Should You Rent or Buy a Vehicle to Travel New Zealand?

Renting a Car or Campervan in New Zealand

Why should you rent a car or campervan in New Zealand, rather than buy one? Here’s why.

Ideal When You Have Limited Time in New Zealand

The first major advantage of renting a car in New Zealand compared to buying is that you can hit the road quickly. By renting a car, you can book prior to your arrival in New Zealand and pick up the vehicle on whatever day you choose (providing that you book far enough in advance as there may be less choice the closer you get to your desired pick-up date). What’s more, you can then drop off the vehicle at a selected date.

Renting a car in New Zealand is ideal if you don’t have much time in New Zealand and you want to start travelling as soon as possible.

Affordable if You Choose the Right Season

Renting a car can be pretty affordable if you find the right price. Some cars can be hired for as little as NZ$45 a day and small campervans for around NZ$100 per day. However, rental prices are sky high in the summer season (December – February), so for the best rental deals, consider travelling in the shoulder and off-seasons.

Check out 20 Ways to Save Money on Car & Campervan Rental in New Zealand for more ways to keep the cost of car rental low.

More Likely to Be Reliable Than a Bought Secondhand Car

When renting a car in New Zealand, you can usually rely on the vehicle to not break down. Rental vehicles have had mechanical checks and are deemed roadworthy. In the unlikely scenario that your vehicle does break down, it should be up to the rental company to pay for the cost – not you. Check the terms and conditions before renting any vehicle.

Age Restrictions for Renting a Vehicle

If you are under 25 years old, you may experience a few restrictions or extra fees from some car rental companies in New Zealand. However, you will still be able to find a car or campervan rental that is affordable from companies that specialise in young drivers. It will just narrow your options. Find out more in our guide to Age Restrictions When Renting a Vehicle in New Zealand.

Buying a Car or Campervan in New Zealand

Why should you buy a car or campervan for travelling New Zealand, instead of renting one? Here you go.

Cost-Effective for Long-Term Travel

If you plan to travel by car for more than a couple of months, then buying a car is, in theory, a lot more cost-effective than renting. Buying a used car or campervan in New Zealand is relatively cheap with some of the cheapest-yet-reliable used cars being around NZ$2,000-$5,000. Used campervans vary in price depending on what features they have but cheap used campervans are usually between NZ$5,000 to NZ$10,000.

At the end of your trip, you should be able to sell your car for a decent portion if not the full price that you bought it for. Therefore, the investment into buying a car in New Zealand just includes the costs of running the car and the time taken to buy and sell it. Buying and selling a vehicle usually takes about one week for cheaper cars while campervans may take a couple of weeks. For advice on buying and selling, check out Where to Buy a Backpacker Vehicle in New Zealand and How to Sell Your Car or Campervan in New Zealand.

The Risk of Buying a Bad Car or Campervan

The disadvantage of buying a car or campervan, apart from the time and effort took to buy and sell a vehicle, is if your vehicle needs to be repaired. While there are plenty of used cars that are reliable for a road trip in New Zealand, it’s not uncommon to buy a car that has faults or breaks down during the trip. Repairing it can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars. However, there are ways to greatly reduce this risk, such as having a pre-purchase inspection before buying the car. We recommend following our tips in Buying a Car or Campervan in New Zealand Step 1: Car Inspection and Buying a Car or Campervan in New Zealand Step 2: Test Drive.

Another way to avoid “buying a dud” is to buy a car or campervan from a dealer that guarantees to buy the vehicle back from you. Generally, buyback dealers invest in maintaining their vehicles to a high standard, so they have a lot to gain in having you sell the vehicle back to them once you have finished using it. As an added bonus, this relieves the stress of selling your car at the end of your trip.

Other car-selling services offer a warranty on their vehicle that ranges from a few weeks to a few months and even basic mechanical training to avoid breakdowns on the road.

Buy a Reliable Car or Campervan from Backpacker Car

For a smooth buying and selling process when it comes to buying vehicles that have had strict mechanical checks, take a look at Backpacker Car. All of their cars, campercars and self-contained campervans for sale are pre-serviced, fully equipped with camping gear and have a 30-day warranty, so you can hit the ground running once you arrive in New Zealand. You can reserve your vehicle before you arrive and there’s even the option to sell the vehicle back to the team, saving you weeks off the usual buying and selling process! Check out their vehicles for sale at backpackercar.co.nz.

No Age Restrictions

Unlike renting a vehicle, you just need to be old enough to drive and have an appropriate driving license to buy a car in New Zealand. Make sure you’re driving license in New Zealand is legal for New Zealand by checking out Why You Need an International Driving Permit for New Zealand.