Have a question? Our staff are always happy to answer questions about our vehicle hire services, and provide any other information we can to make your trip as smooth and comfortable as possible. But before you contact us, have a look at the FAQs below to see if the answer to your question is listed here.

 

Some FAQs are also available in Chinese. Click here to view.

Who can hire from us and drive our vehicles?

The minimum age to hire a vehicle from us is 18, provided you have a current, valid driver’s licence. The additional daily rates for liability limit reduction are higher for drivers under 21.

Yes, we do. They must drive in accordance with the conditions of their licence. The additional daily rates for hirer liability reduction are higher if any drivers are on a restricted licence.

No, we do not allow those with learner’s licences to hire or drive our vehicles.

Yes, provided all those who plan to drive must be present at pickup, present copies of their driver’s licences and sign our rental agreement. Your will lose the protection of your hirer liability limit in the event of unauthorised driving.

Vehicle

Our entire fleet have automatic transmissions.

Almost all of our vehicles use regular 91 octane petrol.

Most of our 12-seater vans take diesel, for which government-imposed road user charge (RUC) is payable per kilometre travelled. We also have electric vehicles available from some branches.

Yes, we have All-Wheel Drive SUVs and MiniBuses. For more information, check out the AWD categories in our SUV range and our MiniBus range.

In New Zealand, snow tyres are not required and are not generally available.

What is Included in the rental cost?

All our rental rates include Goods and Services Tax (GST), our $3,000 Highest Risk liability limit, and unlimited kilometres.

Tolls, road user charges (RUC) for diesel vehicles, and other hire extras are not included in our rental rates.

The included insurance (Highest Risk) covers damage to the vehicle you are driving and third-party liability, but you remain liable up to our $3,000 Highest Risk liability limit.

Lower liability limit options are available upon payment of additional fees. Please refer to our Insurance and Liability Limit page for more details.

Two drivers are included in our daily rates. Any additional drivers are charged $2 per day per driver.

No, there are no additional charges for kilometres driven for petrol-fueled vehicles.

Most of our 12-seater vehicles use diesel. Unlike petrol, road taxes for diesel-fueled vehicles are paid separately. So, if you hire a diesel-fueled vehicle from us, you need to reimburse us for RUCs and administration fees at a rate of 10 cents per kilometre travelled at the end of your hire.

Yes, we offer one-way hires between our branches. Varying one-way fees apply depending on your selected pickup and drop-off locations, and according to season.

Sometimes when we need to relocate some of our fleet, we may have special deals available. Make sure to check our Deals page for available promos.

We allow our vehicles to be taken on the ferry crossing. The cost, however, is not included in our hire rates. To book your ferry crossing tickets, please check Interislander and Bluebridge.

We do not offer the option of a car swap either side of the ferry crossing.

Accessories Available

We have child seats, GPS units, and other accessories for hire. For more options, please check our Accessories page.

Some other accessories may be available on request subject to availability and vehicle suitability. Most potentially available items appear on the Accessories page.

We also offer reduced hirer liability limits for an additional daily rate.

You may add accessories to your hire by ticking the appropriate box when making a reservation. If you missed it during booking, you may add it during Online Check-in. Please contact us to check availability.

Please let us know at the time of your reservation, using the comments section, or contact us for any other requests not able to be included when first booking or using the online check-in.

Snow chains are rarely needed on public roads. You will occasionally need them on icy ski field roads (where they can be mandatory in some conditions, sometimes even on 4WD or AWD vehicles) or some Alpine passes. We have a limited selection of snow chains available. Suitability and availability will depend on the vehicle type and tyre size.

Due to seasonal demand, we cannot guarantee availability so please allow at least two weeks to book snow chains prior to your pickup date. If available, our chains cost $15 per day up to a maximum of $100 per hire.

Booking, Booking Payment and Alterations

Yes, absolutely! You will find this option on Step 3, just after selecting a vehicle. Look for 'Email a quote' option.

Once you've entered your contact details, click 'Send quote' and you will receive your quote via email shortly. This service is free of charge but is not a booking and does not lock in your vehicle. From here, you have five (5) days to confirm your booking, subject to vehicle availability (so get in quick).

To accept your quote, click the hyperlink on the second paragraph of the quote email, which will route you to a payment page. Follow the prompts to pre-pay your rental. Once your payment is successfully processed, you will receive a confirmation email and that means your booking is locked in.

We accept the following payment methods:

  • Visa credit or debit card

  • Mastercard credit or debit card

  • Account2Account (available for NZ bank accounts only)

Note that the above payment methods are acceptable for payments only. A credit or debit Visa or Mastercard under the primary deriver's name is still required before hire commencement for bond pre-authorisation.

Bookings made directly via our website require the full hire amount to be prepaid. This is refundable (less an administration fee) providing you cancel at least 24 hours prior to pick up.

The payment required for bookings made via third parties will be according to their terms of business.

A bond amount is pre-authorised at the time of pick-up depending on the liability limit selected.

Please email us at [email protected] to extend, shorten or request other changes to your reservation. Note that changes to your booking may affect the hire rate and are subject to availability.

If you booked via a third-party website, your booking arrangement is with them and you need to contact them to make changes to, or cancel, your reservation, according to the instructions you received from them when you made your booking. You may need to cancel your original booking and rebook, subject to availability and prevailing pricing at that time.

Cancelled direct bookings are subject to our cancellation policy:

If you cancel 24 hours or more prior to pick-up, any prepayment will be refunded less a $25 administration fee. Cancel within 24 hours, the full cost of up to the first two days of hire and an administration fee of $25 is chargeable.

If you do not show up at the booked commencement time, or do but are unable to meet our documentation and bond requirements, the full cost of the hire is chargeable.

If you booked your rental through a third-party website, your booking arrangement is with them. Please contact them to cancel your booking. These websites often have a “manage your booking” capability which will allow you to cancel your reservation. Please note that the cancellation policy of the third-party website applies to your booking and may be different from our cancellation policy for direct bookings.

We understand that there are circumstances out of our control. On a case-by-case basis, we may be able to slightly move your hire dates, subject to availability and upon enquiry.

Please contact us as soon as you know your circumstances will change. Different conditions apply if you inform us after your hire has commenced.

Online Check-in

We highly recommend checking in before your hire for a quicker, more streamlined pick-up.

If you have an after-hours pick-up, you must complete online check-in the business hours before your hire.

We recommend completing your online check-in at least 48 hours before your hire commences.

Online Check-in is a must for after-hours pickups.

If you have not completed check-in by the end of business hours prior to your after-hours pickup, we will not release your vehicle - it will be available for pick-up when the office reopens.

Visit our Online Check-in page to start. You will need your reservation number and last name to log in.

Starting Your Rental

Yes, we offer shuttle service from and to all our airports branches. Please enquire if you require a pick-up or drop-off from/to another location within the airport vicinity.

Once you are ready for pick-up, call our branch to arrange a shuttle to collect you from the airport. Details will have been provided on your booking confirmation or voucher. Please ensure you understand the correct pickup location and which shuttle van to look out for. For more information, please check here.

We offer after-hours pick-ups and drop-offs at an additional cost for most of our locations. In some locations, we use an agent for after-hours service. Please contact us to check availability and make suitable arrangements.

Online Check-in is required for all after-hours pickups.

Please note our after-hours agents generally do not hold stocks of unallocated vehicles or accessories. We will address any non-urgent issues during business hours.

Your pick-up process is streamlined if you complete our Online Check-in.

When you collect your hire vehicle you will need:

  • Valid driver’s licence/s for all drivers. If your licence is not in English, you will need to obtain either a translation or an International Driving Permit.

  • A credit or debit Visa or MasterCard in the name of the primary hirer, with a large enough limit to cover pre-authorisation of the bond and payment of any rental or other fees outstanding.

  • Your booking reference or details.

  • All nominated drivers must be present to sign the rental agreement.

Full pre-payment of the rental rate is made if you made a direct booking.

Bond pre-authorisation and payments against any changes to your booking (such as extension or additional accessories) will be processed at pickup.

We accept Visa and MasterCard credit, debit, and EFTPOS cards.

Some third-party websites accept a deposit and let you know how much you need to pay at counter. You will see this amount in your confirmation email.

Where the rental cost has been fully prepaid upon reservation, the only additional payment required will be the cost of any accessories or other extras (such as extra drivers or reduced liability) and pre-authorisation of the bond amount.

Yes, at pickup we pre-authorise a bond to cover the hirer liability limit you select. This bond is not withdrawn, only ‘held’.

Your bond is released when our vehicle is returned undamaged with full fuel and all other conditions of hire have been adhered to. For after-hours drop-offs, bonds are released during business hours.

Note there is usually a delay in the banking system before our bond release is updated on your bank statement.

The bond amount could be either $3000, $1000, or $300 depending on the liability limit you select. Please refer to our Insurance & Liability Limit page for more details.

While Renting

No, all our vehicles are non-smoking (this includes vaporisers, e-cigarettes, or any other form of smoking or illegal substances). Any customer returning a vehicle that has been smoked in will be charged a cleaning fee of up to $200.

No, please do not take the vehicle off formed roads or driveways. You will be liable for any damage or recovery costs arising if that occurs and doing so will void your insurance and your hirer liability limit will no longer apply.

Make things stress free and prepay your tolls now for just $10 (cap). This is recommended for itineraries that include the North Island.

With Mode Prepaid Tolls, we will cover up to $10 of your road tolls. Any excess will be charged to you with no extra fees.

Note that when you travel through either the Auckland Northern Gateway (between Orewa and Puhoi) or the Tauranga Eastern Link / Takitimu Drive toll, you will need to prepay for your toll to ensure your payment is matched to your trip.  Further details can be found on the NZ Transport Agency website.

If a toll is unpaid by you prior to travelling, we will be charged for the toll. If you have not purchased Prepaid Tolls with us, we will on-charge that cost and an additional $25 administration fee to you.

As such disruptions are at the risk of the hirer, for which various forms of travel insurance are available from other providers, we do not provide refunds if vehicles need to be returned early. In some circumstances we may be able to arrange a substitute vehicle from another of our locations, subject to availability.

Accidents and break-downs

In the case of an accident, please follow these guidelines:

First, check if anyone is injured. If emergency assistance is required, call 111 immediately.

If another party is involved, take their details including full name, driver’s licence, mobile number, email, insurance provider, and vehicle registration. It is important to also take the details of any witnesses present. If police are involved, please also note the police report number.

Call us on +64 9 979 7670 as soon as possible. Leave us a message or send us an email if the accident occurs outside our business hours and we will respond when we next open.

If the vehicle is not driveable, during business hours, please call us to make towing arrangements. IF outside business hours, please call AA Roadside Assistance on 0800 734 543 and they may be able to organise for the vehicle to be towed to a secure location, or recommend a tow company. Please check and confirm with us before any non-urgent towing is arranged.

Do not leave the vehicle without ensuring it is safe and secure.

Included in your rental is breakdown cover through AA Roadside Assistance. You can call them on freephone 0800 734 543 for all mechanical issues. Cover includes:

  • Roadside mechanical failure assistance.

  • Tow to the nearest place of repair or safety.

If the issue is not able to be immediately resolved, please contact us on 09 979 7670 to discuss options.

AA Roadside Assistance can also help you with non-mechanical problems but for these, you will need to pay for the call-out fee. This applies to things like:

  • Flat tyres.

  • Flat battery (if caused by lights or ignition left on)

  • Keys lost or locked in the vehicle

  • Out of fuel

Vehicle Return

The vehicle will be checked for damage and correct fuel level. If all is in order, and all other conditions of hire have been adhered to, your bond will be released from our system.

Including the return processing, shuttle wait and journey time, we recommend you allow at least 45 minutes before you need to be at the airport. Our shuttle service is complimentary and operates on a best endeavours first-in-first-served basis. No liability is accepted in the event of missed flights or similar.

If you are in a hurry, you are welcome to make your own arrangements for going to the airport at your own cost.

Once cleared at drop-off, we release your bond immediately. Depending on the customer's country and bank, it can take 3-5 business days or longer for the hold to be lifted.

Once we have released your bond, there is nothing we can do to speed up the banking clearing process.

On rare occasions where the release may not be done as it should be due to staff error, please contact us to check and confirm.

For some locations, we also have an after-hours drop-off facility available at an additional cost. Please contact us to check on availability and make suitable arrangements.

In some locations we use an agent for this service. This after-hours service is limited to receiving the returned vehicle and providing a shuttle service. Our agents do not check or sign-off the condition of your returned vehicle immediately upon your return. This will be done by our own staff later during business hours and any issues arising will be communicated to you at this time. Similarly, any non-urgent administrative issues can be advised to our agent and will be dealt with later by our staff during business hours.

There is no refund for unused hire days if you return your vehicle early.

We allow a one-hour window where you won’t be charged extra. After that grace period, we charge $20 per hour up to the single day hire rate. If we do not hear from you after 24-hours, we may report the vehicle stolen.

If your delay will mean returning after-hours, it is essential that you contact us during business hours to make us aware of that. An after-hour fee will become applicable. We may redirect you to our after-hours agent or give you guidance on self-service drop-off.

Yes, you may extend your hire subject to the availability.

If your vehicle is booked for another hire, you may not be able to extend so please provide as much notice as possible to increase your chances of being able to extend your hire.

Call us on 09 979 7670 or send us an email at [email protected] to discuss your requirements and we’ll do our best to cater for you, and arrange pre-payment for any additional days.

If you have further questions, you are welcome to call on +64 9 979 7670 or send us an email at [email protected]. Additional information is also available in our Terms and Conditions.

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