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

August 1, 2026

Destination: Wellington

10Excellent

Service was really thoughtful. I was on the last red-eye into Wellington and had to catch an early ferry to the South Island the next morning, but the pickup time was long past their office hours. The rental company left the keys and car at the Z supermarket next to the airport and arranged for the staff there to hand everything over so I could just grab the car and go in the middle of the night. QEEQ and the rental company even called the next day to confirm I’d picked up the car. Super responsible and I really appreciate it.

Destination: Christchurch

Fuel-efficient and really convenient.

July 31, 2026

Destination: Auckland

Overall pretty good, just the car was a bit old.

Destination: Queenstown

Pickup and return were both super quick and hassle-free.

Absolutely delighted with the whole experience

July 28, 2026

Destination: Hamilton

Pretty good overall and pretty fast. One of the female staff was really friendly and helpful. The guy was Indian and a bit harder to understand. They told me if I paid an extra 48 yuan for their insurance I wouldn’t have to pay any excess, but I’d already bought the full domestic coverage QEEQ recommended, so I didn’t take it. Returning the car was smooth. I took photos and videos when picking up and dropping off the car, just in case.

Great experience overall – staff were friendly, easy to communicate with, and the return process was super smooth. I’d definitely rent from them again.

July 26, 2026

8Very good

Staff were really friendly and returning the car was super easy.

Super fast and efficient, and the car was exactly what I booked.

July 24, 2026

Mode keeps the car really clean inside.

July 23, 2026

Destination: Napier

Staff were really friendly and patient with us—overall a fantastic company to deal with.

July 22, 2026

Other than the car not being super new, everything else was great! The shuttle came really fast, the staff guy explained everything clearly and didn’t try to sell us any extra nonsense. The zero-excess insurance was only about 30 bucks a day, super cheap, and once you buy it they don’t even bother with a detailed inspection, so you’re not stressed about little scratches or dings. Plus it was a diesel, crazy fuel-efficient — about 2,100 km on just two tanks of gas.

Everything else was great, but on the fourth day the battery died. I called roadside assistance and they came out to replace it, all fully covered by the insurance.

July 20, 2026

Super satisfied with everything.

July 18, 2026

Overall pretty happy with the whole experience.

July 17, 2026

Destination: Nelson

I’ve rented from this company before and they’ve consistently been great in every aspect.

So far, it’s been fine.

July 16, 2026

Overall, the pickup and drop-off experience was excellent.

July 15, 2026

Overall really efficient service, they handled everything orderly in the queue and didn’t keep trying to upsell extras!

Super convenient – finished all the paperwork right in the airport and just walked outside to pick up the car. Returning it was just as easy.

July 13, 2026

The staff were super friendly and thoughtful, and they handled everything really fast!

Got a blue X-Trail, it had a foot brake and no tripod or anything, but with full coverage I didn’t really have to worry. The whole road trip went super smoothly, returning the car was easy too—just fill up the tank. You can tell the car’s done a lot of miles, but it still drives fine. Self-driving is honestly so convenient!

July 12, 2026

Really good overall.

July 6, 2026

They swapped me into the same model, the location was easy to find and there was no pushy upselling.

July 5, 2026

Great service and really easy pickup.

July 4, 2026

Super quick and hassle‑free, the whole process was really smooth.

July 2, 2026

Fantastic experience overall! The car was in great condition, they had a shuttle to pick us up, and since my flight arrived late they even let me return the car a few hours later at no extra hassle. Really happy with the service, definitely a rental company I’d recommend.

June 29, 2026

Really good

June 24, 2026

Big, reputable company – everything went smoothly, the paperwork was quick, and there were no hidden charges at all.

June 23, 2026

June 22, 2026

It was fine.

June 18, 2026

Super quick and convenient to use.

June 14, 2026

Really happy with this rental company. As soon as we landed and called them, they came to pick us up at the airport and drove us to their city store to get the car. Super convenient…

Everything went smoothly overall and the car was in good condition. The staff at the counter seemed a bit inexperienced—maybe we just happened to run into a newbie—but in the end it didn’t really cause any issues.

June 13, 2026

Absolutely fantastic.

Fast and smooth service.

June 10, 2026

Really great overall.

June 8, 2026

June 5, 2026

Pretty good overall.

May 31, 2026

Super quick and efficient paperwork, got the car in no time.

Really great experience overall.

May 30, 2026

The car was in great condition, though it would’ve been even better if I’d actually gotten to try the RAV4 as promised.

May 27, 2026

Everything went really smoothly. Once we landed at the airport and contacted customer service, someone came to pick us up right away. They were super friendly and the service was really attentive.

May 22, 2026

Pickup and exchange were really smooth and hassle-free.

Really good overall

May 19, 2026

Both pick-up and drop-off went really smoothly, and the staff were all very friendly and helpful.

May 18, 2026

Everything went smoothly and I’m very satisfied with the service.

New Zealand Car Rentals