Apex, Cairns Airport Car Rental

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Best price car rental
Address
Pick-up
Drop-off
Opening Hours
Deposit
Accepted Cards
E-voucher
Age requirements
Driver's License Requirements
Additional Extras
Cross Border
Cross Islands
Distances to Landmarks

Apex - Cairns Airport Information, Car Rental Instructions & Policies

Address

396 SHERIDAN STREET, CAIRNS NORTH, QLD 4870

Telephone

+61740532896 / +61800723922

Pick-up Instructions

The Apex - Cairns Airport car rental location is located out of the airport

Please contact the staff to pick you up to Apex - Cairns Airport car rental when you arrived.

Domestic Terminal 1. AFTER collecting your luggage, please do the following: a. Please click on the “Ready to Collect” button on the email we’ve sent you recently OR b. Phone our office toll free on 1800 273 922 (or +617 4053 2896) and advise you are ready for an Apex shuttle pick-up. From the Baggage Claim area, Walk through the terminal past baggage carousel #3 and exit through the doors at the end of the terminal. 2. Follow the yellow and black painted line on the concrete up to and across the pedestrian crossing. 3. Continue along the yellow and black line and stop at the Courtesy Coach Pickup Area (approx. 30m past the pedestrian crossing). 4. Wait here for the Apex Car Rentals shuttle van. 5. Customers will be collected in the order they are marked as ready for pickup. During peak periods wait times may be longer due to high demand, your patience will be appreciated. International Terminal 1. After collecting your luggage, please do the following: a. Please click on the “Ready to Collect” button on the email we’ve sent you OR b. Phone our office toll free on 1800 273 922 (or +617 4053 2896) and advise you are ready for an Apex shuttle pick-up. 2. From the Arrivals Hall, exit the International Terminal through the doors with the Domestic Terminal sign above it. 3. Turn right and walk to the departures end of the terminal building. 4. Cross the pedestrian crossing, follow the foot path, cross another pedestrian crossing and then follow the yellow and black painted line on the concrete. 5. This will take you to the Courtesy Coach Pickup Area. 6. Wait here for the Apex Car Rentals shuttle van. 7. Customers will be collected in the order they are marked as ready for pickup. During peak periods wait times may be longer due to high demand, your patience will be appreciated.

Drop-off Instructions

Vehicle needs to be returned to our depot at 396 Sheridan Street, Cairns. Parking entrance at Okeefe St. We will shuttle you to the terminal from our depot.

Opening Hours

Days of Week	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Opening hours	08:00 -17:00	08:00 -17:00	08:00 -17:00	08:00 -17:00	08:00 -17:00	08:00 -17:00	08:00 -17:00

Deposit

Deposits are depending on which car type your rental car falls into, and can be paid with credit cards (pre-authorization)

Representative Car Models	Deposit Amount(approx.)	Business Days Required for Refund
Applicable to all car types，incl. Compact，Suv，Economy，Mini and others. Pack up ^	USD300-5000	30-60

Accepted Cards

Credit cards from the following providers are accepted for rentals at this location: Visa, Master

E-voucher

Yes. E-voucher is accepted. Show the digital voucher on your mobile instead of a print-out is good enough.

Age requirements

21 - 80 years old

Driver's License Requirements

The main driver and any additional drivers must provide a full physical driving licence with no major endorsements. The license should be held for at least 1 year(s).

For foreign renters, you need to bring:

Original driving licence + International Driving Permit (IDP)

Please note that an International Driving Permit (IDP) is only a translation. You must present your original driving licence together with the original IDP at the counter — photocopies or scanned copies are not accepted.

Original driving licence + NAATI Translation

The translation of the driver's license certified by the Australian Translation and Accreditation Institute (NAATI) can be used to rent a car and drive in Australia.

For local renters, you need to bring:

Full driver's license issued in Australia

Additional Extras

Extras Prices

GPS rental

Provided by the local stores. Usually, interface and voice are of the local language.

To be confirmed

Infant car seat rental

Recommended for children weighing under 20 lbs /9kg (birth to approx. 1-12 months).

AUD 9999/day

Child car seat rental

Recommended for children weighing 20-40 lbs /9-18kg (approx. 1 - 3 years)‌

To be confirmed

Child booster seat rental

Recommended for children weighing 40-80 lbs /18-36 kg

To be confirmed

Cross Border

To be updated

Cross Islands

Conditional:

Depending on which island to bring the rental cars to, policies differ:
Bruny Island, Kangaroo Island, Phillip Island

Rental cars can only be driven on sealed/bitumen or well maintained roads.Vehicles are not to be taken above the snow line.Excluded from the protection is driving on beaches or through streams, dams, rivers or flood water.

Must-not:

Taking rental cars to following islands is not allowed：
Fraser Island

Excess

To be updated

Fuel Policy (what does it mean)

Full to Full

Distances to Airports | Railway Stations | Hotels | Other Landmarks

Airports

1.5 mi from Cairns Airport

Railway Stations

2.2 mi from Cairns Railway Station

Hotels

0.4 mi from Park Royal

0.4 mi from The Lakes Resort Cairns

0.5 mi from Nomads Cairns

FIND ME A CHEAP RENTAL

Map view of Apex Store Location

coordinates: -16.8986977 145.7558963

Location Images

The Rental Desk

Guest Reviews

Total points： 9.2 / 10 Excellent

Vehicle condition: 8.9
Vehicle cleanliness: 9.0
Spaciousness: 9.0
Counter staff: 9.2
Pick-up location: 8.4
Drop-off location: 8.6
Pick-up time: 10-30 mins
Drop-off time: 0-10 mins

J.hughes
Cairns
9.8 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Excellent all round
Dislike: Some rain
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N.Ali
Cairns
9.8 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: I left my makeup bag in the glove box when I returned the vehicle before my flight; they drove it up to me to collect at the departures before my flight took off! All of the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. I would definitely use Apex again and recommend to others. Thanks for everything, y’all!
Dislike: I had to keep plugging in and out the USB cable for the music to come through on the radio.
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Paul H
Cairns
9.8 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Have dealt with airport counter staff in the past for car hire firms. Efficient but a bit clinical. It was so nice to go through the car rental details with Apex in Cairns. A nice office and chairs for the customers to sit while the paperwork was checked. No rush, no upsell, just friendly staff who cared and exhibited the lovely attitude that is more prevalent when leave the capital cities and deal with friendly regional people who value your patronage, and who care. Probably the best rental experience I have had in many many years.
Dislike: All good.
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C.Strasburg
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Apex we're so friendly and helpful and the car was perfect
Dislike: After a bit of a mix up, trying to deal with the staff at Easycar rentals was impossible....luckily Apex could take over and sort it
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Brad
Cairns
9.2 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: I travel frequently and rent cars at times. Other major rental agencies have much to learn vs Apex. I had two drivers and insurance included for much less than other options.
Dislike: Car was very reasonable for price but a few minor scratches - interior was perfect.
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A.Wright
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Ease of pick-up drop off, friendly staff and condition of vehicle.
Dislike: Vehicle drop off was a little sqweezy.
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J.Morris
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Picked up quickly from the airport. Was served immediately when we arrived at the rental location. The car was ready, had plenty of room and drove well. On return we were dropped off promptly at the airport. Great service, excellent rates, would definitely recommend and use Apex again if I visited Cairns.
Dislike: Nothing
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J.TAYLOR
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Dislike: thought I would pick up the car t the airport
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M.Riley
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: This is the second time we've rented off you - an enjoyable experience.
Dislike: Shame you won't pick up and drop off from the International Terminal. We travel with 2 large golf bags, 2 others bags and hand luggage so it would be nice to be collected at the terminal rather than having to navigate our way across to the pickup area.
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Jeffro
Cairns
9.8 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Nice car, friendly and efficient service.
Dislike: We had to wait until the next morning after arriving because there was no after hours pickup.
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G.Crow
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Heritage walking and train
Dislike: Very touristy.....
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E.Freeman
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Like: Happy with the service
Dislike: Nothing
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D.Winter
Cairns
8.7 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
rental fee for Nav very expencive. in addition map data was very old, did. even not know drop off location!!!
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N.Bhatia
Cairns
8.3 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car we got was very old and we didn't like the condition of the car. Drive of the vehicle was not good either. Baby seats we got were in terrible condition, very dirty. However very spacious car, seats were in good condition.
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S.Kozlowski
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The counter staff were beyong lovely. On pick up we got great advice on local area's to visit, as it was wet season we were notified to be careful so the girl truly went above and beyond.
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Dennis
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The booking was upgraded to a Hyundai i30
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C.PRINGLE
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Easiest car rental I've had, great price and the staff at Apex excellent. They did not try to push extras on you and additional driver at no extra cost. Great car as well.
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Paula T
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Great staff in cairns office
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P.Charuk
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
All excellent hardly any waiting time, free uograde, excellent service.
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P.Kimani
Cairns
6.7 /10 Average
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car service was good. Price was competitive I would use the service again
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Scott
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Hassle free booking. No time wasted waiting around. Very efficient
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R.Bennett
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car was great
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B.Sporys
Cairns
8 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car was better then expected!
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B.Duggan
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The experience was great. Will happily book with you again in the future. However, my only quibble was that I was expecting a counter for picking up keys. It would be better if you could notify people what to do when they arrive at the airport. A simple text with instructions would have been great.
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M.Matthys
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
We waited for 20 minutes to get our car. Return was quick and easy. Service was great and friendly staff.
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M.Moore
Cairns
6 /10 Average
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Terrible customer service from apex, left us at Cairns airport for over 45mins without any communication as to why.
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P.Rowell
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Apex were very good No complaints at all
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A.Jaswal
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The Car was as good as new. The staff especially brooke and the drop off driver were really great. Awesome customer service. Will book them for next trip and recommend to others
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Anonymous
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The customer staff at Apex was excelellent. We got upgraded to a larger vehicle, better vehicle and everything was smooth. Will use Apex again.
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A.Clay
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
everything straightforward and easy - very good service
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Anonymous
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The best thing about Apex in Cairns was the counter staff. We were helped by a lady originally from Liverpool and she was excellent giving us great tourist tips and recommendations on how to get around. Great service. The car was fine, no hassles. Thanks!
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M.Jarvis
Cairns
8.3 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very helpful and vey fair. Pamela in the Cairns office was very professional during the vehicle inspection process.
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Anonymous
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Fantastic staff with great recommendations on things to check out in the area, as well as honest feedback about what should/could be avoided.
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G.Barnes
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Everything associated with our rental, from the booking, the staff at the pick up/drop off, the vehicle, use of vehicle, to drop off was excellent -EXCEPT - the instructions as to where to pick up the courtesy van at Cairns International Airport - should have read "turn right out of main door Terminal 1 and proceed towards domestic terminal for courtesy van - pick up approx half way between International and Domestic Terminals" - words to that effect. Now we know where the pick up area is, it is fine, but for first timers the instructions on the Easy Rent a car app are vague.
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M.Nagel
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very helpful and polite staff
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J.Tuley
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The Apex staff was AMAZING!!! They were very accommodating.
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Chris Reyes
Cairns
7 /10 Good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The only trouble we had was with pick up from Cairns airport and finding the drop off location in Sydney,. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
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Anonymous
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Booking on line was easy. Pick up was an easy process Worked through well
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Azlan & Asbira
Cairns
8 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The car was very good, and we were well attended by the service staffs, but it took us quite a while to be picked up from n to the airport. We had no Australian phone no as we just landed, so we couldn’t call for pick up and just have to wait till it arrived. It took us around 45-60 minutes to be at the airport from the time we arrived at the car rental for returning of vehicle.
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Simon Thomas
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The Apex, Process was quick with no Fuss, very Happy
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A. Gale
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
When we arrived at the airport to pick up our car, it was easy to find the shuttle location to take us to the rental. The bus comes every 15 minutes. We received a brand new car which was great. The lady who helped us with our booking was friendly and offered some suggestions of places to visit. Drop off was also simple and fast.
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M.Jaggs
Cairns
8 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Overall the car was good for what we wanted. We thought we were getting a Hyundai Accent but instead were given a Kia Rio which was still ok for us as we didn’t have a lot of luggage. The time spent picking up and dropping off wasn’t too bad and the staff members we dealt with were friendly and helpful. Luckily for us we didn’t have any issues with the car including accidents so we can only comment on the service we received which was very good overall.
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J.Carter
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car was in very good condition and was a good size for our trip. Collection and drop off was very easy and the staff were great.
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S.Rise
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Couldn't have had a better experience. The staff were lovely, the car was perfect and the price was excellent. I was there during a very difficult time (death of my Mother) and I was treated with such calm respect. I'm a firm fan of Apex now, and will hire from them for all future needs.
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E.Dionysius
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Apex staff were easy going and informative and helpful.
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Michael
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very easy to deal with. Caught the free shuttle bus both for pick up and drop off and both times was prompt
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L.Ricci
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
easy renters did not l tell me that if I don’t pick up the car before 5pm that I couldn’t pick up the car at all according to Apex.
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T.Dickinson
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Cairns Apex staff were friendly and helpful.
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C.Noble
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very smooth process & helpful staff
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ChristineN
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Staff were excellent to deal with, most efficient and helpful. Lovely car
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M.Otten
Cairns
8.3 /10 Very good
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The company needs to start to accept NSW digital licences. Apart from that they have good customer service. Cars could do with modernising
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R.Ganapathy
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
I had to pay for another insurance even though I had already paid for the same through you. I was told at Apex that I Will have to pay the excess to them and claim it from you guys if anything happens which was not informed at the time of booking through you.
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R.S
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Friendly staff, easy pick up and drop off process. The car was great and economical for our trip.
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S.Lynch
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The service was very good and efficient. The car had a few bumps and marks which made me a little anxious that they could be blamed on us.
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Thomas Dermot
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car was great
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P.Thompson
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
The people at Apex were awesome, the car was lovely. The whole process was too easy.
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B.Smith
Cairns
9.7 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Fantastic service, great value and the staff were excellent to deal with.
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Anonymous
Cairns
9.7 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
They were great. Very friendly and helpful.
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Julie
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Car was great, we got an upgrade. Staff happy and helpful. Everything was easy
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Anonymous
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
I found apex excellent to deal with. Friendly staff, great service and great car.
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C.Ullyatt
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Issues with phone and internet on pick up day. Mix up due to lack of internet that Was difficult to add excess reduction fee. Rented again later in week, booked directly nil issues.
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M.Fenning
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very helpful and understanding staff at Apex
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K.McElduff
Cairns
9.3 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very friendly and helpful staff.
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P.Armstrong
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Extremely happy with car and service. Will definitely book through them again
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C.MacLeod
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very nice car suited for city driving and long trips. Not good on the hills needs more grunt. But it was easy to drive and very comfortable over long distances.
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Norman Garcia
Cairns
2 /10 Poor
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
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Sid Lindsay
Cairns
6 /10 Average
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
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Ingrid Fox
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Very satisfied
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O.Kis
Cairns
10 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Excellent
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A.McDonnell
Cairns
9 /10 Excellent
Reviewed: Saturday, December 20, 2025
I would easily go through Apex again, I had no issues at all. Very simple process, great staff.
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