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 /

M.Thompson

April 14, 2024

Destination: Auckland

9.3Good customer service

Counter staff were great. Car was ok.

R.Montcalm

April 8, 2024

Destination: Picton

10A nice car for a reasonable price.

Everything was very smooth. We were upgraded for free to an SUV

S Agarwal

6.3Average

Car had a dead battery and cobwebs inside hood. Had an after hour pickup scheduled and paid for. Emergency no went unanswered. Pickup location jump started car. But it died again on reaching hotel. Next day was Sunday. Again no one answered phone. 3rd day a person came and replaced battery at 3pm. Wasted 2.5 days of trip.

A.Drayton

April 4, 2024

Destination: Queenstown

10Great Car Rental at very reasonable rates

Shuttle Bus from airport to Rental Premises quick and easy. Fast turnaround to get car sorted. Car was great ... drove well... reasonable fuel economy ... no issues at all

R.Geiselhart

March 31, 2024

Destination: Christchurch

8Very good

Pick up and drop off was easy and efficient. Staff were good. No issues

March 30, 2024

9.7Apexで快適ドライブ

清掃が間に合わず、ピックアップに20分ぐらい待ったが、スタッフの女性の対応はとても丁寧だったので、気持ちよくレンタルすることができた。

March 29, 2024

5.3Never again.

The car was not what I booked, they tried to sell it as an upgrade. Received significant downgrade. The staff not speaking English as their first language made it difficult for them to understand. The car we received had clearly been in a crash. With obvious cracks, chips and serious scuffs on the rims.

B.Ramsay

March 26, 2024

10Great Value

All was great

Emma

March 25, 2024

10Great experience and stress free.

The team on site upgraded me to a hybrid vehicle, it was really nice and so efficient. Really friendly team at the airport.

A.Nicholson

10Great new hybrid SUV for a good price

Top Rental were great to deal with. Prompt pickup, near new vehicle, easy dropoff and no pressure to buy unwanted insurance.

S.De Souza

7.7Car was very good and the whole process was quite easy.

Drop off time was not made very clear by the staff in Auckland. We were told to drop off in Wellington by 4pm and therefore not realizing the vehicle had to be dropped off by 12 noon as per the booking paperwork.

K.Lin

March 22, 2024

10Overall a good car rental expericence

Staffs are nice.

8.3Will come back again! The drop off is easy!

when I arrived the airport, the first lady who picked up my call was not too helpful. However the lady who help with car-pick up was excellent and super friendly. I had a fairly wait to be drop off back to the airport after car return, could be lunch time short staff.

March 21, 2024

8.3Its was adequate

The instructions for contacting for picking up are frustratingly unclear and unhelpful and could be updated to say, go to the end of the international terminal, out the door, and wait for a van with the logo xxxx. There was no phone to call for clarity. I then missed the first shuttle.

S.Phelps

March 20, 2024

7.7Car was reliable and cheap to run. Pickup was slow but everything else worked well

The car was still being prepared when we arrived. Had to wait 60 minutes for the car Valet process to complete

J.Anderson

9.3Good - as expected

Good quick service .

Destination: Greymouth

9.7Smooth and affordable car rental in NZ

Other than the incorrect location of the rental counter shown on the map, the rest of the rental process was pleasant and smooth. Car was new and very nice to drive.

Donna T

March 19, 2024

10Fantastic rental place to use and the best app for searching and securing a rental

Easy to use, great staff to deal with. They picked us up from the airport in the car we were going to be using which made it so easy as we didn't have to change our luggage to another car. Communication was great, with photos and any other information I needed emailed straight away after receiving the car. Bond returned within 48hrs

George Dorbolo

March 18, 2024

9.3Happy to book same way again

Car ran great had no problems

Yuri

March 13, 2024

10Excellent

Very cheap and good service.

Harvey Shorter

9Exceeded expectations

Excellent vehicle quality

March 12, 2024

Destination: Hamilton

9.3easy rental

Helpful and efficient

K.Maclean

10Amazing prices, friendly service, supporting local

Great price and easy access to the vehicle. Bond is a bit steep if you don’t purchase insurance but overall very happy with the experience

March 11, 2024

9.3Great experience.

Excellent throughout. Please update the return address in Nelson to the correct Apex location.

March 10, 2024

Definitely better than I expected. It was clean and friendly

D.George

9Just fine!

No problem. Car had 333,000 kms which i thought was excessive, turns out i maybe need to keep my own cars longer!

H.ELGHERIANI

March 9, 2024

9.7Very happy, no complaints.

Good service and friendly team.

D.Kennedy

10Very efficient

Very easy to deal with with will use again

K.Lloyd

March 8, 2024

7Excessive Insurance Charges

Credit Card blocked up with excessive insurance excess hold. Told it will take unto ten day for the block to be removed

G.Cotten

March 7, 2024

8.7Fast and Friendly Service

Car was certainly used; many dents, scrathes, and star chip on the windscreen. Stereo speakers were lousy. There was a very loud rattle from the forward end of the vehichle. All noted at end of trip and they said they would report them to mechanic. Car ran fine and did the job comfortably.

D.Oliver

9.7Great experience with Qeeq

The car was great, I was upgraded to a larger vehicle.

March 6, 2024

10Very good

Nice clean and comfortable car. Pleasant, competent staff. Great location. Just wish it had been available for the duration of my trip instead of a week.

N.Bray

March 5, 2024

8.4Smooth

Very easy to deal with, everything went smoothly apart from directions to pick up point, should say once out of the airport go straight across the road and through undercover walkway, not just follow undercover walkway as this goes to the right as well.

Kenny.Chen

March 4, 2024

8.7Wrong fuel charge

I have an issue. When I returned the car the tank is full and I received the confirmation with the on site employee and email. But after three days, we received bill for fuel charge! How to escalate this issue?

Picasso

9Excellent

Shuttle pickup location a long distance from airport with bags. Outdoor walk subject to weather.

Z.Harrington

Destination: Nelson

I was up graded to a new Ford Ranger.Love at first sight. Europcars are always top of the range and my first choice in rentals.

M.Zamora

9.7Para repetir

Autos muy modernos y seguros, atención en el mostrador muy amable y simpática.

I.Loudon

March 3, 2024

10Great car at a great price.

My dealings with Budget were excellent. Everyone involved were professional and friendly.

Jim Walsh

9Would use again.

The car was older than expected but ran well. Service was very good.

P.Valentine

9.3Quick and easy.

Staff were friendly and efficient.

I.Blythe

March 2, 2024

8.7Very good

More than happy with everything and staff very friendly and helpful.

8.3初めてQEEQ利用はまあまあ

車両は小型SUV(Kia Niroと同等クラス)ではなく、ガソリン車のKia Sentosでした。スタッフの説明は「Busy seasonだから」ほぼ新車(走行距離3126km)で良かったけど、ハイブリッドのつもりだったのでガソリン代が2倍以上かかった。あとdollarはHertz/Thifty系列だと知らず店舗カウンターを見つけられず、やむなく他の店舗スタッフに聞いて分かった。

G.Kingman

March 1, 2024

Destination: Napier

9.7Will definitely use again

Staff very helpful. We had problems with the Aircon on the first vehicle but this was dealt with effectively but providing and alternative vehicle. Overall very satisfied

7.3Good Experience

Good Service - quick drop off

D.Preston

Destination: Blenheim

6.3Horrible car experience, Not where I booked it from

I was searching for cars in Picton and that’s where I was searching. I never looked up Blenheim so this company must of been showing on Picton car rental sites. Very disappointing and was a extreme hassle to get to

B.Hintz

9.3No fuss

The car could have been a little cleaner. Staff did not use sheet to locate dents and scratches. I took my own photos

February 29, 2024

7Good

We arrived 35 minutes before scheduled pickup time. It was not busy at the counter. They still made us wait until the precise pickup time. Not a second sooner

C.Dias

7.7Good experience

Car had a slight foul smell.. but this went away after a while. Older vehicle but worked well

R.Crew

9.3Car was just right

Car was brilliant, easy to drive and very clean. Pick up was easy. Drop off at Adelaide was not too clear what to do once we found the car patk

Shane Watherfield

Destination: Wellington

9Simple and great value

It's a budget car rental but so much cheaper than the usual rental places! The car was perfectly fine so it was exceptional value. Pickup and dropoff easy.

New Zealand Car Rentals