About Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Hire Cars Award
Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Hire Cars Award reveals the hire car chain that delivers the best consumer satisfaction to its customers.
We ask Kiwi car hire customers to rate their satisfaction with their choice of hire car brand by Overall Satisfaction, as well as important criteria such as Booking Process, Customer Service and Value for Money.
Numbers crunched by Canstar’s researchers:
- 719 Customers Surveyed
- 15 Brands Assessed
- 7 Brands Shortlisted
- 1 Award Winner
The best hire cars in NZ
1. Ezi Car Rental
This is the first time Ezi Car Rental has taken home our Hire Car Award, and it does so on the back of a great set of ratings from its customers.
It earns perfect 5-Star ratings for Availability & Flexibility and in the all-important category of Value for Money. And for Booking Process, Customer Service and Vehicle Condition it earns great 4.5-Star reviews.
Ezi Car Rental is 100% Kiwi-owned and operated and has 24 branches across New Zealand, from Auckland to Invercargill, including many airport terminal locations.
Ezi's wide choice of vehicles includes small hatchbacks and large 4WDs, plus utes and people movers. For the ecologically minded, its Green Fleet offers a choice of hybrid vehicles.
Ezi Car Rentals also offers a wide range of deals, including:
- Sign-up to the Drive Ezi newsletter for an initial 10% discount
- 15% off daily-rate for OZ/AU seniors
- Mobile fuel discount
- One-way trips between select locations
2. GO Rentals
Established in 1997, GO Rentals it a four-time winner of our Hire Car Award. It operates ten offices across the country, allowing you to pick-up and drop-off at different locations: Auckland City, Auckland Airport, Christchurch Airport, Dunedin Airport, Greymouth, Invercargill Airport, Nelson Airport, Queenstown Airport, Waiheke Island and Wellington Airport.
GO Rentals offers a choice of modern vehicles, from small cars and SUVs to 4WDs, hybrids and vans, plus it has the country's largest fleet of Tesla Model Ys. To add to its green credentials, you can also offset the carbon emissions of your trip via CarbonClick.
3. Budget
Budget car rental, which is owned by Avis Budget Group, is one of the world's best-known car rental brands, boasting approximately 3500 locations in over 120 countries. Here in New Zealand, Budget has 30 offices, including at all major airports.
Budget's fleet covers small to large vehicles and SUVs, people movers and utes, and includes hybrids and EVs.
4. Hertz
Hertz is a US car rental company, and one of the biggest car rental companies in the world, operating in 160 countries. In New Zealand, it has locations in all major cities and airports.
As well as small and medium-size family hatchbacks, Hertz offers EVs and hybrid vehicles and sporty Ford Mustangs, as well as vans and utes.
5. Apex
Apex Car Rentals has 14 offices spread across the North and South Islands. Apex's airport locations are situated close to airport terminals, and provide free airport shuttle services between the terminals and the Apex branches. Its car fleet covers vehicles from mid-range hatchbacks to large 4WDs, people-movers and minibuses.
6. Thrifty
Thrifty has 48 locations across the country, and offers a wide choice of vehicles, from small economy models, including the Toyota Yaris, up to sporty Ford Mustangs, large SUVs, utes, vans, trucks and minibuses. Thrifty Car Rental is part of the Hertz group of companies.
7. Avis
Founded in the US nearly 80 years ago, Avis is now a multinational company. In New Zealand it operates 32 offices, many in airport terminals. Its fleet ranges from small economy cars, such as the Toyota Corolla hatch, through mid-size hatchbacks, up to large 4WDs, EVs, hybrids, utes and trucks.
Other hire car brands
Not all hire car companies in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more hire car companies to check out before you hire your next vehicle.
- Ace Car Rentals
- Europcar
- Jucy
- Omega
- RaD Car Hire
- Snap Rentals
Ace Rental Cars
Ace Rental Cars operates four offices in the North Island: in Auckland and Wellington, and at those cities' airports. In the South Island, Ace Rental Cars can be found at Dunedin, Queenstown and Christchurch airports, as well as at the Picton car ferry terminal, Greymouth and downtown Christchurch.
Europcar
Europcar is a massive worldwide car rental company that was founded in France. It has 15 locations across the country, stretching from Auckland to Dunedin, including in the terminal buildings at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports. Europcar has a wide range of vehicles in its fleet, including luxury vehicles from BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz.
Jucy
As well as its iconic campervans, Jucy offers two types of rental vehicles: small hatchbacks and compact SUVs, which are available from its three airport locations: Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown.
Omega
Omega Rental Cars operates a wide fleet of vehicles, including small hatchbacks, mid-range sedans and family and luxury SUVs.
In New Zealand, it has 10 offices: two each in Auckland and Wellington, including at each city's airport, and six in the South Island: Picton, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch Airport, Queenstown and Queenstown Airport.
RaD Car Hire
RaD has 22 rental offices spread across both islands, in all main centres and near major airports, from Whangarei to Invercagill. It offers two levels of car hire: Classic and Premium. Its fleet includes small economy hatchbacks, and mid-range sedans, SUVs and 4WDs, as well as large people movers, minibuses, utes and trucks. Its premium range of late model vehicles includes Subarus and Toyota RAV4s.
Snap Rentals
Snap Rentals won our 2025 Hire Car Award, but unfortunately didn't receive the required number of reviews to qualify for this year's award.
Snap Rentals has six offices spread across the country: in Auckland city and at the airports in Auckland, Christchurch, Nelson, Queenstown and Wellington.
Its range of cars includes models for all budgets, from smaller Toyotas, such as the Yaris and Corolla, and Suzuki Swifts, to hybrids, minibuses and late model premium vehicles, including Mitsubishi Pajeros and Outlanders, and Toyota Highlanders.
In addition to regular rental terms, Snap Rentals offers long-term monthly rentals, and an initial 10% discount if you sign up for the Snap Rentals newsletter.
Yes Rentals
Yes Rentals has five offices across the country: one each in Auckland and Christchurch, plus three at the airports in Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown. All stores provide a 24- hour car pick-up and return service.
Yes Rentals vehicle fleet encompasses small, medium and large Toyota vehicles, as well as people movers and minibuses with seating for up to 12 passengers.
Choosing the right hire cars for you
While hiring a car online is a pretty streamline process, things can hit a snag when you arrive to pick up the keys. Sometimes the car isn't the one you expected, or you can be left waiting due to excess paperwork or a lack of staff … and then there's the drop-off process. It's not surprising, then, that customer service is the most important factor for car hire customers, rated the No.1 driver of satisfaction by over a third (28%) of those in our survey.
Of course, Value for Money is also important, and that rates second, cited by a quarter (26%) of our survey respondents as the top driver of their satisfaction when hiring a rental car.
Overall, here's what the consumers in our survey say are their most important considerations when rating their hire car companies:
- Customer Service: 28%
- Value for Money: 26%
- Vehicle Condition: 18%
- Cost Transparency: 13%
- Availability of Vehicle: 11%
- Booking Process: 4%
