What’s the best type of car for touring New Zealand in?

Not all rental cars are the same….thank goodness

Your week, or far better, multiple weeks self-driving holiday plan for New Zealand is all falling into place – the flights, the destinations, the accommodation. What about the hire car? Anything will do there, right?

Yeah, nah, as we Kiwis love to ambiguously mumble. If you just want any old set of wheels to get you from Auckland to Bluff (A to B…), this article isn’t really for you, but given how much time and money you’re likely to spend in and on your rental car, there are a few things about it you should take time to consider. After all, after your accommodation you’ll spend the most time in your hire car as you’ve likely got a lot of km to cover, so make sure you choose it wisely.

Read on to find the best sort of car for driving on a New Zealand Road Trip from the slightly biased point of view of a New Zealander…..some of the answers may surprise you….

What types of hire car don’t you want? – New Zealand roads are different

Not Electric cars

They might be the future but the charging infrastructure in 2024 New Zealand doesn’t really know that yet. You’ll struggle to find any outside of cities and larger towns, and if you do you’ll likely spend a long time looking at our admittedly appealing scenery as there will likely be a bit of a queue to wait in at the sparsely spaced charging stops. And certainly on the South Island where most touring is done, there are LOOONNNNG hundreds of km distances between them, indeed any form of civilisation with not a lot in between. Your self driving holiday should not have range anxiety as the over-riding emotional memory.

Not small-engined cars

‘Small’ means anything under 1.5 litres, which are going to be uncomfortably wheezing up our mountain passes and uncomfortably whining and droning over the inevitable long distances, as well as not realising their fuel economy benefit unless you’re just staying in the city.

Not cheap cars

As in most things, you get what you pay for. And if you want a cheap hire car, some part of you will pay for it.

Not large SUVs / 4WDs

New Zealand sounds a rugged country and so you need a big rugged hire vehicle right? Wrong – unless you’re going up to the ski fields in winter or hunting boar in the bush with the bogans you don’t need the fuel-sapping lumbering four-wheel drive beasties, even if they claim to be ‘sport’ models. Their bulk isn’t great for our narrow roads and bridges, of which you’ll encounter many on main state single carriageway highways let alone back roads, along with hardly any oversized parking spots to be found in towns. Worse, their high centre of gravity does not a great experience make for our negotiating our very frequent curvy corners from a driving safety or passenger comfort point of view.  As one of our hire customers commented:

New Zealand doesn’t have a straight road in it! Greg from the USA

 

What does make a great hire car for a New Zealand Road Trip then?

Size isn’t everything

If you’re a family of four or more, space should indeed be your main criteria but for fewer folk than that, like couples, you have a lot more flexibility and choice.

Not too small, not too large, ‘just right’ Goldilocks sized vehicle then? A hatchback or medium SUV sounds sensible but don’t you want to enjoy yourself on holiday, have some carefree fun? You’ve thought carefully about treating yourself to some nice characterful accommodation and dining, why not do the same with your hire car….and rent a two seater Sports car?! 

Oh sure, and where does two weeks luggage go? But ask yourself, (or rather your doubting partner), how many times have you packed all those huge suitcases only to find you actually barely used half the stupidly heavy stuff you had to lug around with you everywhere? Pack lighter in multiple soft holdalls and you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at just how much fun you can fit in a roadster.  And if do you need a bit more luggage space, RentAClassic offer plenty of four seater convertibles too..

Automatic for the people, manual for the individual

Gears should be whatever you’re most comfortable with, especially on unfamiliar roads, and the vast majority of hire cars in New Zealand will be automatics. I personally find autos pretty frustrating when climbing mountain passes though, as they tend to be continuously hunting for the right gear on tight winding roads when you’re frequently slowing down and speeding up. Therefore if you do choose an auto, make sure it’s one with a Tiptronic option where you can select and hold the best gear for the hills / short overtaking stretches bursts of speed exactly when you want it – which of course is a feature all the RentAClassic convertibles and grand tourer automatics have.

Individuals who want a more engaging, involved drive that’ll help them stay focused over long journeys and provide some driving entertainment to boot, should go for one of our exciting manual sports cars or convertibles like our classic 1972 MG BGT, 1975 Alfa Spider, or modern Mini Cooper S convertible to rekindle the romance of the road. And why not combine with some of our Drive Alive Motoring Tales Podcasts – another great way to keep you entertained and alert on the road.

Beware too easy a drive

Don’t get me wrong, safe is good but the latest cars where almost everything is automated, you’re so insulated from the road and driving conditions that all you really have to do is steer, have their own particular danger – boredom. Boredom leads to distraction and tiredness and with the hundreds of kms between New Zealand destinations on unfamiliar roads, that can be a real danger. What you need is a hire car with some driving involvement, something to engage all the senses, something that can alternately stimulate and soothe as you choose….like a convertible sports car! Cars that not only keep you safe, but can get you out of trouble. We all make mistakes. What can make the difference to the outcome is positive acceleration, powerful braking, predictable responsive handling, a car that’s confident on those long and winding roads and corners  – that’s what all our RentAClassic Sports and Convertible cars bring. 

A car that’s in its element in all the elements

In Spring particularly but in any season, New Zealand weather can often give you ‘four seasons in one day’, so make sure your car excels at coping with the elements in all of them. Surefooted handling in the wet, good stability in the crosswinds, (sure you want that large SUV?), and the ability to fully bask in the warm, sunny, gloriously clear blue skied days that bless us for much of the year, and flip to keeping you cool under a giant air conditioned sunshade in 25 seconds as you prefer….now what sort of rental car could possible give you all that?

In a convertible you experience ALL of the real New Zealand

With the roof down you see a whole new panoramic perspective that you simply don’t get in any other hire car.

having the soft top down and experiencing the sights into Milford Sound was just incredible, you see the whole landscape, not just a view from the window ! Ian from the UK

And it’s not just the stunning scenery you can take in but the scents, the sounds, the gentle breeze on the hairs of your arm, a wonderful sense of oneness with your surroundings. On our mainly uncrowded roads you’re not going to be sitting fumed up in urban traffic jams but out on the open road. And our cars are also a fantastic way to meet the locals. You’ll get people coming up to you, wanting to chat about the car, where you’ve come from and where your bound for.

A fantastic way to see the South Island. A lovely car in fantastic condition which drove wonderfully and had so many appreciative looks and comments we felt almost embarrassed! Nic from NZ

Take as much care choosing your hire company as your hire car

Reliability, safety and comfort are a given in hire cars these days, but issues can occur even with new cars….how many companies many publish reliability stats for their cars? RentAClassic does. A choice of pickup in different locations is another given, but how many companies just throw you the keys rather than taking the time to show you the specifics about your car and provide detailed documentation? With unlimited km included? Or help with your travel plans and questions?

RentAClassic offers all that and nimble responsive 2 seater convertible sports cars like our BMW Z4 or 1993 Alfa Spider roadsters; spacious 4 seater designer convertibles and stunning coupes like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Alfa Romeo Brera; right up to V8 powered convertible Grand Tourers from Lexus, BMW and Audi which will eat any mountain pass for breakfast, and effortlessly waft you onto any destination in consummate style for lunch and dinner too.

Sure we’re not the cheapest, but RentAClassic offers you an experience like no other on some of the best scenic roads in the world – engaging, immersive, sensuous and fun – that’s surprisingly affordable compared to many premium ordinary rental cars.

If you’re coming this far to New Zealand why not join over 400 happy customers who’ve driven over 100,000 km on their New Zealand driving holidays since 2012.

Fantastic experience – the only difficulty was handing the keys back! Nicholas from NZ

A Sports Convertible from RentAClassic is the only type car that makes sense for all the senses on your New Zealand driving holiday.

Enjoy!