Budget Car Rental FAQs

Requirements for Renting

Budget Car Rental FAQs

Requirements for Renting

The applicable Terms and Conditions may vary by location. Be sure to check the bottom of your reservation confirmation for the specific Booking Terms and Conditions for that location and reservation.

Please review our standard Budget Rental Terms & Conditions

The minimum age to rent an Budget vehicle in New Zealand is 21. A surcharge may apply to renters aged 21-24 years.

Age exceptions may occur where they are part of a separate contractual agreement with Budget.

When renting Budget Commercial vehicles the minimum age is 21 years old, but the renter and any additional drivers must hold a full and valid drivers licence for the type of vehicle being hired.

Only those people whose names are recorded on the Rental Agreement can drive an Budget vehicle.

Additional drivers can be added to the Rental Agreement. When collecting the vehicle each driver must be listed on the Rental Agreement and they must each present a full, current, and valid drivers licence at time of collection.

Additional driver forms can be completed at the time of rental or at any Budget location once the rental has started.

Yes, a valid credit card and a current, full, and valid driver's licence in the driver's name are required to rent an Budget vehicle.

Please Note: Budget accepts the following credit/charge cards as credit identification at the time of rental:

• American Express
• Diners Club
• Mastercard
• Visa

Please Note: Debit Cards are accepted provided that the card displays the Visa or Mastercard logo, has been issued by a bank, has the customer's name and card number on the card, and the funds are being debited from a cheque/current account.

Prepaid and Reloadable Debit cards and gift cards, as well as Travel cards and EFTPOS cards are not accepted.

For Budget cars, if you are aged 21-24 years old there are no restrictions on the type of vehicle you can hire, but an underage surchage may apply.

For Budget Commercial vehicles (truck & vans) if you are aged 21-24 years old there are no restrictions on the type of vehicle you can hire, but you must hold a full and valid licence for the class of vehicle being rented.

Yes, please check at time of booking for further information. 

To drive a Budget vehicle in New Zealand, you must hold a current full valid driver licence appropriate for the vehicle while using it.

It is mandatory that your driver licence also be in English when renting from Budget New Zealand.

All named additional drivers to must do the same and be listed on the Rental Agreement document or listed as additional drivers attached to the Rental Agreement.

If your driver licence is in any language other than English, it must be accompanied by an approved translation, such as International Driver Permit and be produced at time of renting from Budget.

The translation must be provided by:

• a NZ Transport Agency authorised translation service, or
• a diplomatic representative at a high commission, embassy or consulate, or
• the authority that issued your overseas licence.

The following documents may also be acceptable as a translation:

• an international driving permit – issued in accordance with a United Nations Convention on road traffic
• a translation document issued by a Notary Public Office in China.

For licence translation services, review the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) approved translators list in New Zealand.

A learner, provisional or restricted driver licence is not an accepted licence to rent a vehicle from Budget New Zealand.