Hiring a car is the best way to see the South Island and Queenstown is a great place to start or finish the ultimate road trip experience. In this post I’m going to share my top 10 tips for Queenstown car rentals to help you plan your bucket list South Island road trip.
There are many car rental companies to choose from and vehicle options ranging from prestigious vehicles to cheap and cheerful compact cars. And don’t forget the camper van option for the ultimate freedom experience.
You’ll have transport and accommodation covered with the freedom to go where the road takes you…literally! There are a few things worth considering when choosing who to go with and what to consider which I am going to share with you.
The South Island is such a vast area with a range of terrains to navigate and a variety of seasons which may impact the type of vehicle you choose. Regardless of what you go with, hitting the open road is an experience you won’t forget. The scenery is diverse and breathtaking with so much variety and many hidden gems waiting to be explored.
» Try this epic Queenstown to Mount Cook road trip.
Top 10 Tips for Renting a Car in Queenstown
1. Car Rental Companies
There are many Queenstown car rentals to choose from. Here, I’ve grouped the main companies into sections to help you target where to start your search and selection of who to go with based on the different types of car rental companies available. Once you decide on the type of company you can compare options between the companies in each category or even between the different categories to see which offers the best value option for you based on what you need.
We like booking our rental car through DiscoverCars.com because they search the best deals for you!
Premium
AVIS, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Enterprise and Thrifty are well known nationwide companies that tend to have a larger fleet of vehicles available in both the number and variety of vehicles.
Mid-Range
Ace, Ezi Car, Omega, Apex, RaD, SIXT, GO, Scotties, EZU and Pegasus have a variety of vehicle types with several locations throughout New Zealand although perhaps not as extensive as the ones mentioned above.
Budget
Smaller car rental companies that have a few select branches and a more limited fleet but often cheaper pricing include Touchdown, Queenstown Car Rentals, Moto and Yes Rentals.
Speciality
NZ 4WD Hire Queenstown is a smaller company with branches in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown who specialize in 4WD and AWD vehicles. Great option for sporting adventures or a safe option for visiting in the winter season.
Queenstown Car Rentals is a local company offering a range of vehicles from compact to 4WD to minibus and van options.
Britz, Campervan Hire Queenstown, JUCY and Southern Campers all offer fully equipped camper van options.
2. Types of Vehicles to Consider
All of the Queenstown car rentals will offer at least a couple of different types of vehicles. The larger nationwide companies tend to have the largest fleet in terms of number of vehicles available and variety of vehicle type options to choose from.
The vehicles also tend to be newer with latest models less than a year old and not more than a couple of years old depending on the company.
Some of the smaller budget car rental companies will have a very limited fleet. For example, Yes Rentals has two vehicle options to choose from, either a compact vehicle or a van.
Companies that specialise in specific types of vehicles such as camper vans tend to book out in peak seasons as they are are a really popular choice for the ultimate South Island road trip. We highly recommend you book early for these.
3. Pricing
Pricing can vary between companies quite considerably so it’s worth shopping around and comparing prices from several different Queenstown car rentals. If you can be flexible around the type of vehicle it’s also worth checking across a few different vehicle options.
Sometimes companies will run a special offer for a particular vehicle type that is in less demand at that point in time. It’s hitting the right company at the right time but worth a check. Most companies will advertise special promotions on their main page as well.
When comparing prices be sure you are comparing a like for like option. I don’t mean just as in vehicle type but also around what is included in the base fee and what isn’t. For example, some car rental companies will charge additional fees like an airport surcharge if you are picking up from the airport branch or a cap on mileage with an additional cost if you go over that amount.
Discover Cars is a good price comparison and booking website. Once you enter the pick up location and pick up and drop off dates it will search for the best rates across the different car rental companies.
Peak times can affect availability and pricing so if you have the option to plan your trip for an off peak time it may give you more availability of vehicles and a better chance of securing a lower rate.
If you do plan to travel during peak seasons then you’ll definitely want to book well in advance especially if you want a particular or speciality vehicle type as the demand can be high and they do book out.
If you are traveling one way car rental companies may offer you the option to move stock from one location to another. For example they may need a vehicle moved from their Christchurch branch to their Queenstown branch or vice versa.
You may be able to secure a really good price but may have to compromise on flexibility if they require the car to be delivered to the new location in a certain timeframe.
It could be something that’s worth checking out especially if the budget is tight and your goal is to get from point A to point B rather than an extended tour around the South Island.
4. Add Ons To Consider
Many car rental companies will offer things you can add on to the standard rental rate for an additional price. These extras can range from things like GPS units and car seats to roadside assistance to collision damage waivers, which is where you pay a little more for a lower or zero excess should the vehicle be damaged. It’s worth having a look through to see what options might add value for you.
Two things I always pay extra for are snow chains (more on this in point 5) if you will be traveling around the South Island of New Zealand in winter and the collision damage waiver. The standard excess for a car rental can be as high as $2500 (more for larger or specialty vehicles). I prefer to have the comfort of knowing I won’t be hit with a large bill if something happens and the vehicle gets damaged.
5. Snow chains
If you are traveling in winter I highly recommend you carry snow chains along with your car rental especially if you plan on traveling along the high country or alpine roads such as the Lindis Pass and Crown Range.
Snow chains, which can also be referred to as tyre chains, are devices that fit over the tyres of your vehicle to provide extra grip when you’re driving through snowy or icy conditions.
They are fitted only to the driving wheels of the vehicle so will either go on two or four wheels depending if you hire a two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle. If you are hiring a two-wheel drive vehicle be sure to check with the car rental company if the driving wheels are the front or back wheels.
Most car rental companies will either include them with the rental package or you can purchase them for an extra cost. Some will charge a per day rate and others will charge a flat rate to hire snow chains so it’s worth checking when you make your booking.
Most companies are also pretty good with making sure you know how to fit them to the wheels of the vehicle before you drive away. If not, there are plenty of YouTube videos to help you out if you get stuck.
While the Queenstown Lakes District Council recommends you carry snow chains as a precaution, there are some routes such as the Milford Sound and Crown Range, where the New Zealand law on snow chains means you need to carry them.
If you see signs saying you need to fit snow chains and are caught without them you may be fined. The Crown Range has checkpoints in winter. Alpine Roads that require snow chains have plenty of designated areas where you can safely pull over to put the snow chains on.
If you find yourself without snow chains while on the road and are wishing you had them, you can purchase them from places such as Repco, Supercheap Auto and some gas stations. They may run you a couple of hundred New Zealand dollars though.
If you are traveling through somewhere like Wanaka, some of the snowboard and ski rental companies such as the Green Toad have them to rent out at a per day rate. These options are more expensive than including them through your Queenstown car rentals though.
This actually happened to us while traveling from Queenstown to Mt Cook. We saw the weather report was calling for snow and ice and found ourselves in a little compact vehicle with no snow chains!
Luckily the Green Toad had the right size chains for our car, we just had to make a stop there on the return journey to bring them back. We really wished we had hired them with the car rental. It would have been so much cheaper and easier.
6. GPS
Something else we learned is that if you choose to go with one of the small low cost Queenstown car rentals the vehicles are usually imports. This means the built-in GPS may not be available in English.
We hired a small car through Yes Rentals for a great price and the GPS unit in the vehicle was only available in Chinese and Japanese.
This wasn’t an issue as we were able to navigate easily enough using Google Maps on our phone. However, I thought this was worth mentioning so that if you are visiting from overseas and you are not fluent in either of these languages you may want to ensure you have access to the local network to navigate using your phone.
SIM cards are easy enough to pick up from retailers, convenience stores and gas stations.
7. Insurance
To drive in New Zealand, you must have a current and valid overseas driver licence or international driving permit. Offering basic insurance is a mandatory requirement for New Zealand car rental companies but there isn’t really a standard which means it can vary between companies.
The terms and conditions should explain what is and isn’t covered which I know is not the most fun job to do.
Many car rental companies in New Zealand will offer the option of reducing the excess for an extra fee as mentioned above as well as extended roadside assistance and or windscreen cover.
If you have travel insurance it may be worth checking if it includes car rentals and what coverage is offered. You may be fully covered for the excess and other costs without having to pay extra to the car hire company to reduce the excess or provide the additional coverage.
8. Car Rental Locations
Most of the Queenstown car rental companies are based either right at the airport or in Frankton near the airport. Many near the airport offer a shuttle service from the airport to the pick up locations.
There are a couple of companies who have branches right in Queenstown’s main town center. Something to consider when planning your trip.
It’s also worth asking what the policy is for dropping off at a different location to where you picked up the vehicle if you prefer not to plan a return trip to Queenstown.
9. Useful Accessories
Here are some accessories we found useful to have in the car. If you’re traveling in winter a little plastic windshield scraper may come in handy if one isn’t already included in the vehicle. Those alpine mornings can be pretty frosty. You can pick up a cheap one at convenience stores or gas stations.
Most vehicles have a USB port for keeping your phone charged which may be needed especially if you are relying on your phone to navigate around. So don’t forget to bring your phone’s charging cable and any adaptors depending on the type of cable you have.
A bottle of water is also useful to keep on hand especially in the winter season. Bring plenty of water to drink, but also keep a spare bottle handy specifically for washing the windshield.
Some roads can get pretty mucky after a snowfall or lots of rain and although the water tank in the vehicle should already be topped up we found the spare water to be very useful. If you are traveling in summer it’s also useful to have to wash your hands or feet after a pit stop at local swimming holes.
And lastly, you can’t have a road trip without a great playlist!
10. Drive with Caution
If you aren’t familiar with the area, check the NZTA website for road updates especially if accessing more remote areas, particularly in winter or after bad weather, which can be prone to flooding, snow and ice. Alpine conditions can be changeable especially when driving through the mountain ranges such as the Crown Range Road or Lindis Pass.
It was sunny when we left Queenstown and then quickly turned to sleet and snow at the top of the Crown Range while traveling in early July. We took it nice and slow.
There are lots of bays to pull over and let locals who are more familiar and comfortable driving these roads to pass by. Take lots of breaks. There are some awesome lookouts along the way to stop and enjoy.
Conclusion
We’ve rented vehicles from several different companies that I’ve listed above, from the well known larger companies like Hertz to the smaller budget options such as YES Rentals.
We learned something new each time and picked up little tips and tricks along the way. I hope you found these tips useful in helping you choose the best Queenstown car rental options for you.
Most importantly, once the choice is made and you arrive in Queenstown…have fun and enjoy the ride!
If you are staying in Queenstown for a bit check out my article on the best places to eat. Arrowtown is also a great place to explore from Queenstown if you have a vehicle. It’s the cutest little town with an amazing selection of cafes and fun activities to do.
You might also like:
- Queenstown Things To Do – Top 10 Experiences To Help You Plan The Ultimate Day Trips
- Queenstown Accommodation – 14 Best Places to Stay For Every Budget
- 10 Best Things To Do In Queenstown, New Zealand For The Adventurous!
Heather is a travel enthusiast living in New Zealand with her family. She writes about living in and enjoying travel to New Zealand.