Thrifty
893 reviews
- Yes
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- No, I received a worse vehicle
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- No, I received a better vehicle
Worst experience EVER..! At Gold Coast Airport I waited at the Thrifty counter for 7 minutes until I was informed by a Hertz officer, that I would have to get on the queue behind the Hertz and Dollar customers. I waited in line for 40 mins and when I was allocated a vehicle, I had to wait a further 10 minutes while they found a car for me. What was the point of booking ahead...?? I will never book or recommend Thrifty again..!! Show details
Needed to extend my rental and found it impossible to speak to someone from Thrifty Melbourne Airport as no one was picking up, they returned my calls only around 8pm when I had events on. When they charged my card for the extended days, they didnt even notify me of the amount. Charged my card right on Good Friday aswell as froze $1k leaving me short during Easter, absolutely ruined my weekend.
Absolute trash customer service. I called them 3 times and recived different answers to my questions. With the information I was given I made my way into the city to pick up the car and apon arrival they bluntly told me “No” to picking up the car and then proceeded to not give me any reason or composition. The level of competency from this company is appalling. If I could give 0 stars I would, 1 star seems far to high. Show details
Reviews with attachments
I returned the car undamaged and changed to 90% (they said to return it 85-100%) and they stole my deposit. Show details
Hello, This review has nothing to do with thrifty’s service etc as they were fantastic in Deer Park Victoria. This is a review of the vehicle and also just noting that the ISUZU is not much better! I recently hired a Fuso Canter 515 as a furniture van for a job from Melbourne to Sydney with about a 1 Ton Load. The Automated manual 2024 Canter had… Read more
circa 22,000klm on the clock and was like new. It had a pantech body 4100mm long x 2100mm wide and total height of truck was 3100mm high. Upfront I was gobsmacked how poor the engineering and drivability was for a new vehicle. 1. The Automated manual was slow to respond and clunky - much like the Isuzu AMT 2. The power output was low - couldn’t hold 100kph at the slightest incline 3. The fuel consumption was dreadful at over 20Ltrs per 100klm 4. You could only get 400klm in range before the fuel light was on and you started panicking you will run out. 5. The suspension was terrible much like the Isuzu , it would throw you out of your seat with the smallest of bumps - as you are literally sitting on the front Axle 6. When it kicks down, the clutch fan kicks in and it just revs but goes nowhere and is excessively noisy. 7. When you enter the cab, if you are not crouching, you hit your head on the roof. 8. When the cruise control is set, and there is an incline, the AMT kicks down and the cruise disengages and then you loose momentum. Very frustrating! 9. Seats are uncomfortable despite the drivers seat being a suspension type - which is disconcerting when the seat moves differently to the cab and steering wheel. 10. At the slightest lane wandering- the Lane departure system sounds. 11. The drivers seating position was odd with the steering wheel being low even after adjustment
On the positive side… 1. The turning circle is fantastic 2. The ventilation system is great - Heater & A/C
My advice if you are after a vehicle like this is to head for a Van type Cab Chassis like Merc Sprinter or Crafter - far superior in so many ways for the task. Thanks for reading my review .
Watch out when returning an electric vehicle. Thrifty will Zapp you for power you didn't use! – This review is rather mixed, but the reply from their office was worthy of a post. Last weekend I hired a Polestar2 electric car from Sydney Airport for two days. I have absolutely no issue with the service I received when picking up car, or the car itself. When I returned it on Saturday I ensured their was more charge in the car (electric) than… Read more
I received it.
I noticed the next day I'd been charged an additional $15.57 for charging, and i'd been charged for a recharge to 100% (battery) instead of 90% of which was the charge limit preset on the car.
Even though the amount was "piddley" the principal was I was charged 10% extra when i'd actually returned the car with more fuel than I received it. Times that amount by the number of cars they hire out per day world wide and the amount is staggering! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I wrote to them as follows:
Good morning,
I’ve just checked my invoice for a rental last month.
Considering I returned the car with more charge than it went out with from Thrifty, why am I being charged for a recharge of the battery?
The vehicle was also preset limited to a 90% charge as well so why was I charged for it being fuelled to 100%?
Regards
Rod ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Their reply, without even so much as an apology was:
Dear Rod, Thank you for contacting us. I appreciate the opportunity to review your concerns. Please be kindly advised an adjustment of Battery A$15.57 is being processed back to your card end in 3999 and please allow 7-10 days for processing. Thank you. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for contacting us and we look forward to serving you in the future. Yours sincerely,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Be careful when you hire a car from Thrify. The unfortunate thing is that none of the other companies are generally any better.
Happy hiring!
Your card details are not safe with this company – As someone else recently mentioned, I rented a car in Brisbane over a month ago for a single day, I didn’t go through any tolls, and more than a month later I’ve had to cancel my card and order a new one because I’ve started to be charged random hits of $25+ by Thrifty for tolls in Melbourne, a city I haven’t visited in more than four years and… Read more
have never rented a car in. Your card details are not safe, Thrifty seems to be running a scam on their customers, I suspect this may become a class action considering more people are speaking up about it. Aside from that, the rental experience itself was also awful due to unhelpful staff and bizarre policies, and upon returning the vehicle, they tried to charge me a random $90 charge without explanation. I had to go back into the branch and show the staff before they apologised and refunded the money. Clearly something suspect going on at Thrifty. Avoid.
Do Not Hire From Thrifty!!! Stay Clear!!! – So i decided to use Thrifty for a small removal truck as it was close to xmas, i have 6 kids and a partner who is currently out of work. I decided to hire a truck rather than a removalist to save some money being so close to xmas. I only purchased the standard Insurance and was caught up a quick hail storm. apparently there was damages to the roof… Read more
of the truck, they took my $750 Deposit and was quoted another $6,036 for hail damage because the standard insurance doesn't cover hail or lighting damage. Absolutely absurd. Went from a $180 truck hire to a $6,786 hire. All because i wanted to save money by doing it myself. Will never use this company again. nor will anyone i know.
Latest follow-ups
THe collection and return were all fine, however was disappointed to see if was charged $35 + GST for an admin fee for toll roads (the toll charges were only $6). I would have appreciated being made aware before I took the car that there would be an… Read more
admin fee in addition to the toll road fee (as I didn't crutically have to use toll roads and saved about 3 min by doing so). While not a major issue and everything else was fine, this small factor that could be easily addressed, detracted from the overall experience.
Follow-up · When being asked verbally if I would rather use Thrifty's toll road system, I was only verbally told that I would be charged for the tolls, and it's the option most people choose. I was not informed about a $35 administrative fee. Practically, I would not have been able to use an alternative, but I could have avoided the toll roads (they saved me… Read more
Positive reviews
At Broome WA airport we hired a Toyoto Fortuner for 10 days, to visit Fitzroy Crossing and sites along the way to Hall's Creek and back. Then explored Beagle Bay and Lombardina on the Dampier Peninsula. The vehicle was excellent and very spacious for three people. We met Roxy at the airport for pick-up and return and we cannot give her enough… Read more
praise for her competent helpful manner and cheer. Highly recommend Thrifty at Broome for a smooth rental experience.
We hired a car thur thrifty Kallangur and omg what an amazing customer service from Alex there this morning thank you so much for your help today. We appreciate it so much your a legend. Thank you Show details
Everything went smooth – Not sure why they have been getting so much negative comments. My journey was seamless and fantastic. No issues at all will be booking from them again for sure
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Negative reviews
Lost for words with Thrifty Sth Melbourne and Thrifty in general. One star is being generous. Note: I have advised my team that we are to never use Thrifty/Budget when booking travel. Dot points of my experience: - When I arrived into the office, the lady behind the desk started to complain that it was her 8th day working in a row and I was lucky… Read more
to get there before she was going home early. - She then went on to tell me that she wasn't sure she had a car for me. - She asked me to use the QR code and check-in online. I completed it in full and had confirmation it was processed at the end of the process. - The lady said it had not come through to her system, but it looked like the Drivers Licence did not validate. - I was then told I couldn't hire a car and to go across the road and try 'SIXT' to hire a car. - I asked if there was someone she could call as there was no issue from my end and asked if I could use my current and valid NZ drivers licence (used many times with Thrifty previously, 5 times during 2025. She said No. - I asked to speak to a Manager, her reply was that she was the most senior and only person at the location. - Was told that nothing could be done and to go elsewhere.
Hired a car from Sydney airport. Pick up and drop off were efficient (although not at the terminal as I thought) and the car was fine. However, the fixed administration charge of $35 + GST for tolls is highway robbery. Avis and Budget only charge $3.30 per day admin. Show details
If you book with a third party they will charge you twice for premium protection even if you have already paid it. Dishonest double charging and no accountability. Do not use them.
Recent reviews
BEWARE OF HIDDEN CHARGES USING THRIFTY. Although we were advised that we would be invoiced for any tolls, we were not advised there would be an Administration Charge of $35! It’s almost impossible to avoid tolls in Sydney, so be aware of what you will be hit with later. Show details
I rented a Ford Ranger from Thrifty at Sydney Airport and returned the car on a Sunday night. The next morning, I realized I had accidentally left my Oakley sunglasses inside the vehicle. I immediately called customer service, and they told me I could go to the location to check if the car was still there and collect my item. However, when my… Read more
husband arrived, the staff refused to help and said we had to email them instead. They even gave us the wrong email address, and no one ever replied. I kept calling and sending emails for weeks, and after a month of trying, they finally told me “nothing was found.”
It’s very disappointing and unprofessional that such a big company handles lost property this way. My sunglasses clearly disappeared while in their possession — this is unacceptable, especially considering the high rental price I paid. I’ll never rent with Thrifty again and do not recommend them to anyone.
Thrifty Malaga are thieves! We rented a car from Thrifty Malaga and paid for the rental and comprehensive insurance in advance. When we picked up the car, we were forced to sign a rental agreement, which charged us for another (more expensive) insurance policy. They said we wouldn't have to pay this amount. Despite their verbal promise, the full… Read more
amount was debited from our account. All complaints were futile, as we had signed the agreement. Don't trust Thrifty Malaga!
Do not rent from Thrifty, they are frauds. We rented from Airlie Beach. They didn’t inspect the car with us. Luckily we took a good digital record because they charged our card over $2k minutes after returning it, saying we damaged the car. We spent ages proving the damage was there when we got the car. Despite the local staff acknowledging that… Read more
it was clear from the photos the damage was there when we picked up the car, nearly a week later and no refund. They shouldn’t have charged us and now left it to us to chase a refund. Very poor indeed
Don't bother calling them - you will just end up frustrated and spending a lot more time than you would amending it yourself. Their systems are pretty up-to-date so if you can't see availability online it's almost definitely not there - they don't have a magic wand like some other service operators. TIP If you can't amend, make a new booking then cancel your old booking - but seriously, save yourself the time and just work it out online.
Breached my entire data (driving licence, bank details etc). Was hacked in October 2024 and told me by means of letter in June 2025 (today). Also had to fight to get my deposit back. Utter disgrace. Will never use Thrifty again. Show details
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As noted in so many other posts here this is a deliberately deceptive organisation who add unexplained and unjustifiable extra charges AFTER the vehicle is returned. Our experience was to hire from Schiphol, queued for over an hour to reach the desk, staff were brusque, evasive and told outright lies about the arrangements for the possible late… Read more
return of the vehicle. We returned it late by 90 minutes and expected to pay an extra day and we charged an extra day, at the daily rate BUT there were extras; charges for a second driver for the full period of the rental even though it had already been paid for in the main hire, a location fee (which we had been told in answer to a specific question, was not applicable) and a licence plate surcharge (whatever that is supposed to be) which, again we hadn't been told about. Together these came to over 100 Euro, taken without notice after the car was returned. They also wanted to charge for water damage visible of the passenger seat until I showed a photo of the damage taken at the start of the hire with their rep standing in shot, so they are clearly prepared to try it on. The car was OK but the company is dishonest and clearly tricksy. Avoid.
We hired a car with an infant car seat from Thrifty at Brisbane airport and then from Thrifty Gold Coast. If you value the safety of your child, then I would avoid Thrifty. At both places they used old versions of Infasecure, with the one from the Gold Coast branch looking to be over 10 years old (not a legal car seat - although the lady couldn't… Read more
verify its age). It was tattered and impossible to install safely (without significant movement of the seat once tight). The chest straps couldn't be tightened enough to pass the pinch test.
In Brisbane it took an hour for the seat to be installed safely after initially being installed incorrectly. However, the staff at Brisbane airport were friendly, understanding and made genuine efforts to install the seat. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the seat made that process more difficult than it needed to be.
If you need a car seat, I recommend hiring from a baby shop (i.e. Baby for Hire) who can install the seat at the car rental place before you arrive and uninstall after dropping off the car. Given the mark-up on car seat hire at Thrifty, it's clearly a money saving policy to use the poorest quality and oldest seats available, to the detriment of our littlest passengers. A safe car seat can be the difference between life and death of an infant in an accident, a risk that Thrifty is clearly happy to gamble on to make a profit.
Awful. Pricing is very deceptive and the customer service reps at the pickup location deliberately mislead you. Turns out they add fees as a percentage of your total bill. For instance a 33% 'location fee' for picking and dropping off the car at an airport, or an Admin Fee of 3.5%). So when they quote you the cost of an extra day, adding… Read more
insurance or a second driver, the true price is actually the quoted price +36.5%.
They also apply these percentage fees to the already exorbitant refuelling fees. For about 40 litres of fuel used they charged us $225 - or $5.56 a litre. On top of this, they add the 36.5%. Meaning they charged us over $300 for 40 litres of fuel - or $7.60 a litre.
Avoid at all costs.
I rented an electric Polestar 2 car from Thrifty at Launceston Airport on 8/10 and returned it on 10/10. They have ripped me off by charging me $62.40 on my invoice to supposedly charge it from 0% to 100%. The invoice states that I had travelled 376km in total. I made the mistake of not taking photos of the charge levels. When I picked up the… Read more
car, it had a charge level of 82% (they are claiming it was charged to 100% but the car actually says you should only charge to 90% so you would not want to be the buyer of this vehicle with a reduced battery life when they sell it) and when I dropped it off back to them the charge level was at 50%. Before returning the car, I had charged it from 51% to 84% using a ChargeFox station in Burnie (I provided them a receipt of that charging activity) before driving approx. 180km to the airport. Note that I'd travelled approx. half my total kms before the recharge at Burnie which took the charge down to the 51% so, common sense would tell you that the car would have an approx. 50% charge on arriving back at the airport. Given the total number of kms travelled and the recharge that I did, there is no way that I could have returned the car with 0% charge and there is no way that I could have arrived at the airport with 0% charge. Thrifty has refused to consider the evidence that I have provided them and have ripped me off. I used to like Thrifty but I won't be using them ever again.
Just had a really disappointing experience. I am solo traveling and had booked a car for a short stay in Melbourne. My physical credit card has been lost and they would not allow for me to complete my booking. Leaving me stuck and unable to do the plans I have made. I understand there are terms and conditions but some leniency at times is… Read more
necessary. Now I will need to spend large sums of money to get Ubers. No assistance was offered or any suggestions on what I can do to rectify the issue. A matter of fact I was extremely belittled and made to feel like an idiot.
Well, hidden charges run rife here. When I collected the car i was told by the woman serving me that I could pay a $3 per day toll waiver. I later was charged $15 per day. They put $28 of fuel in the car at nearly $5 per ltr then charged me $43 for the fuel. Numerous other hidden charges run rife on the invoice. The actual out of pocket cost to… Read more
hire the car turned out to be about double the advertised daily rate. I am going to my bank tomorrow to see if i can stop any further charges they choose to take out of my account. Absolute crooks.
Sydney Airport staff were so disappointing - we hire a Prado so we can fit baggage and 6 people, and they can't even look after the cargo blind for a few days. Seriously...?! We had to juggle this blind around baggage and children's heads, quite unsafe. What on earth has happened to common sense customer service? it isn't as through it would have cost them anything! Show details
Got charged over $43 for some how taking a $3.72 toll road in Melbourne, despite using the Avoid Tolls functionality in Google Maps. They did not send any correspondence whatsoever, just went ahead and charged me.
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