Terms and Conditions | Budget Car Rental

Full Budget Rental Terms & Conditions apply.

 

Standard Motor Vehicle Insurance (called Loss Damage Waiver or LDW) is mandatory and included in the rate.

 

New Zealand Excess Reduction & Protection Package (ER) is optional
In New Zealand, if your vehicle suffers damage an excess normally applies. The standard excess in most cases is NZ$3500 + GST for cars and NZ$4200 + GST for SUVs.

You can reduce the standard excess to NZ$300 + GST by purchasing Excess Reduction (ER).

Note: The excess may vary by age of renter, location, type of vehicle and rate. Excess Reduction does not cover certain loss or damage and cannot be waived in full.

 

Corporate Bookings

If you are making a corporate reservation using a BCD or Fastbreak number, please check your company’s rates and insurance coverage before booking. Standard Motor Vehicle Insurance is mandatory on all Budget leisure rentals, but corporate rates and insurance coverages may differ.

 

Optional Coverages

If you require additional coverage, such as Excess Reduction, you may purchase this at the Budget rental desk when you collect your vehicle.

 

Debit Card Policies

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.

Please Note: Budget charges a card transaction fee for all rentals in New Zealand where a debit card or credit card is used for payment. This fee is calculated on the total rental charges including GST and will be added to the invoice amount.

The fee calculation is 2.2% on Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards and 3.1% on American Express and Diners Club cards.

Airport and Wharf fees are not included in the calculation of the card transaction fee. If the rental takes place at a location that is subject to an Airport or Wharf fee, the final card transaction fee will be less than 2.2% of the total invoice value for Visa and MasterCard transactions and less than 3.1% of the total invoice value for American Express and Diners Club. The card transaction fee is subject to GST.

 

Driver's Licence Requirements

At time of rental pick up, all drivers must present a full and valid driver licence from the renters country of residence. Pink issued New Zealand Driver Licences are not accepted.

All forms of documentation must be issued to the same person, in the same name, and presented together at the time of rental.
Please Note: All drivers licences not printed in English must be accompanied by a valid International Driving Permit.  An International Driving Permit serves only as a translation of a drivers existing driver licence and by itself is not acceptable for vehicle rental.

 

Additional Drivers

All additional drivers must meet the same minimum age and driver licence requirements as the renter. All additional drivers must be present at the start of the rental. If the additional drivers are not present at time of rental pick-up, they must present themselves to a Budget rental location at their earliest convenience to complete the Additional Driver Form.

 

Public Liability and Property Damage

Public liability insurance is in accordance with the insurance laws of the country.  Customer may inquire at the time of rental for additional information of the benefits, conditions and acceptance.

Note: Some credit cards provide insurance coverage, with certain limitations, as a benefit of using the card to rent vehicles.  The customer is advised to contact the card issuer before the rental.  Any waiver must be discussed directly with the location upon arrival.

 

Additional Fees

Extensions or late returns result in additional charges.

 

Age Requirements

At this location the minimum age is 21 for all car groups.   A Young Driver Surcharge of NZ$25.00 + GST per day per driver will apply to drivers under 25 years of age.

 

Estimated Totals

Estimated Total includes base rate, taxes (GST) and surcharges. If a discount coupon has been used on your reservation the discounted value will also be calculated in the Estimated Total. Optional insurance coverages, GPS, Child Safety Seats, and one-way fees will also be calculated in the total, where applicable. Items such as credit/debit card transaction fees and petrol are not included in the Estimated Total.

Estimated Total is subject to change based upon exchange rates at the time of rental.

 

Multi Island Hires

Customers wishing to travel between the North and South Islands are not permitted to take Budget rental vehicles on inter-islander ferries across the Cook Strait. To allow for this type of inter-island travel Budget has introduced a special rental system called a Multi-Island Hire which creates one continuous rental. If you require a Multi-Island Hire, the following rental conditions apply:

  • A minimum rental of 3 consecutive days is required on each island, with a minimum total of 6 days across both islands. If this requirement is not met the rental will be charged as two separate hires.
  • If you are traveling more than once between the two islands, the third (and subsequent) rental period has no minimum length of rental requirement.
  • The rental can start and finish at any Budget location in New Zealand (subject to vehicle availability).
  • You can cross between the two islands using the Picton Ferry Terminal and the Wellington Ferry Terminal, or you can fly into cities where Budget is located. Note: this policy only applies if you are traveling to the other island, not to a location within the same island.
  • A maximum of 5 hours is allowed between the drop off of the vehicle in one island and the pick-up of the next vehicle.
  • A minimum of 72 hours’ notice is required of the customers intention to cross between the islands if a crossover booking has not been previously made. If notice is not given, we cannot guarantee a vehicle will be available on the other side.

It is important to note that no Budget vehicle is allowed to cross Cook Strait between the North and South Islands. Any customer taking a vehicle across on the Inter-islander ferry will not be covered by insurance for any damage occurred to the vehicle. If they collect a car in one island and leave the vehicle in the other island location without Budget authorization, you will face an automatic relocation fee of NZ$450.00 plus GST.

Further information and details may be found here: Multi-Island Car Hire. 

 

Travel to Other Countries

Vehicles are not permitted to leave New Zealand.