What is an insurance excess?

The excess is the amount you'll only be liable for in case of damage (under Collision Damage Waiver) or theft (under Theft Protection) of the vehicle. Information about the excess will be clearly stated in the price inclusion when you reserve a car on QEEQ.

How can I add an additional driver?

You are advised to make a request upon your arrival at the rental counter. Additional charge per day will incur unless '1 Additional Driver Included' is stipulated on the rental. Please note that the same licence and age requirement applies to the additional driver. The additional driver is supposed to present the required licence document along with the main driver at pickup.

New Zealand traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

The Complete New Zealand Driving and Rental Guide

With a territory as large as the United Kingdom but with only a population of 4.5 million inhabitants, New Zealand has always been a popular travel destination thanks to its beautiful and diverse natural sceneries. Here is a driving and rental guide we prepare especially for you aiming at helping you have a smooth road trip.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

In New Zealand, driving is on the left with overtaking on the right. New Zealand has the same system of signs and road code as you would find in the United Kingdom. During winter, especially in the mountains or on South Island, driving can be tricky. Therefore snow chains are highly recommended when renting a car at this season.

Speed Limit

There are speed limits of 100 km/h on highways and 50 km/h in urban areas unless signs say otherwise.

Traffic Signs

There are three major types of signs in New Zealand: compulsory, warning and information signs. Here are some of the regulatory signs that you may often see in New Zealand.

Stop

Give Way

No U-turn

30 km/h Speed Limit

No Stopping

Warning signs are diamond-shaped with yellow or green background.

60 km/h Speed Limit Ahead

Merging Traffic from Right

Road Bump

Watch for Large Animals (Cattle)

Railway Crossbuck

Information signs are in rectangular shape with a white background.

Left Turn at Any Time With Care

Cyclists Cross Here With Care (to the Left)

Further information on signs for driving in New Zealand can be found in this booklet.

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

The driver is responsible for ensuring all passengers under 15 years wear seat belts. Passengers aged 15 and over are responsible for putting seat belts on themselves.

Booster Seat Laws

All children under 7 must use an approved child restraint appropriate for their age and size.

You must correctly secure children aged between 7 and 8 in an approved child restraint if one is available in the vehicle. If not, in any child restraint or safety belt that is available.

For children aged between 8 and 14, a safety belt must be used. If not available, they must travel in the back seat.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

· Forbidden Parking

You cannot park your car in the following spots:

- Along the broken yellow lines along the side of the curb, since it means that parking is not permitted

- Near a corner, curve, hill, traffic island or intersection, if it will stop other people from seeing along the road

- On, or closer than 5 metres to a fire hydrant, unless somebody who can move the vehicle stays with it

- In front of or closer than 1 metre to a vehicle entrance

- On or closer than 6 metres to an intersection, unless there are parking spaces or a notice telling you that you can park there

· Parking Signs

Parking signs in New Zealand are marked with numbers indicating how long you can park the car and an arrow to indicate directions. Some are specified with the date of the week as well.

New Zealand Parking With Specified Time And Arrow

New Zealand Parking With Specified Time And Dates And Arrow

· Paid Parking

All machines accept New Zealand coins, and some of them have been introduced with credit cards and TXT-a-Park payment methods. Currently, you still need to go for Pay-and-Display parking. However, all machines will be upgraded by March 2018 to include Pay By Plate technology, which allows you to enter your vehicle’s registration plate number directly on the machine and pay for it by credit card, debit card, coins or TXT-a-Park. Note that there is a 50-cent fee for credit card or TXT-a-Park transaction.

New Zealand Paid Parking Metre (Image from Stuff.co.nz)

Fuel Prices

The average gasoline price in New Zealand in November 2017 is $2.22 per litre, while it is of $1.47 for diesel.

Toll

There are three toll roads in New Zealand: the Northern Gateway Toll Road north in Auckland, the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road and the Takitimu Drive Toll Road in Tauranga.

New Zealand Toll Road (Image from nzta.govt.nz)

How much you should pay depends on your car type. You can pay the tolls by debit or credit cards, POLi, and cash.

Debit or credit card

You can use your Visa or Mastercard to buy or pay a Pay & Go toll.

POLi

If you have Internet banking with ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, TSB Bank, Westpac or Bank Direct, then you can buy or pay a Pay & Go toll (external link) using Payment Online (POLi).

Note: POLi is not available for business internet banking customers.

Cash

If you prefer to pay with cash (or by debit/credit card) you can pay your tolls at selected service stations (a transaction fee of $1.20 per transaction will apply).

Be aware that as a car renter, not paying for the toll fee will result in the car hire company paying it for you and collecting the toll fee along with an add-on of management fee (note that it can sometimes be costly) from your credit card.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

If you are 20 or over, you must not drive if you have consumed more than the legal alcohol limit, which is 250 micrograms per litre of breath or 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood (0.05%). There is a zero tolerance for alcohol if you are under 20.

Traffic Fines

In New Zealand, exceeding the speed limit results in an infringement fine range from $30 to $630. The amount of the infringement fine will depend on the difference between the actual and legal speed limit.

As for parking, an infringement notice can be issued if a vehicle is parked illegally on public land, or in breach of what a parking sign says. In some circumstances, the vehicle can also be towed away if it is obstructing traffic.

Normally, there will be a website or hotline number on the front or back of the ticket as well as the reason for the violation fine and the relevant voucher number. Please be aware that you can log onto the website or call the hotline and follow the guidelines to pay the ticket.

Failure to pay tickets will result in the car hire company paying them on the renter’s behalf, and debit the renter credit card for the fine amount plus an administration fee. Please note that you can always contact QEEQ’ 24/7 customer service team for help if you have questions concerning this matter.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

At the time of rental in New Zealand, all drivers must present a full and valid driving licence from the renters country of residence and the licence should be held for at least 1 or 2 years ( policies may vary depending on car hire companies). An International Driving Permit is highly recommended for international drivers. If your domestic driving licence is not printed in English (Arabic, Japanese, Cyrillic etc), an International Driving Permit (IDP/IDL) or an official translation in English is required when you drive in New Zealand.

Minimum age in New Zealand is 21 years (age may vary depending on car category) and the maximum is 80 years of age. If you're 21-25, you are likely to have to pay a young driver fee. If you're 65 or older, you may have to pay a senior driver fee.

Guest reviews

1 /

Anonymous

November 3, 2026

Destination: Queenstown

10Excellent

Big company, very professional and attentive.

Right inside Queenstown Airport in a super visible spot

Destination: Christchurch

Everything was fine overall.

November 2, 2026

Really good overall, no complaints at all.

November 1, 2026

8Very good

Even though we didn’t speak the same language, the staff stayed really patient and tried their best to help.

October 31, 2026

Destination: Auckland

Service was pretty good overall.

Picking up in downtown Auckland and dropping off at the airport was really convenient. The RAV4 had plenty of space, handled New Zealand roads well, was clean, and ran without any issues. The paperwork was quick and easy, and the whole experience was great—I'll definitely go with them again next time!

October 29, 2026

Everything was excellent from start to finish.

Great branch, really solid service. Just a heads‑up: you’ll want to lock in your booking early to get a good price.

Dropping off the car was super easy – just handed over the keys and that was it, no one checking the car on the spot.

October 28, 2026

The rental company was excellent.

Everything went super smoothly and the car was practically brand new.

October 27, 2026

Really happy with the whole experience. The pickup and return location is about a 5‑minute drive from the airport, and they run a shuttle both ways. The guy at the counter was super friendly and explained everything really clearly. I’d already bought full insurance from the rental company in advance, so both pickup and drop‑off were really smooth—just handed back the keys and I was done. The car was in great condition, we drove all around the South Island with zero issues, and ACE’s prices are on the cheaper side too.

Excellent service, the staff were really attentive and responsible.

No waiting around at all – just show up and pick up the car right away.

October 26, 2026

The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, really made the whole experience feel welcoming.

Fantastic experience! They even drove us back to our nearby hotel after we returned the car. I got full coverage and there were no hidden charges at all—absolutely perfect from start to finish.

Very easy to use

October 25, 2026

The staff on-site suggested I add extra glass coverage, so I ended up paying a bit more, but everything else was fine.

Super friendly service and really smooth pick-up and return, plus the car was in great condition.

October 23, 2026

Went with Hertz – they’re reliable and easy to deal with.

Really good overall, staff were super friendly. The only downside was they clearly had the car type I booked, but still gave me a different MPV. Apart from not getting the exact car I wanted, everything else was great.

Pickup was super quick and smooth.

Super happy with this whole rental experience.

October 22, 2026

Destination: Marlborough District

They gave us a brand new MG, which was a really nice surprise.

Front desk was a bit slow.

October 21, 2026

Really happy with the whole rental this time. I’d definitely choose this company again next time.

The car itself was in pretty good shape. Renting and driving around in New Zealand was a really pleasant experience—super convenient and the roads are great to drive on.

October 20, 2026

The front desk staff were really friendly and welcoming.

I can sum up this rental in three words: awesome, awesome, awesome!

Destination: Wellington

Super quick and efficient service.

October 18, 2026

The staff at the counter were super friendly and even upgraded us to a bigger car for free.

It was okay, nothing special but not bad either.

The rental staff were really polite and easy to deal with.

October 17, 2026

Really happy with Budget – the service was great, the car they gave us was smart, compact and almost brand new. The staff, especially the young ladies at the counter, were super friendly and easy to talk to. The only downside was the engine struggled a bit on those 30° hills in Queenstown. Both pickup and drop-off were really easy to find though.

Had a great overall experience with SNAP. The staff were really friendly, check-in was quick with hardly any waiting, no hard selling and no hidden charges at all. Pick-up and drop-off were smooth and efficient from start to finish—super satisfied!

October 16, 2026

Pretty good overall.

Very professional service.

Very satisfied

Destination: Palmerston North

October 15, 2026

Too bad they didn’t have the Tesla I wanted.

Overall it was fine, really glad I went for the full coverage though.

Destination: Hamilton

The car was really new and drove great.

Super satisfied with the overall service.

The counter is right in the arrivals hall just after customs, really easy to spot.

Big, professional company – everything was clear and went smoothly from start to finish.

October 14, 2026

Service was pretty good, and they don’t nitpick with a flashlight when checking the car. The only downside is there’s no full coverage, so you can only get insurance with a NZ$600 excess. The car was in great condition and I drove carefully, so I didn’t end up needing it.

They first gave us a Yaris Cross and later swapped it for a same-class Subaru Outback, which was a nice upgrade.

October 12, 2026

They handled my issue really quickly.

Alamo felt really professional and well-run. Service was great, no hidden charges at all, and we got exactly the car we booked instead of being switched to some “similar model.” We chose to add full insurance ourselves. The lady at the counter was super energetic—when she heard we were on our honeymoon, she got really excited, explained all the important details very patiently, had us watch a safety video, and wished us an amazing trip. Picking up and returning the car was completely hassle-free.

New Zealand Car Rentals