Rental Cars in Australia and New Zealand
 

We are going to be in Australia and New Zealand in June 2006 and will be wanting to rent cars in a variety of locations (Cairns, Christchurch/Greymouth, and Auckland). Coming from the US, does anyone have any suggestions of websites and/or companies where we can get the best deals? Some of them (like Christchurch/Greymouth) we will be wanting to pick up in one location and drop off in another. That one is because we want to take the Tranzalpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth and then drive down to Milford Sound and then back to Christchurch. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I haven't done any huge research lately, but I remember Budget have locations in a lot of the smaller towns, and sometimes you can get a good price with an affinity program, airlines, costco, etc. Also Avis. For local NZ I used Apex once for a last minute out of Queenstown and they were fine.

We ended up reserving with Avis because we needed a Christchurch pickup and Dunedin dropoff. We used a discount through Costco. If you have a Costco membership or an Entertainment Book, you should be able to get a good discount.

Google the words hire car (still the more Down-Under terminology) and rental car (the American import...) with the city name. Then call or email to make sure the one-way rental will be ok.

WK

I rented by typing in going to the yahoo australia site ("www.yahoo.com.au"), which may also cover New Zealand. It works the same way that the Yahoo US works, and I found a pretty good rate by comparing all the car companies in Cairns.

from the UK we use www.holidayautos.co.uk who agent for all the major car hire companies in almost all global locations. Great all inclusive prices, we've never been disappointed.

Would that work from the US? Budget seems to have some decent rates, but I like to compare before booking anything.

Yahoo Australia / NZ and click on the NZ sites search section and you will get all the local rental companies, also you will get the NZ rental companies too, just put in Chritchruch etc

We booked cars online from Omega for both our NZ trips from the US (in 2003 and 2005) and were very satisfied. If you like, you can read what we had to say in "customer comments" at www.omegarentalcars.com (posted on 27 February 2003). I don't know if Omega can meet all of your needs for one-way travel, but you can certainly look into it. Contact Nicky...she can answer any questions you have. Have also heard that Apex and Budget do a nice job.--John

In New Zealand "shop around" You can get good deals on car hires. Don't just go to the big car rental companies. Have a look at www.ascotautos.co.nz or about New Zealand Rentals. If you were after budget one of the cheapest is www.adventurekiwi.co.nz but there are many about.
Here are some common New Zealand rental agreement conditions. This is prepared for campervans and motorhomes but you can apply most of these rules to car hire.This should help you to sort out if the companies terms and conditions are fair and reasonable.

New Zealand has many motorhome and campervan rental companies. In the following paragraphs we will outline what to expect from your motorhome/campervan rental company.

This is to be used as a guide only and has been written by an experienced motorhome, campervan and car rental company owner after a study of most motorhome/campervan rental companies in New Zealand during June 2005.

Glossary of New Zealand Motorhome terms:
Motorhome - bigger self powered home on wheels
Campervan - smaller self power home on wheels
Sleepervan - smaller van fitted with camping equipment
Berth - the number of people that can sleep in the vehicle
Bond - the money held by the company should any accident take place
Excess - the money taken by the company should any accident take place
AA - New Zealand Automobile Association used for roadside assistance


Seasonal Prices:
The highest rates for New Zealand are in the summer months from December until the end of February, during this period motorhomes/campervans must be booked well in advance or you will have little chance of getting one when you turn up.
November and March are almost as busy, because the weather is still good but the prices are cheaper. Booking is advised.
October and April are a bit cheaper again and during these months you may be able to arrive in New Zealand and pick up a cheap rental car or relocation deal.
May to the end of September is the quietest as this is winter and a bit chilly with a good ski season. Booking is not really needed during this time and you will be able to phone around to pick up good deals including good relocation deals.
A relocation deal is where you could pick up a motorhome/campervan in one city and drop it in another for a minimum charge.

Extra Km Charges:
Almost all of New Zealand campervan/motorhome rental companies do not charge for kms on top of their daily hire cost. The exception to this rule is if you wish to hire a campervan/motorhome for less than the companies minimum daily hire time.
Motorhome rental companies sometimes have a km charge for diesel tax, which is a government cost to all owners of diesel vehicles. Most companies will include this in their daily rental cost.


What is one day of Rental?
Most rental companies charge per day you have the vehicle eg, a rental from 11am Friday to 11am Saturday is a 2-day rental. This is because the vehicle cannot be rented out to anybody else on either of these 2 days. To make the most of this rule pick the vehicle up on the morning of the first day and drop it off at the end of the second day.
You will still find some rental companies that treat this situation as 1 day but have penalty charges if you are late for any reason.


Diesel Tax:
This is a government tax and is not made up. But this is another way companies can make some extra money because there will be a "mark up" on the government cost.

GST (Goods and Services Tax):
This is a 12 ½ % government tax on items brought in New Zealand. This should be included in all company advertised prices.

Airport Transfers:
Car rental companies will sometimes include free airport transfers, some only supply or pay for transport to pick up your car. If you are hiring a budget car you may have to pay for your transfers.

Windscreen, Tyre and Headlight Insurance:
The way that motorhome/campervan rental companies handle this area can vary. Some don’t cover damage to these things at all, which means you the traveller has to pay for any damage to these things. Some companies charge extra to insure against damage. Some companies include it in their excess/bond reduction options. Whatever they do we would suggest you cover yourself against damage to these items. New Zealand has many stone chip roads and trucks can and do throw up stones. The insurance also covers tyre damage.
Windscreens can range from $300 upwards
To fix Stone chips companies charge from $30 upwards per chip
Tyre’s can range from $100 upwards
All of the above estimates depend on the type of car.


Bond/Excess:
All motorhome/campervan rental companies take a bond of some description off their customers. The larger companies will have a normal option of debiting your credit card $5000 dollars immediately.
This is the first option, and then they will have various other excess/bond reduction options. Which could reduce the bond to in some cases, nil. Since not many people can afford to have $5000 taken out of their holiday credit card account, it forces many travellers to take the excess reduction options, which could be around an extra $35 per day to reduce the excess to nil (the motorhome/campervan companies will have a maximum amount that you have to pay for long hires eg 100 day hire would = $3500 at $35 per day, but the rental companies maximum charge might be $1500). It is just a way for the company to earn extra money from the nervous driver. The motorhome/campervan rental company will still hold a small bond to cover incidentals eg, the motorhome/campervan returns full of fuel, in a clean and tidy condition. This is returned once the motorhome/campervan is returned.
Smaller motorhome/campervan rental companies usually have better first options for your bond or excess they can range from $750 to $3500 (the higher figure would be for drivers under 25) and most have bond reduction options available. The smaller companies usually do not reduce their excess to nil and $250 seems to be the lower bond options, this might cost around an extra $15 per day.
The smaller companies also usually do not debit your card immediately, and will only debit, should any accident take place.
Some rental companies have different levels of excess depending whether the accident is a "single vehicle accident" or an accident caused by reckless use of the vehicle by the driver.


New Zealand Car Insurance:
In New Zealand car insurance in NOT compulsory so someone may hit you who is not insured this mean you lose your bond. The way most rental companies handle accidents like this is. You take down the information of the person who hits you and if the rental company recovers their money then you get your bond back.

Extra Driver Charges:
These seem to be a thing of the past and we have not discovered any companies that still have this charge in place. If there are motor/campervan rental companies still charging for extra drivers they are the exception to the general rule.

Roadside Assistance:
All New Zealand motorhome/campervan rental companies offer very good roadside assistance. This is usually through the New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) The AA is a great organisation who have agents all over NZ. All rental companies receive the same service from the AA no matter how big the rental company is. The AA will come out to you assess your problem, fix it on the spot if possible or tow you for free to the nearest reputable service station, garage or agent that can fix your problem ASAP.
The larger motorhome/campervan rental companies with branches all over NZ are able to offer the best assistance with 24-hour phone assistance and vehicle replacement and this would be one of the reason you would pay a higher rental fee. Sometimes the smaller companies cannot afford at the rates you are paying to have 24-hour phone assistance, but the AA does have a 24-hour toll free number. The smaller motorhome/campervan rental company sometimes cannot replace a campervan themselves if something goes wrong and must find you a new campervan from a different rental company. All accidents or damage must be reported to the motorhome/campervan rental company as soon as realistically possible. But there is an exception to this rule. Most motorhome/campervan rental companies will allow you to pay for repairs up to a certain amount without informing them. You must keep the receipts and they will provide a refund

Refunds for breakdowns:
All motorhome/campervan companies should refund monies for the rental cost of days off the road caused by vehicle mechanical breakdown only.
It is that simple; they will not pay for, motel/hotel bills, the hiring of other vehicles or missed bookings or flights.
If you receive refunds for any other reasons you have found a great rental car company, then recommend them to your friends.


Quality of motorhomes/campervans:
The standard in New Zealand of rental motorhomes/campervans is very high with strict government guidelines in order for a vehicle to be given a rental certificate of fitness (COF). No motorhome/campervan company wants you to breakdown on your journey this only costs the rental company money and "bad press".
A good rule to use is the more your daily hire rate is the newer the motorhome/campervan is. They are usually all set out in the same way and are all the same size (there are only so many ways a 2-berth campervan can be set out).
Always remember if you are dealing with something mechanical things do break, no matter what the age.


Long Rental Discounts:
All rental motorhome/campervan companies offer long rental period discounts.

Cancellation policies:
All New Zealand motorhome/campervan rental companies have very strict cancellation policies. Make sure you have your correct dates. If you show you late you will still have to pay for the days you are late and if you don’t turn up at all expect the full amount of the rental to be debited to your credit card. By agreeing to the motorhome/campervan company terms and conditions you give the company the authority to do this. Do not expect a refund for days if you bring the vehicle back early.

Credit Cards:
With all motorhome/campervan rental companies you need a credit card to hold any bonds on.

Optional Extras:
There is only one rental company we can find that does not charge for extras such as mountain bikes, tents, TVs and other accessories to make your trip more enjoyable. You may be able to negotiate items for free if you are hiring for a long period of time.

Driving Fines:
These will be charged to your credit card on return from your motorhome/campervan trip.

Fuel:
All motorhome/campervan rental companies will provide petrol/diesel. Return the car with the levels that they were provided to you at.

Road Restrictions:
All motorhome/campervan rental companies have around 4 roads/areas that vehicles cannot drive on. You will not just stray onto these roads/areas, they are well sign posted.

Pick up and Drop off locations:
The bigger the company the more options you will have. The smaller motorhome/campervan rental companies may have better daily hire rates that encourages you to organise your travel so you pick up and drop off to the same location.

One Way Hires:
Most motorhome/campervan rental companies offer one-way hires. Some motorhome/campervan companies charge one-way hire fees. These are normal, as the cost of getting vehicle back from places is sometimes high. The larger motorhome/campervan rental companies will give you better pick up and drop off locations.

Animals:
All motorhome/campervan rental companies do not accept animals in their vehicles unless they are guide dogs.

General Rules:
All motorhome/campervan companies have their vehicles as reliable as possible
In most cases the more you pay the later model vehicle you will get
No animals
Daily hire rates vary greatly
More personalised service from smaller companies
Bond/excess options vary greatly
Always turn up, avoid cancellations, get your dates right
Better back up vehicle replacement options from bigger companies
Avoid paying for extra drivers
Avoid paying for extra kms
Take windscreen, headlight and tyre insurance
Shop around
You can negotiate in the off season (New Zealand is booked up during summer)
Book early for the best deals in summer
Expect all NZ motorhome/campervan companies to provide AA 24-hour roadside assistance.

Have fun
Dougie
www.newzealandatoz.com

Great info - Thanks. By the way. Tried to check out the website you listed at the end and no luck. Was there something missing?

You can often get more information by going direct to the different rental company's websites. I've found that the master search engines, such as travelocity or yahoo travel will limit the options for pickup & dropoff to airports, but in reality a company may allow a one-way rental from a city location.

Another thing to consider is that I found that the small local companies often wanted me to put down a large deposit whereas if I went with a big company, they had a more liberal policy on changes or cancellations.

Website should be working fine.
Cheers,
Dougie
www.newzealandatoz.com