Cons: We waited a long time to pick up the car and there was an extra fee to drop off at the airport, but the car itself was good.
10.0 Excellent4 Jan 2019
Pros: perfect!
9.6 Excellent5 Apr 2017
Excellent service in both Queenstown and ChristchurchPros: New car with low mileage was a pleasure to drive The service at the downtown Queenstown location was especially good. The rate was reasonable for New Zealand.Cons: everything good
10.0 Excellent17 Jan 2017
Pros: The customer service was topnotch! She really helped us out in a pinch when we found out our reservation pick up and drop off were not at the airport(s) like we were expecting. The car was in excellent conditions, clean, and modern with its in dash touchscreen system.
Pros: The staff was very friendly, and the pick up, drop off was easy too!
10.0 Excellent25 Jun 2018
Great service, great car. It was all very easy.Pros: Convenient location in the Queenstown Airport. Staff was very helpful.Cons: Your office had closed for the night one minute after I got my key. What if the car did not start??
10.0 Excellent11 Mar 2018
Pros: Got a personal escort to the terminal from an employee going onto shift. Such a kind and helpful individual. Hertz employs great people!
10.0 Excellent30 Dec 2017
Easy access to carsPros: Very friendly staff. We had a car in less than 5 min.
6.0 Good31 Jan 2017
Pros: I did not rent car through Hertz in Queenstown
6.8 Good18 Jan 2017
Cons: We returned the car early and advised the desk of such. When we received bill, the charge did not reflect the early return and we had to contact them to have the situation rectified. This should not have happened.
10.0 Excellent5 Oct 2016
Great Price and CarPros: We lived the RAV4. It was very roomy, clean and easy to drive.
Pros: Very easy pick up and drop off, very good quality cars and category as promised for very affordable price. We had to switch cars between NZ islands and it was extremely “trouble-free”.
9.6 Excellent7 Mar 2019
Pros: Friendly and efficient staff with no pressure to purchase add-ons.
10.0 Excellent5 Feb 2019
Pros: Staff was super friendly at pick up. Returning the car wasn’t an issue at all.Cons: I guess maybe a lower day rate.
2.0 Mediocre8 Jan 2019
Cons: Wait was very long
2.0 Mediocre1 Dec 2018
Cons: they charged me more than the agreed amount and I have not received an answer yet
10.0 Excellent30 Apr 2017
Great carPros: Nice car to log 1,400 kilometers of open country driving
7.6 Good30 Apr 2017
I would recommend you know your coverages so your not pressuredPros: The car was clean and ready promptly.Cons: I think we were pressured into extra insurance and the rate was much higher than originally planned.
2.0 Mediocre27 Feb 2017
Awful experience - rude, unhelpful desk person, noCons: Our flight came in late and we missed the pick up window. I emailed Budget to let them know, but this message didn't get through to the rental location. When we picked up our car, the woman was not very friendly and said we missed our window and it was given away. She said they had no cars left for us. She did not give us other options of where to rent or what to do in this situation. She did not show sympathy either. Do not rent from Budget. We went with Europcar in the end. They were nice and had a great car for us (and their counter was right next to the Budget one).
8.0 Excellent24 Feb 2017
Pros: We just dropped off our car in Queenstown, didn't pick one up, so not much to really report in the "like" or "dislike" columns that hasn't already been said.Cons: Maybe would've been useful to have some signage with instructions since there was only one staff member around and I didn't want to interrupt him only to find out I didn't need to do anything other than drop the car off and deposit the keys.
10.0 Excellent22 Jan 2017
Car was great but had issues with pricing.Pros: The pick up and drop off were both easy and we were happy to be upgraded to a nicer car when we picked it up in Christchurch. We loved the car and found it to be clean, comfortable, and smooth throughout our 8-day rental.Cons: When we dropped the car off in Queenstown, we were shocked to find that our receipt said we were charged more than 2x as much as my reservation said we would be paying. We were in a rush and didn't notice this until after we left the lot, so we called the Queenstown Budget office. Luckily, they fixed the issue and we were charged the correct amount. Thank you Claire!
Upgraded to a 4wdPros: Got a great 4wd for an economy price. Pick up and drop off were very easy and team was courteous and knowledgeable, even recommending some walking trails my wife and I could explore. Fantastic experience all around!
Pros: friendly staffCons: very old car - 150K ultimate charge came out to be 60-70 bucks per day - better to go with named brand
9.2 Excellent23 Mar 2017
Pros: Friendly guys working there.Cons: It wasn't clear to me that Economy does business as Scotties in Queenstown. Wasn't a big deal, but I was confused about where to wait for the van.
7.6 Good5 Mar 2017
Scottie's New ZealandPros: We needed a late arrival and Scottie's was accommodating although a little confusing. The car was right where they said it would be and was clean and ran well.Cons: We swung by the office the next day to handle the paperwork. The office was open but no employees so we returned the following day to handle it. Glad we had been in town the extra day and our accommodations were near their office.
3.6 Mediocre20 Jan 2017
Long chain of companies, dirty carPros: The car I ended up with was a hybridCons: Economy Rent a Car (ERaC) turns out to be more of a broker and contracts other rental companies to provide cars. I arrive in Queenstown where I'm supposed to pick up my car at the terminal, but there is no counter for ERaC. I call the number, but I've been provided their Auckland number, and they tell me I have to call their Queenstown number. It's cold and rainy and I'm making phone calls instead of getting in my car. ERaC Queenstown inform me my car is provided by Scotty's and I have to call them. Scotty's says they are overbooked but they have arranged for another company, Hitch, to provide a car. A Hitch rep calls me and tells me to wait at the commercial car park. I wait. And wait. Then wait some more. A guy comes over and collects some other travelers. Now feeling quite cold, I message the driver and he asks where I am. After a while the guy who recently collected passengers comes over, he's apparently my driver. Turns out there are two commercial car parks and I'm at the 'wrong' one. Nu-huh, signs say otherwise. Now we ride for 10 mins to their office, a makeshift shack in a dirt parking lot. I wait for 25 minutes while he handles the other customers, talks on the phone and directs his staff. So, he doesn't have the car type I reserved but immediately offers to upsell me to a Prius. At this time I've been wasting my precious time in Queenstown and I want to get going, so I accept his offer. It's an extra USD50, but I figure I'll offset some of that with the Prius' better gas mileage. Turns out it's a six or so years old car with 70,000 miles on it, it's dirty and with plenty of nicks and scuffs and a big stain in the trunk. I can live with that, but asks if he has another compact car which is what I reserved. No, but he can give me a smaller car for the same price...I take the Prius. Later I notice that the tires are worn (unsafe in rain) and there is some smear on the inside of the windshield that causes a glare in the sun and other marks on the windows and windshield, similar to what car dealers do to write the price and year etc. It also has a Japanese language audio unit and the trip meter etc is also in Japanese. That's fine if you speak Japanese, but the majority of people visiting New Zealand don't, including me. It also makes a loud beep every time you start the car. The car lacks cruise control. However, the car didn't break down, it got good gas mileage and despite plenty of wet weather I didn't hydroplane with the worn tires. But I'll never use Economy Rent a Car again.
10.0 Excellent16 Sep 2016
Great vacation vehiclePros: Great staff. Excellent service. Reliable car. The vehicle contributed to a great vacation .
Renting a car during your time in Queenstown is highly recommended as a personal vehicle is the best way to get out of town and check out the gorgeous countryside. For instance, Wanaka at 67 km (41.7 miles) away takes just an hour to reach in a car and it offers some of the most spectacular lakeside views in New Zealand.
Excited to arrive in Queenstown so you can begin your trip to New Zealand? If you are planning on picking up a hire car after landing at Queenstown Airport, it is quite an easy affair. There are a large variety of hire car counters located right within the airport’s terminal so you can go straight from the plane to driving away.
A lot of the intersections in Queenstown’s city center lack traffic light crossings so be on the lookout for pedestrians crossing the street. This warning doubly applies during the high season, which lasts from December to March and is when Queenstown sees its largest influx of tourists. Drivers must also remember that you must drive on the left, which is often trickiest to remember at roundabouts, of which there are many in Queenstown.
Drivers can expect the morning rush hour in Queenstown to pick up at around 6:30 a.m. during the work week and to finish up around 9:00 a.m. As for the afternoon rush hour, it is a bit less severe and starts at 4:00 p.m., then quieting down shortly after 6:00 p.m. The 6A Highway is where drivers will experience the largest backups during rush hour due to the number of commuters going into and out of the city.
25% of our users found rental cars in Queenstown for $27 or less
Book your rental car in Queenstown at least 3 weeks before your trip in order to get a below-average price
Economy rental cars in Queenstown are around 40% cheaper than other car types, on average
FAQs about renting a car in Queenstown
Some car rental companies in Queenstown which have updated their car rental health and safety policies due to COVID-19 to make sure vehicles are clean and disinfected include Dollar, Alamo and Europcar
On average a rental car in Queenstown costs $35 per day.
In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at Snap Rentals ($14/day), EZU Car Rental ($18/day) and Ace Rental Cars ($28/day). In the last 72 hours the cheapest hire car price was found at Snap Rentals Terminal Building 9300 (6 kilometres from the city centre).
The average price of fuel in Queenstown is $11.51 per litre over the past 30 days. Filling up a tank of fuel costs between $138 and $184, depending on the car size.
Intermediate (Toyota Corolla or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in Queenstown.
A Intermediate car rental in Queenstown costs $25 per day, on average.
A Compact car rental in Queenstown costs $27 per day, on average.
A Full-size car rental in Queenstown costs $47 per day, on average.
In Queenstown, cars are most frequently rented at Alamo Sir Henry Wigley Drive (6 km from city centre ).
On average a rental car in Queenstown costs $248 per week ($35 per day).
On average a rental car in Queenstown costs $1,061 per month ($35 per day).
Smaller vehicles such as sedans and compacts are certainly the more popular option for drivers in Queenstown. There are a decent number of SUVs as well, while trucks are much rarer in the city. In general a smaller car is a better bet because many of the city’s streets are somewhat on the narrower side, so parking may be easier in a more compact car.
Speed limits in Queenstown go from 30 km/h (19 mph) in city centers up to 110 km/h (68 mph) on the largest and fastest of highways. In between those speed limits drivers will commonly see speed limits of 40 km/h (25 mph) in residential areas and speed limits of 60 km/h (37 mph) on city roads. Additionally, speed limits of 80 km/h (50 mph) are found on larger rural roads.
The average price per liter of petrol in Queenstown is about $2.20 NZD ($1.51 USD). For those who prefer petrol prices in gallons that is about $8.33 NZD ($5.73) per gallon of gas.
Parking is an easy affair in Queenstown, thanks to the large number of parking garages and lots in the popular areas of town. For most situations these lots and garages should put you close enough to your final destination. In moments where they don’t, there still is plenty of streetside parking to choose from in most parts of town.