Unsealed roads and hire cars
Whether a hire car can use a gravel road depends on the rental company’s contract and the exact road. Hertz Australia prohibits driving on unsealed roads except roads under repair and access roads to recognised camping or accommodation grounds, and it bars some roads even to 4WDs. Avis allows roads properly formed as sealed, metalled or gravel. A 4WD does not override the contract.
Updated
Key facts
- Hertz unsealed rule
- Generally prohibited with specific exceptions
- Hertz exceptions
- Roads under repair and access to recognised camping or accommodation grounds
- Hertz prohibited roads
- Some roads are barred to every Hertz vehicle, 4WD included; others need a 4WD
- Avis surface rule
- Sealed, metalled or gravel roads that are properly formed and constructed
- WA parks
- Sand, gravel and rocky tracks can be unsuitable for ordinary road vehicles
Can you take a rental car on gravel?
Sometimes, but never assume permission from the vehicle class. Hertz prohibits driving on unsealed roads except roads under repair and access roads to recognised camping or accommodation grounds, while Avis allows roads properly formed and constructed as sealed, metalled or gravel. Read your own contract, not a general article about 4WD capability.
Does hiring a 4WD change the rule?
It can change which roads are permitted, but a prohibited-road list can still apply to a 4WD. Hertz names some roads that need a 4WD, such as the Gibb River Road, and others that no Hertz vehicle may use, such as the Canning Stock Route and the Old Telegraph Track. Hertz also prohibits driving on a beach or through a flooded road or other body of water.
What counts as a formed road?
Avis allows only roads properly formed and constructed as sealed, metalled or gravel. Explore Parks WA advises that many unsealed sand, gravel and rocky park tracks are not suitable for regular road vehicles, and that older maps can show tracks that are now closed. A map line or park entrance is not permission to take a hire car beyond the formed road.
How should you build the trip?
Write down every unsealed approach, then check your rental company’s current terms and route exclusions. If permission is unclear, use the sealed access option or an authorised local transfer. Choose the pickup for the start of the sealed itinerary, and avoid paying for a 4WD that still cannot use the intended track.
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Prices are shown in Australian dollars. Check the pickup point and what the agreement allows on the roads in this guide before you book.
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Questions people ask
Can I take a rental car on an unsealed road?
It depends on the contract. Hertz and Avis examples apply different rules and exclusions.
Does a 4WD hire allow beach driving?
No automatic permission. Hertz, for example, prohibits driving on a beach. Check your own agreement.
Are gravel roads covered by rental insurance?
Coverage depends on the contract and how the vehicle is used. Read the damage and prohibited-use clauses.
What if a national park road is unsealed?
Check both the park’s road advice and the supplier’s rental agreement before driving it.