Queenstown Airport Car Rental

Queenstown Airport (ZQN)

Location Details

Sir Henry Wigley Drive
Queenstown, NZ, 9349

Hours & Services

July 13, 2025
Sunday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday 07:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Pick-Up Service Unavailable
After-Hours Returns Available

Directions from Terminal

Your rental will be serviced by Enterprise. Upon arrival please be on the lookout for the Enterprise counter located in the Arrivals hall of the airport terminal. Your rental will be serviced there. The car rental counter is located in the Arrivals hall of the Queenstown Airport Terminal opposite to luggage belt 1.

Hiring a Car from Queenstown Airport

One-way car hire

One-Way Car Hires

Pick-up and drop-off in different locations for a flexible one-way car rental.

Wide range of vehicles

Wide Range of Vehicles

Browse premium hybrid SUVs, compact cars, minivans and ute rentals.

Business car rentals

Business Car Rentals

Access business rates, a dedicated account manager and customised billing.

Long-term rentals

Long-Term Rentals

Drive away with a convenient long-term car rental without the hassle of buying or leasing.

Meet the car, minivan and ute fleet

Car accessories for comfort

Baby Seats

Baby Seats

Child Seats

Child Seats

Booster Seats

Booster Seats

Ski Racks

Ski Racks

Snow Chains

Snow Chains

Family Car Rentals

Family Car Rentals

Travel in comfort with the whole Whānau

Pick up a family rental car from Queenstown Airport and maximise your comfort. Whether you're exploring Queenstown City, driving to the ski fields or heading off for an enchanting Milford Sound experience, you need a reliable rental vehicle to make it an unforgettable holiday.

With spacious SUVs with 5-7 car seats and minivans, you could pack in your whole family for a South Island adventure. Don't leave the little ones behind. Add a baby, booster or child seat to your booking, and our friendly team will provide you with clear installation guides for safety on the road.

Every family car hire is cleaned, maintained and safety-checked so you have one less thing to worry about. Simply enter your itinerary details, choose your ideal vehicle and select your extras.

Winter Ski Car Hires

Winter Ski Car Hires

Snow-ready and road-ready

Snow seekers can swap city driving for snow carving in a ski-ready car hire. Our Queenstown Airport branch is just a short drive away from four commercial snowfields: The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Cardrona Alpine Resort, and Treble Cone Ski Area.

Pick up a 4WD SUV (Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or similar) or an AWD Hybrid SUV (Toyota Rav4 or similar) so you can enjoy the winter roads with an impressive mountain setting. With ski racks and snow chains for hire, there's no stopping you!

Booking is easier than nailing your first turn. Add in your itinerary details, select your winter car rental and add on ski racks and snow chains. With unlimited kilometres included and additional drivers for $5 plus GST per day, you can slip into adventure right from Queenstown.

4WD Hire Queenstown

4WD Hire Queenstown

Fueled by New Zealand's Adventure Capital

Queenstown is hailed as the adventure capital, but it's also the surrounding landscapes that attract thrill-seekers. You don't need a 4WD or AWD to explore Queenstown or the majority of the South Island, but it does bring extra peace of mind on rural roads, mountain climbs or winter seasons.

Gear up for a 4WD adventure with a premium 4x4 SUV (Toyota Land Cruiser Prado or similar), SUV All-Wheel Drive Hybrid (Toyota RAV4 or similar) or a Premium Pickup 4x4 (Ford Ranger Wildtrak or similar). We pride ourselves on well-maintained vehicles with a visual inspection before every pick-up, so you can rev up a 4WD trip without fear.

Business Car Rentals

Business Car Rentals

Driven by experience, ready for business

Queenstown is a hub for SME businesses and international conferences. With over 50 years of global know-how and 9,500+ locations worldwide, we bring the experience you need to access a reliable and flexible business car rental.

Whether you are on a short business trip or need long-term business cars, minivans or utes, our package is bespoke, flexible and easier than finding a free meeting room.

Simply fill out our business rental car form to access benefits that work for you:

  • Great savings with exclusive business rates
  • A dedicated Account Manager to support your needs
  • No membership or extra driver fees
  • No cancellation fees — ever
  • 24/7 Roadside Assistance included
  • Customised billing to match your workflow
  • Unlimited kilometres to get you to any business meeting
  • Flexible short- and long-term options with no minimum rental period

It’s all about making your business travel seamless, so you can focus on what matters most.

Premium Drives Start with Enterprise

Standard of Care

Plenty of companies talk about their customer service commitments. At Enterprise, we've followed through by creating our Standard of Care.

Our Standard of Care ensures our customers are at the forefront of everything we do through the 5 pillars:

  1. Complete Clean Pledge® to save you valuable time.
  2. Low Touch Transactions for a smooth booking process.
  3. Exceptional Customer Service with a friendly local team.
  4. Vehicle Maintenance and Safety for peace of mind on the road.
  5. Visual Inspection of Every Vehicle with your comfort in mind.

As the world's largest car rental provider, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a step ahead of the competition. Our experience in the car rental industry, dating back to 1957, means we have a level of expertise you can’t find anywhere else. With a local Kiwi team steering our New Zealand branch, every car hire is easy, seamless and feels like an upgrade.

 

Putting you in the driver's seat in Queenstown

Fly into New Zealand's adventure capital and slip behind the wheel of a clean and reliable rental car. With easy, seamless pick-ups from our Queenstown Airport location, you can be on the road without delay. Accelerate your trip and visit some of our favourite places:
Kiwi Park Queenstown

Kiwi Park Queenstown

You can't visit New Zealand without seeing the iconic Kiwi bird. Head to this wildlife sanctuary to see native birds, reptiles and even the ancient tuatara. With conservation shows, interactive talks and daily Kiwi encounters, you can get up close while learning about our beautiful wildlife. At only a 15-minute drive from our Queenstown Airport location, you can be immersed in the native bushland sanctuary.

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu is the impressive centrepiece of the Queenstown landscape and is the longest lake on the South Island. The lake's turquoise waters and breathtaking scenery have been turning heads for centuries. Whether you're a family, thrill-seeker or in between business meetings, Lake Wakatipu offers something for everyone. Enjoy a relaxing TSS Earnslaw steamship cruise or feel the wind in your hair with jet boating.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

A remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site, Milford Sound (Māori: Piopiotahi) is often described as the eighth wonder of the world. Carved by glaciers thousands of years ago, the fjord is filled with pristine waters that mesmerisingly reflect the mountain landscape surrounding it. Take an unbelievable scenic cruise to fully appreciate the size of the fjord, then spend your night marvelling at the spectacular Southern Hemisphere night sky. It will take you 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete the scenic drive from Queenstown. Don't compromise on the window seat of a packed tour bus, pick up a car hire and have the full windscreen view to yourself.

Queenstown to Mount Cook road trip

Queenstown to Mount Cook road trip

This Southern Alps road trip is truly breathtaking, and Queenstown to Mount Cook is one of the most iconic Kiwi drives you can complete. You will be blown away as the itinerary takes you through the epic Crown Range Summit, the stunning Lindis Pass and the show-stopping Mount Cook Road. Taking just 3 hours to complete without stopping from our Queenstown Airport branch, you could fall in love with the picture-perfect South Island in no time at all. However, we recommend giving this trip the time it deserves with a 3-day one-way or 6-day round-trip itinerary.

Christchurch

Queenstown to Christchurch self-drive trip

With locations in both Christchurch and Queenstown, you can pick up an easy one-way car hire without needing to backtrack. The Christchurch to Queenstown drive takes you through the turquoise Lake Tekapo, the striking Mount Cook National Park and the serene Lake Wanaka, allowing you to experience the diverse postcard-worthy South Island in one trip. It would take you 6 hours to complete the drive, or you can take our itinerary and plan a 5-day route.

Franz Josef

Queenstown and other top places to visit on the South Island

Queenstown is often at the top of everyone's South Island list, and it's on ours too! Base yourself in the legendary adventure city and plan your epic day or multi-day trips to the top places on the South Island. We're talking Scottish castles, International night skies on Stewart Island and next-level glaciers like Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Our Queenstown branch is open from 7:30am-10pm every day, with 24-hour drop-off service so you can easily access a car hire to work for your getaways.

Popular Events in Queenstown

Queenstown really lives up to its Adventure Capital title with the events and festivals hosted here every year. From thrilling snow sports to famous golf tournaments, you could plan your whole year with the Queenstown festival calendar:

  • New Zealand Golf Open: Held every February-March in Millbrook Resort, just outside of Queenstown, since the 1970s, the New Zealand Golf Open is a renowned and prestigious golf tournament.
  • Whakatipu Music Festival: Queenstown hosts this epic, week-long music festival every three years, featuring both international and local artists.
  • Queenstown International Marathon: Typically held in November every year, this marathon event is simply stunning and meanders around Lake Wakatipu and the Southern Alps.
  • Snow Machine Festival: Taking place every September, the unreal Apres-ski festival held in Coronet Peak and The Remarkables is a snow seeker's dream with skiing, music and parties.
  • Remarkables Ice & Mixed Festival: Hosted every August, this world-renowned festival brings international climbers to the Queenstown region for mind-blowing ice climbs, workshops and social gatherings.
  • New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF): This national event is hosted around New Zealand, including Queenstown, between July and September and brings both International and local movies to the screen.

 

What do I need to know before driving in Queenstown?

Queenstown is surrounded by ski resorts and rugged mountains, so it is understandable if you are overwhelmed by the driving conditions. Rest assured that Queenstown itself is easy to drive around, and the highways are well-maintained and sealed. Here's what you should know before hiring a car and driving in Queenstown:

  • Drive on the left-hand side.
  • Plan extra time for peak hours due to traffic and congestion.
  • Follow the speed limit - the city centre is 50km/h (unless otherwise signposted) and highways are 100km/h.
  • Wildlife can surprise you on the roads, such as possums and deer.
  • Seat belts are mandatory.
  • Only hands-free mobile phones are allowed.
  • The alcohol limit is 0.05% for drivers over 20.
  • Rural roads may be narrow, windy or hilly.
  • The stunning scenery can be mesmerising, so make sure you pull into a layby for safe photoshoots.
  • Parking is often paid for in the city centre, but there are some free on-street parking spots too.

Rental Policies

Each additional driver will incur an additional driver fee of $5 NZD plus GST per day, capped at a max of 5 days. Additional drivers must be present at pick up and provide their driver's license. Additional drivers must meet all age and driver's license requirements.

After Hours Service Pickups: After hours pickup service is not available at this location. Staff will be on site to meet customers for a pre booked reservation where a flight number is provided in the case the flight is delayed.
After Hours Service Drops: Park in the designated Enterprise parking bay and place the keys in the after hours drop box at the Enterprise counter in the Terminal. There is a key drop box located at the counter.

Minimum driver age is 21 years old. There is no maximum age, however drivers under 25 years old will only be able to reduce their damage liability to 340.00 NZD (excluding GST).
A young driver surcharge of 13.00 NZD per day, which excludes GST, applies to all Drivers aged between 21-24 years old.
Drivers between 21-24 years of age are restricted to vehicle classes Economy, Compact, Intermediate, and Standard only.
All drivers must have held their license for a minimum of one year. If any driver is on a probationary license there is an additional Probationary License Fee of 20.00 NZD per day, which excludes GST.

Vehicles cannot be driven in any other country. Ferry crossings with the vehicle are permitted. Customers are required to inform the rental branch about any cross-border travel at least 3 days in advance. Unauthorized cross-border travel will result in a breach of contract and incur a penalty charge. Parts of New Zealand are not suitable for access by rental vehicles. If the renter takes the Vehicle to any of the following areas, their Liability for any loss or damage may increase and any optional protection product selected such as Loss or Collision Damage Waiver will be voided: Ball Hutt Road (Mt Cook), Skippers Road (Queenstown), Ninety Mile Beach (Northland), Te Paki Stream Bed, the road to Macetown in the Queenstown Area, the coast road to Russell (Northland), or any unformed road, track, or thoroughfare, including beaches and gravel roads that are not officially designated a road.

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is an optional coverage that reduces the applicable excess/deductible amount in case of damage to and/or theft of the vehicle. If CDW is not included in the reservation, it is available for purchase.

The excess/deductible can be reduced to 900 NZD (GST inclusive) for the car categories Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Standard, and Full Size. For any SUVs, Pick-ups, Vans, and any Premium vehicles, the deductible is reduced to 1100 NZD (GST inclusive). All electric vehicles have a reduced excess/deductible of 1300 NZD (GST inclusive). The excess/deductible will be charged every time a vehicle is damaged, lost, not returned, or stolen.

Before purchasing CDW it is advised to determine if personal coverage is adequate to cover damage, theft, loss of revenue, administration fees, diminishment of value, and any towing, storage, or impound fees. If CDW is declined, the renter will be required to pay these charges up to the deductible amount and seek compensation through their carrier of personal coverage. CDW is not insurance.

One way drop fees apply for all valid one-way rentals in New Zealand.

In the event that the renter returns the vehicle to a location that differs from the one noted on the original rental agreement, then Alamo Rent-a-Car NZ reserves the right to charge a relocation fee based on the KM distance table below.

From 01 KMS - To 50 KMS - Charges excluding GST NZD 46.00
From 51 KMS - To 250 KMS - Charges excluding GST NZD 287.50
From 251 KMS - To 500 KMS - Charges excluding GST NZD 575.00
From 501 KMS - To 750 KMS - Charges excluding GST NZD 920.00
From 751 KMS+ - Charges excluding GST NZD 1,500.00 (max charge)

The car will be supplied with a full tank of fuel. Customers must return the car with a full tank or refueling charges at the listed rate plus a 12.5% fee will apply.

A valid credit card or debit card must be provided for all rentals. For payments we accept all major credit cards, debit cards and cash and for deposits we only accept all major credit cards, we do not accept debit cards or not cash. Charges for options and coverage must be settled at the commencement of the rental together with a deposit (bond). The credit card holder is listed as the hirer and must be present at the time of rental commencement. The credit card deposit by way of authorization is NZD 200.00.

A credit card fee of 2.5% applies and is applicable to all rental charges excluding the deposit bond; including any optional items purchased and damage liability charges. There is no refund of credit card surcharges.

Union Pay Cards:
Unfortunately, the rental location cannot accept a card branded only by Union Pay. The rental location accepts Visa and MasterCard with Union Pay logo on the card.

All drivers must present a fully valid driving license. Electronic or digital driving licenses are accepted as long as through the government app. All drivers must have held their license for at least 12 months. In addition, all renters must present a valid photo ID such as a passport or government-issued photo ID. A valid debit or credit card in the renter's name must be presented upon collection of the vehicle. If the driving license is written in a language and characters different from those of the country of rental, an International Driving Permit or a NZTA-approved English translation is also required. Renters are advised to check whether local authorities require foreign drivers to present an International Driving Permit to avoid the risk of potential fines. Renters with licenses from countries who are not part of the International Driving Permit Agreement should carry a certified translation. Customers can drive in the country of rental using their driving license from their country of origin for up to 12 months. If staying in the country longer, customers are required to convert to a NZ Driver’s License. Renters of the local area must provide proof of residence by presenting a recent utility bill, phone bill, or credit card bill.

In New Zealand there is no need for third party compulsory insurance (CTP) as there is a form of insurance scheme managed by the Accident Compensation Corporation (AA) which covers injuries caused by car accidents via a fund by levy that is paid as part of the motor vehicle registration fees. This scheme provides no fault cover, meaning that any person injured as a result of an accident is covered. This cover does not include property or damage to other vehicles. There is no fixed coverage limit per policy.

Queenstown Airport Car Rental FAQs

To rent a car in New Zealand with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, we have the following requirements:

  • Be a minimum of 21 years of age.
  • Provide a full, valid driver’s licence that you have held for a minimum of 12 months. An overseas or international driver’s licence must be in English or be supplied with an official NZTA-approved English translation. 
  • A valid credit or debit card in the hirer's name must be presented at pick-up. Cash is not accepted for any payments or bonds.

We have a wide range of premium vehicles available across the North and South Islands:

  • Compact car hire for zippy city driving
  • Economy cars for day trips
  • Full-size sedans for more legroom
  • 2WD SUVs for family car rentals
  • 4WD SUVs for adventurers
  • Hybrid car hires for fuel savings
  • Minivans for group trips
  • Ute hires for moving, tradies or business rentals

Stuck on what to hire? Save money and pick a mystery car rental, and let us choose for you. 

With a standard of care pledge on all vehicles, our premium fleet is cleaned and well-maintained to provide you with a quality level of comfort.

Renting a car in New Zealand is worth it to experience the country’s natural beauty and hidden gems. While public transport and tour groups are available, they often miss the most scenic, rural destinations and lock you into a fixed schedule.

With a rental car, you're in control. Take the scenic route, stop at every breathtaking lookout and discover charming rural towns at your own pace. Whether you’re chasing waterfalls, adrenaline-fueled adventures or narrow coastal roads, a car hire gives you the freedom to explore New Zealand like a Kiwi local.

We accept all major debit cards except for Maestro, Electron, Solo and pre-paid cards. To rent our 4x4s and premium vehicles, we require a credit card. All cards must have the main driver's name on them.

Our prices may vary because car rental prices are based on various factors such as vehicle size, seasonality, length of rental, vehicle make, availability and location. Customers are advised to start the booking process to determine the exact price.

You can modify or cancel your reservation via our website. If you prepaid your booking and you cancel 3 days or more before your specified pick-up time, you will receive a full refund of the total amount. You can also call your rental branch to extend your reservation. 

Yes, we can easily add an additional driver to your rental agreement for $5 per day per driver (capped at 6 days). The additional drivers must:

  1. Be 21 years of age or older.
  2. Present a full, valid driver’s licence in person at the rental counter. The licence must have been held for a minimum of 12 months. Any overseas or international driver's licences must be in English or have a NZTA-approved English translation.

In New Zealand, you do need insurance to hire a car, but you don’t need to organise it yourself. It’s compulsory for rental companies to provide insurance as part of their rental package. With Enterprise Rent-A-Car, all vehicles come with standard coverage for collision damage, so you are covered. The excess liability for this coverage depends on the vehicle (between $2,875 and $3,450 NZD), and you can reduce your excess for a fee per day.

Yes, you can hire a car with an international driver’s licence. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a few requirements for international drivers:

  • Age Requirement: You must be at least 21 years of age.
  • Licence Type: Valid, full and unrestricted licence.
  • Language: Your licence must be in English or have a NZTA-approved English translation.
  • 12-Month Rule: You must have held your licence for 12 years in order to hire a car.

Yes, we offer both short-term and long-term business car rental packages for a wide range of industries. 

Our business model gives you access to a dedicated account manager, customised billing and great savings with business rates. With no membership fees, no extra driver fees and no cancellation fees, it’s a cost-saving benefit for all types of businesses. 

Whether you’re a trade business in need of ute hires or you’re planning a corporate business trip, all of our vehicles come with 24-hour roadside assistance and unlimited kms for the ultimate convenience. Get in touch with our team for a personalised business car rental package for you.