Our key tips to hiring a car in Queenstown

Many visitors to Queenstown will either be arriving or departing Queenstown in a car rental.  That’s because New Zealand is a touring country with many people spending a few weeks travelling the country.  So, we've created our tips and need to know information about finding the right car and exploring the best nearby regions to visit. 

Having a car rental in Queenstown also means having the ability to explore the nearby points of interest, many within an hour’s drive.  These include nearby wineries of Gibbston, the historic former gold mining town of Arrowtown, the Lord of Rings location of Glenorchy and the smaller activity resort town of Wanaka.
 
Finding The Right Car:

Use our My Guide Car Comparison Tool to find the best deals on car rentals in Queenstown - Search, Compare, and Save up to 70%!  The daily rental rate will vary depending on the size and model of vehicle, the time of the year and the length of rental period.

Where To Pick Up Your Queenstown Car Rental:

1. Queenstown Airport 

Most of the major car rental companies are located at Queenstown Airport including  Ezi, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Thrifty and Hertz.  As you exit the airport, most of the rental car collection car parks are to your right.

Queenstown Airport is located in Frankton, 10 kilometres, or a 10 minute drive, from the town centre.  With the backdrop of the Remarkables mountains, it's no surprise the airport was named in the top 10 most stunning approaches in the world, by travellers from around the world.

2. Queenstown Downtown

A few car rentals companies have branches in Queenstown Town Centre.  Queenstown is a small and compact town, so it’s easy to walk to the rental branches from most accommodations in the centre.

Car Rental Insurance:

Typically there are 3 levels of insurance cover to choose from which will determine your final price.  This ranges from $0 excess to usually $2500 excess cover.  We’d suggest picking the $0 excess to remove any financial worries in the event of an accident.

Car Rental Locations:

Most of the car rental pick-up and drop-off locations are in the major cities which there are not many!  Auckland, Wellington and Rotorua on the North Island.  While on the South Island, Picton, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Speed Limit

The speed limit is usually 100km/h on State highways although there are a couple at 110km/h (Tauranga Toll Road and Waikato Expressway). The majority of urban areas are 50 km/h.

Driving Distances In New Zealand

We've put together a  quick guide to the driving distances from Queenstown to the main areas to visit in New Zealand.  View Here.
 
The Best Day Trips To Drive From Queenstown

A trip to Queenstown should include time to expore beyond the surrounding region with many of New Zealand's most beautiful sights within a relatively short driving distance.  To help you see more of the region, we've put together our guide to the '5 Unmissable Day Trips
From Queenstown'.  Read Here.

Driving To Lord Of The Rings Country

This is a great short drive that takes less than an hour. The 46 kilometre drive from the centre of Queenstown to Glenorchy is one of the world's great drives.  The New Zealand you imagined from watching the Lord of The Rings and Hobbit films, can be found here.  Read Here.

Less Than an Hour’s Drive from Queenstown

There are plenty of places to see near to Queenstown.  So, we've put together a guide of the best places to see near Queenstown that are all less than an hour's drive away.  Read Here.

Driving From Wanaka To Queenstown

Wanaka is a smaller version of Queenstown with many adventure experiences on offer.  The town is nestled on the edge of Lake Wanaka and close to Mount Aspiring National Park.  There are a couple of ways to drive between Queenstown and Wanaka which take around an hour.  Read Here.

Driving From Queenstown To Christchurch

The drive from Queenstown to Christchurch is one of the world's great drives.  Without stopping, it's a 6 hour drive but where is the fun in that?  It's good to build in a couple of days to appreciate some of the most beautiful scenery you'll see anywhere in the world.  To help with your planning, we've put together the highlights that you'll encounter on the drive from Queenstown to Christchurch.  Read Here.

Driving From Queenstown To Milford Sound 

If someone as eminent as Rudyard Kipling was willing to call Milford Sound the, eighth Wonder of the World, then that was good enough for us.  We also thought it would be a good idea to actually practice what we preach, and make the popular drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound, and back, in one day.  Read Here.

Queenstown Car Hire

Use our My Guide Car Comparison Tool to find the best car rental prices in Queenstown - Search, Compare, and Save up to 70%!