Adelaide Airport is a practical starting point for South Australian road trips: six major rental desks sit on the terminal ground floor beside baggage claim, with returns on the ground floor of P1. Tanunda in the Barossa is about 70 minutes from the airport; the Fleurieu Peninsula is about an hour south of Adelaide, and Cape Jervis, the Kangaroo Island ferry port, is about a two-hour drive from the city. Allow around five hours from Adelaide to Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. For an island-only trip, compare pickup at Kingscote Airport with Hertz or Budget and check the selected offer for its exact collection point. If you take a mainland car on SeaLink, identify it as a hire car and declare any EV or hybrid, then check your rental terms.
Updated
The search starts at Adelaide Airport [ADL]; change the pick-up to any airport or city. Prices are in Australian dollars.
Preparing live car hire search
SeaLink takes hire cars from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw (about 45 minutes) if you tick 'This is a hire car' and declare EV or hybrid. Whether a hire car may sail is set by your rental agreement and varies by company, so confirm before booking. The ferry runs daily except Christmas Day.
At Coffin Bay National Park, Yangie Bay, Point Avoid and Golden Island lookout can be reached on sealed roads or 2WD, but the northern beaches are high-clearance 4WD only. The transport department's outback road warnings map also flags roads open to 4WD only. Your rental agreement may restrict unsealed roads, so check it rather than assume.
Check the DIT outback road warnings map before a long run north for current closures and vehicle restrictions. Aroona Valley Road and Bunyeroo Gorge Road may close after heavy rain; most of the park is scheduled to close 6 to 9 November 2026 for pest control.
Kangaroos and wallabies are most often on country roads at dawn and dusk, and Kangaroo Island's tourism body gives the same warning for the island. Plan long rural drives for daylight.
If you are just visiting Australia, you can drive with a current overseas licence, provided you are not disqualified from driving in any country. If it is not in English you need an English translation or an international driver's licence, and you must carry the documents at all times.
Unless signed otherwise, the default limit is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h outside them, and 25 km/h in a school zone when a child is present.
In August 2024 the South Australian government and the Opposition both rejected a proposal to toll the North-South Corridor. Check your rental agreement for toll terms.
Summer (December to February)
Kangaroo Island's most popular season, and also its fire season. In the Flinders Ranges and outback, some places close from mid December to mid February because of extreme heat.
Autumn (March to May)
Autumn offers daylight for exploring, typical maximums around 20°C and wildflowers such as banksias and flame heath.
Winter (June to August)
Kangaroo Island averages around 15C maximum and 8C minimum, and southern right whales visit.
Spring (September to November)
Warmer, longer days on Kangaroo Island, with maximums around 19C and wildflowers blooming along the coast.
Where the answer depends on your rental agreement, we say so rather than guess.
Adelaide Airport has six major car-hire desks on the terminal ground floor beside baggage claim. For an island-only pickup, compare Kingscote Airport options from Hertz or Budget and check the selected offer's collection point.
SeaLink accepts hire cars. Select the hire-car option and declare whether your vehicle is electric or hybrid. Check that your rental agreement permits the crossing before you book.
Allow about five hours from Adelaide to Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. Check current road and park alerts before an outback drive.
RAA Charge has more than 140 locations and over 550 charging plugs across South Australia, with 75% of its locations in regional SA. Check current sites on the RAA Charge map or in the Chargefox app. Bring your own Type 2 cable for RAA AC chargers.
Tanunda in the Barossa is about 70 minutes from Adelaide Airport. The Fleurieu Peninsula is about an hour south of Adelaide city, and Cape Jervis, where the Kangaroo Island ferry leaves, is about a two-hour drive from the city.