Best Car Rental in New Zealand: Companies, Costs, and Requirements

Got a trip planned across the Tasman? Having your own wheels makes it far easier to explore at your own pace on a tourist visit, or make appointments on time and in comfort if you’re heading off for business.

There’s no single best car rental in New Zealand, as what’s right for you depends on the type of vehicle you need, the duration of your visit and where you’ll be arriving. This guide introduces some great options to consider, including regional and global vehicle hire providers which have a strong presence in New Zealand. You can also learn more about the Wise card, an easy way to stretch your dollars when paying in foreign currencies.

Best Car Rental Companies in New Zealand

Let’s look at the best car rental New Zealand options for you to explore. To help you understand how much car rental in New Zealand costs, we’ve also included an example quote for a week’s hire from Auckland airport. Bear in mind that this is indicative only, based on fixed dates and driver age. You’ll need to generate your own quotes to get a full comparison.

Avis Car Rental

Avis¹ is a global car rental service which has a good fleet range in New Zealand from small cars for local use, through to SUVs and even trucks and buses. Depending on where you’re arriving in New Zealand you may be able to get in terminal pickup for convenience.

• Locations: 6 airports, 20+ plus additional city and town branches
• Fleet type: Electric, Small/Mid/Full size, People Movers, SUV, Premium Ute
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): Compact SUV, in terminal pick up, around 1,360 NZD

Budget Car Rental

Budget² is another global car hire option with a strong presence in New Zealand covering 35+ locations like Queenstown, Christchurch, Auckland and other towns, cities and airports. Particularly good for New Zealand airport car rental, with in terminal options. Hire for anything from a few hours to 11 months depending on your needs.

• Locations: 35+ locations including 6 airports
• Fleet type: Electric and hybrid, Small/Mid/Full size, People Movers, SUV, 4WD
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): Compact SUV, in terminal pick up, around 1,300 NZD

Enterprise Car Rental

Enterprise³ has a strong airport presence although terminal pick up may not always be an option. This can allow for slightly cheaper prices compared to some competitors, with a good range of vehicles available.

• Locations: Locations in 7 airports and also Auckland city center
• Fleet type: Cars, SUVs and trucks across various classes and sizes
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): Economy 4-door car from around 750 NZD, car rental center pick up location

Europcar Car Rental

Europcar⁴ offers a 24/7 service in airport locations and also has city hire options depending on your needs. Vehicles are new and span a range of types and sizes, with fairly low starting prices and loyalty offers for regular customers.

• Locations: 15 locations across New Zealand including some in airports
• Fleet type: Electric, hybrid and plug-in, small cars and premium options
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): Intermediate SUV from around 520 NZD, car rental center pick up location

Ezi Car Rental

Ezi⁵ is one of the major car rental companies in New Zealand with a large presence around airports and other common hire locations. Hire costs are on the lower end - representing the cheapest car rental in New Zealand in some cases - and options include additional free drivers in some cases.

• Locations: 16 international/domestic airports, plus city locations and some presence in train stations
• Fleet type: Electric and green cars, compact, SUVs, 4WDs and utes
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): Full size SUV from around 300 NZD, car rental center pick up location

Hertz Car Rental

Hertz⁶ has a very broad range of vehicle types from family vehicles to high power ‘adrenaline’ options, making this a good pick for a range of people, and possibly the best car rental in New Zealand if you want a convertible or sports car.

• Locations: 26+ locations in New Zealand covering major arrival and tourist destinations
• Fleet type: Cars and sedans, eclectic and green, SUVs and 4WD, as well as convertibles, performance cars, commercial vehicles
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): 5 door electric, in terminal pick up, around 850 NZD

Sixt Car Rental

Sixt⁷ has convenient airport locations in airports in New Zealand, allowing you to pick up a vehicle on arrival. There’s a decent range of car types, sizes and prices depending on the service you require.

• Locations: 6 airport locations in New Zealand
• Fleet type: Broad range of vehicles for tourist use, plus business services
• Example hire price (1 week from Auckland airport): Hybrid compact from around 400 NZD, car rental center pick up location

How to rent a car in New Zealand

You can compare car hire options through umbrella websites such as Booking.com⁸ or specialist comparison sites like Discover Cars⁹. This allows you to enter the driver’s age, residency, and the dates and pickup location needed to generate indicative quotes.

Once you’ve got an idea of the options you can either book your car hire directly through the comparison site or go over to the individual provider website to model your quote and check out special offers or deals.

It’s good to know some major car hire companies in New Zealand have promotional offers which may not show up on comparison sites. If you’re looking for the absolute best car rental company in New Zealand you’ll need to shop around and get a few extra direct quotes from providers to see if you’re eligible for upgrades or discounts when you book direct.

Eligibility for car rental

To hire a car in New Zealand you’ll usually need to be 21 or over, and hold a full driving license. If your license is not in English you need an International Driving Permit in addition to your government issued license.

Different car hire companies may have their own requirements beyond this - such as additional rules or costs for younger drivers or newly qualified drivers.

Things to note when renting a car in New Zealand

Here are a few final words on hiring a vehicle in New Zealand to help your trip go smoothly:

• Double check the requirements for your provider, in terms of documents and payment - you’ll always need your driving license, but you may also need an international driving permit.
• Ask the provider you pick how they manage deposits - usually a credit card is needed if you don’t want to hand over a large amount of cash.
• While you’re comparing rental rates, don’t forget the hidden costs of paying in a foreign currency. Using a standard Australian bank card can incur international transaction fees. Consider using a Wise card to avoid these charges and get the mid-market exchange rate every time.
• Make sure you get adequate insurance cover, which may include paying extra to lower the excess if you’d rather not risk a large bill if you cause any damage or have an accident.
• Check you’re eligible to hire - how old you have to be to rent a car in NZ depends on the provider, but it’s rarely possible to hire if you’re under 21.
• If your trip will take you between the North and South islands of New Zealand you may need to hire separate vehicles as hire cars are often not permitted on the ferries.

Best car rental company in New Zealand: Summary

There’s not one single best car rental company in New Zealand, as the top option for you will depend on the type of car you want, where you’re arriving into the country, and how long you need the vehicle for. The good news is that generating quotes to compare your options is pretty simple to do, so you can shop around and check out the deals on offer from different services.

Bring the Wise card along with you to save on foreign currency fees in New Zealand

If you're heading to New Zealand, here's a smart way to spend to keep costs down. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 7x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up AUD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in AUD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

🚀 Get your Wise card