Price of NZ car rental
 

Hi, pricing car rentals with pickup in Christchurch and drop-off in Picton, I get NZ$747 (US $518) for 12 days including all taxes. This comes out to $43 a day.

Does anyone have any hints or tips on how to get a cheaper car rental in New Zealand. I've checked Nova, AutoEurope in addition to all the major car rentals sites.

thanks!

Car rental in NZ and Australia is expensive, much higher than in the US.

The only suggestion I have is to check with APEX and/or some smaller local companies that might rent older cars for less. Be sure to check the excess amount too (deductible) especially if you don't have insurance of your own that will cover the rental car in case of an accident or other damage.

I'm not sure if this will be cheaper, but I really highly recommend Apex. They still have their free tank of gas offer (so you can return the car for free) plus their service is just amazing!
Their deductible is $750 and goes down to $0 by paying $8/day. Compare this to our rental in Australia with Avis: deductible of $3000+ goes down (but not to zero) with $28/day.

It may be worth you while to email the company directly asking if there are any discounts for AAA, corporate, etc. I got the best rate from National in NZ (for a full sized car) by emailing, asking if there was discount for AARP. ((R))

We always use Ace. They pick you up at your hotel or are in town in Christchurch.

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You cannot return them to all towns so check when you rent.

Some time of the year you get a really good deal returning a car from Christchurch to Picton. No booking for this tho.