Car hire prices at Cairns Airport

For November 2026 at Cairns Airport, use £66 a day as your benchmark for an Intermediate car such as a Kia Sportage, booked around a month before your trip. For November 2026 at the same lead time, an Economy car such as a Suzuki Swift averages £54 a day, and a Fullsize car such as a Toyota Camry Hybrid averages £78. In the last 2 weeks, the Intermediate car averages £68 a day, £2 more a day than around a month before. Check the price checker for your exact dates before accepting your quote.

For November 2026 at Cairns Airport, book an Intermediate car such as a Kia Sportage around a month before your trip: it averages £66 a day, against £68 in the last 2 weeks. If you have not booked yet, the across-the-year Intermediate car averages offer reassurance: £85 a day around 9 months before your trip, against £60 in the last 2 weeks. That broader pattern favours waiting, but the November 2026 comparison favours booking around a month before. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 65% of our customers book within a month of pickup.

Simba Car Hire is the cheapest company at Cairns Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £38 a day over the last 12 months, but does not yet have enough reviews for a score. For a scored alternative, Bargain Car Rentals averages £42 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months, from 686 prices, which is £4 more a day than Simba Car Hire. Bargain Car Rentals scores 85/100 from 32 reviews, but its airport desk requires a credit card. If you need a debit card, Everything Fleet accepts one at its airport desk and averages £51 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Hertz is the best-reviewed company at Cairns Airport, scoring 90/100 from 35 reviews, but allow for an average desk wait of 23 minutes. Hertz is not the cheapest: its Intermediate car averages £135 a day over the last 12 months, from 3,051 prices. Simba Car Hire averages £38 a day for an Intermediate car over the same period, £97 less a day than Hertz, but does not yet have enough reviews for a score. For a cheaper scored option, compare Bargain Car Rentals: its Intermediate car averages £42 a day over the last 12 months, from 686 prices, and it scores 85/100 from 32 reviews.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At Cairns Airport, typical card deposits range from £105 to £525, and only 2 of the 9 desks accept debit cards outright, so check card eligibility before comparing prices. East Coast and Everything Fleet accept debit cards; Europcar and Keddy by Europcar accept them for some cars only. The other 5 desks require a credit card, so filter for debit-card acceptance before you compare prices and check the rule beside your chosen car. Extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their prices.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

At Cairns Airport, check your deposit card and leave time for collection, because credit-card-only desks and desk waits can delay your departure. 5 of the 9 desks require a credit card, while 2 accept debit cards only for some cars, so confirm the rule for your chosen car before booking. Hertz and Sixt each hold a typical £525 deposit, so check that your card has enough available credit. Allow for average desk waits of 24 minutes at Budget and 23 minutes at Hertz before scheduling anything after pickup.

Cars are collected at the International Terminal at Cairns Airport, which is not always the terminal you land in.

Fuel is full tank out, full tank back on 96% of prices at Cairns Airport, so there is no fuel charge to be surprised by.

At Cairns Airport, choose an Intermediate car such as a Kia Sportage at £66 a day in November 2026, around a month before your trip: it seats 5 but takes 4 bags. If you have fewer bags, a Compact car such as a Toyota Corolla Hybrid averages £54 a day in November 2026; it seats 5 but takes only 3 bags, so check luggage before stepping down. For 5 people with 5 bags, a Fullsize car such as a Toyota Camry Hybrid averages £78 a day in November 2026 at the same lead time. Over the last 12 months, 99% of cars offered are automatic, so finding one should be straightforward. Hybrids account for 19% of cars offered and electric cars for 2%, so compare hybrids if you want more choice between those options.