to drive, and I had no issues, making the rental experience smooth overall. I was in a hurry to leave and didn't have time to argue, so I took the risk and accepted the luxury upgrade. The 3 AUD per day charge for roadside assistance added up to a small amount, and since I realized this after the fact, I won't dwell on it.