Mount Cook Road beside Lake Pukaki, South IslandPhoto: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
New Zealand car hire

Hiring a car in New Zealand: the gravel clause

Almost every road worth driving to in the South Island turns to gravel at some point. Your rental contract may already have voided your cover for it — and the booking page will not tell you which.

Quick answer · Hiring a car in New Zealand

Almost every road worth driving to in the South Island turns to gravel at some point. Your rental contract may already have voided your cover for it — and the booking page will not tell you which. Read the gravel clause before you book, not at the counter.

Page updated · Terms last read by hand 7 September 2026.

9example cars
From $34a day in June (NZD)
$3,000–$6,000starting excess
1–5gravel score

Compare prices across companies

Got your dates? These sites search lots of rental companies at once, so you can line up New Zealand prices side by side — then check the gravel clause below before you book.

DiscoverCars →Free cancellation up to 48 hours before pick-upEconomyBookings →Big brands and localsQEEQ →Airport and city depotsLocalrent →Local NZ rental firmsGetRentacar →Independent NZ suppliers

We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. How we’re paid.

Pick a car

What you get, and what it costs

Example cars from three New Zealand suppliers, with real Christchurch prices for a June week and Christmas, the excess you start with, the extras, and a gravel score from the contract.

Economy

Hyundai i30 (similar vehicle, not the exact rental car)Similar vehicle · photo Harvey Bold, CC0Apex

Hyundai i30 or similar

Mid-size hatch
  • Mid-size hatch
  • Automatic
  • 2021–2023 models
  • 2WD
  • Unlimited km
June · low$66 /day
Christmas · peak$155 /day
Christchurch Airport, 7-day hire, avg/day quoted on apexrentals.co.nz on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD, incl. GST.
  • Basic excess $4,000; Limited cover $27.20/day → $1,000; Maximum $31.58/day → $0
  • Roadside cover $6/day
  • Extra drivers and child seats free
  • June extras: snow chains $65, ski racks $50
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • Apex permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: Apex booking engine · Apex terms
Illustration of a small hatch (not the exact model)Illustration, not the exact modelJUCY

JUCY Small Hatch

Small hatch
  • 5 seats
  • Automatic
  • Air conditioning
  • 2WD
  • Unlimited km
June · low$34 /day
Christmas · peak$129 /day
Christchurch, 7 days, quoted on bookings.jucy.com on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD; the total rose at the next booking step, so check the final price.
  • Liability $3,000 + $500 bond; Essentials $25/day → $500; Comprehensive $30/day → $0
  • Claims fee $125
  • Unlimited km
  • Drivers 18+
Gravel score 1/5Why?
  • JUCY excludes damage cover on unsealed roads apart from short campground access roads. How we score
Sources: JUCY NZ bookings · JUCY NZ excess options · JUCY NZ terms
Illustration of a compact car (not the exact model)Illustration, not the exact modelGO Rentals

Toyota Yaris Hybrid or similar

Compact car
  • 5 seats
  • 1 large + 1 small bag
  • Automatic
  • 2WD
June · lowCheck price
Christmas · peakCheck price
We haven’t got a dated GO quote yet, so no price is shown.
  • Excess and bond depend on the vehicle; GO Assured reduces them for a daily fee
  • GO adds a $3/day service fee (its site lists what it covers)
  • Check km and extras at booking
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • GO Rentals permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: GO Rentals vehicles · GO insurance options

SUV

Mitsubishi ASX 2WD (similar vehicle, not the exact rental car)Similar vehicle · photo PageOrganizer, CC BY-SA 4.0Apex

Mitsubishi ASX 2WD or similar

Small SUV
  • Small SUV
  • Automatic
  • 2022–2025 models
  • 2WD
  • Unlimited km
June · low$69 /day
Christmas · peak$161 /day
Christchurch Airport, 7-day hire, avg/day quoted on apexrentals.co.nz on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD, incl. GST.
  • Basic excess $4,000; Limited cover $27.20/day → $1,000; Maximum $31.58/day → $0
  • Roadside cover $6/day
  • Extra drivers and child seats free
  • June extras: snow chains $65, ski racks $50
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • Apex permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: Apex booking engine · Apex terms
Illustration of a compact suv (not the exact model)Illustration, not the exact modelJUCY

JUCY Compact SUV

Compact SUV
  • 5 seats
  • Automatic
  • Air conditioning
  • 2WD
  • Unlimited km
June · low$120 /day
Christmas · peak$171 /day
Christchurch, 7 days, quoted on bookings.jucy.com on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD; the total rose at the next booking step, so check the final price.
  • Liability $3,000 + $500 bond; Essentials $25/day → $500; Comprehensive $30/day → $0
  • Claims fee $125
  • Unlimited km
  • Drivers 18+
Gravel score 1/5Why?
  • JUCY excludes damage cover on unsealed roads apart from short campground access roads. How we score
Sources: JUCY NZ bookings · JUCY NZ excess options · JUCY NZ terms

AWD & 4WD

Nissan X-Trail AWD (similar vehicle, not the exact rental car)Similar vehicle · photo Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0Apex

Nissan X-Trail AWD or similar

Mid-size SUV
  • Mid-size SUV
  • Automatic
  • 2021–2025 models
  • AWD
  • Unlimited km
June · low$83 /day
Christmas · peakSold out (listed at $194)
Christchurch Airport, 7-day hire, avg/day quoted on apexrentals.co.nz on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD, incl. GST.
  • Basic excess $5,000; Limited cover $27.20/day → $1,000; Maximum $31.58/day → $0
  • Roadside cover $6/day
  • Extra drivers and child seats free
  • June extras: snow chains $65, ski racks $50
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • Apex permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: Apex booking engine · Apex terms
Illustration of a full-size suv (not the exact model)Illustration, not the exact modelApex

Hyundai Santa Fe AWD or similar

Full-size SUV
  • Full-size SUV
  • Automatic
  • 2021–2024 models
  • AWD
  • Unlimited km
June · low$97 /day
Christmas · peak$227 /day
Christchurch Airport, 7-day hire, avg/day quoted on apexrentals.co.nz on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD, incl. GST.
  • Basic excess shown at booking; Limited cover $27.20/day → $1,000; Maximum $31.58/day → $0
  • Roadside cover $6/day
  • Extra drivers and child seats free
  • June extras: snow chains $65, ski racks $50
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • Apex permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: Apex booking engine · Apex terms
Ford Everest (similar vehicle, not the exact rental car)Similar vehicle · photo Chanokchon, CC BY-SA 4.0Apex

Ford Everest

Full-size SUV
  • Full-size SUV
  • Automatic
  • 2024–2025 models
  • Unlimited km
June · low$123 /day
Christmas · peak$290 /day
Christchurch Airport, 7-day hire, avg/day quoted on apexrentals.co.nz on 1 Nov 2026 (June 2027 vs 28 Dec 2026). NZD, incl. GST.
  • Basic excess $6,000; Limited cover $27.20/day → $1,000; Maximum $31.58/day → $0
  • Roadside cover $6/day
  • Extra drivers and child seats free
  • June extras: snow chains $65, ski racks $50
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • Apex permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: Apex booking engine · Apex terms
Illustration of a 4wd (not the exact model)Illustration, not the exact modelGO Rentals

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or similar

4WD · diesel
  • 5 seats
  • 4 large + 6 small bags
  • Automatic
  • 4WD
June · lowCheck price
Christmas · peakCheck price
We haven’t got a dated GO quote yet, so no price is shown.
  • Excess and bond depend on the vehicle; GO Assured reduces them for a daily fee
  • GO adds a $3/day service fee (its site lists what it covers)
  • Check km and extras at booking
Gravel score 5/5Why?
  • GO Rentals permits formed gravel and names the roads you can’t use (e.g. Skippers Canyon). How we score
Sources: GO Rentals vehicles · GO insurance options

How we priced: a 7-day hire from Christchurch Airport starting 7 June 2027 (“June”) and 28 December 2026 (“Christmas”), quoted on each supplier’s own booking site on 1 November 2026. NZD per day, rounded, before optional cover. The Ford Everest is listed by Apex as a full-size SUV; it isn’t marked as 4WD in the listing, so check the drivetrain if you need it. Photos show a similar vehicle, not the exact rental car.

Compare prices across companies

Prices above are from each company’s own site. To see more companies for your own dates in one go, try a comparison site:

DiscoverCars →Free cancellation up to 48 hours before pick-upEconomyBookings →Big brands and localsQEEQ →Airport and city depotsLocalrent →Local NZ rental firmsGetRentacar →Independent NZ suppliers

We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. How we’re paid.

How we score

The gravel score

Scored from each supplier’s published terms, not from price or reviews.

5 · Clear yes

Formed gravel allowed and banned roads named: Apex, GO Rentals, Hertz.

4 · Yes, list missing

Allowed, but the list of excluded roads isn’t published: Avis, Budget.

2 · Unclear

No published permission: Ezi, Snap, Omega. Ask in writing.

1 · No

Cover void on unsealed roads bar narrow exceptions: JUCY, Europcar.

Read this first

Three completely different rules, sold as the same product

Every supplier below rents you a car in the same country. What they permit you to do with it on an unsealed road differs so widely that the cheapest quote can be the one that leaves you carrying a five-figure loss. We read all ten sets of terms.

SupplierUnsealed roadsWhat the terms actually say
JUCYNo unsealed roadsDamage cover is excluded where the vehicle is used “in any off-road conditions, including on any unsealed road”. The single exception is access roads to recognised commercial campgrounds under 12 kilometres.
This is an exclusion from cover, not a driving ban — the rental agreement itself carries no gravel clause. The practical effect is the same: drive a gravel road and you carry the whole loss yourself.
EuropcarSeverely conditionedGravel is permitted only when four conditions hold at once: the road is graded and well maintained, the distance is under 500 metres, the speed is 40km/h or less, and the sole purpose is reaching accommodation, camping or a tourist attraction.
An SUV of class CFAR or above may exceed the 500-metre limit — the other three conditions still apply. Europcar also prohibits taking the vehicle between the North and South Islands in either direction, which no other supplier here does.
EziProhibition onlyProhibits driving “anywhere that is not officially designated as a road” and names specific excluded roads — but nowhere states that formed gravel is permitted.
Earlier research put Ezi in the formed-gravel group. Re-reading the terms, that was wrong: the clause is a prohibition with no matching permission. Treat gravel as unresolved and ask.
SnapNothing publishedNo gravel or unsealed-road clause anywhere in the terms.
A safety tip on Snap’s driving page advises slowing down on gravel, but that is advice, not a contract term. Silence is not permission — get it in writing.
OmegaNothing publishedNo gravel or unsealed-road clause in the published terms.
ApexFormed gravel OKPermits a “sealed, metalled or gravel road”, with named roads excluded.
GO RentalsFormed gravel OKThe plainest wording in the category: if it is “a legal and named gravel road, then you’re okay to drive it”, with named roads excluded.
AvisFormed gravel OKPermits a “sealed, metalled or gravel road”.
The list of roads you cannot drive sits in an annexure that the published terms document references but does not contain. We could not obtain it, so we do not know which roads Avis excludes.
BudgetFormed gravel OKPermits a “sealed, metalled or gravel road”.
Same missing annexure as Avis — the excluded-roads list is referenced but not published in the terms we could retrieve.
HertzFormed gravel OKExcludes roads “other than tar seal or metal” — metalled being the New Zealand term for a formed gravel road, so formed gravel is inside the permitted set.
Terms read by hand · 7 September 2026

What this means when you are standing at the counter

If your itinerary has any gravel on it — and Aoraki, Glenorchy, the Catlins and most trailheads do — JUCY and Europcar are the two to think hardest about. JUCY excludes cover on any unsealed road outright. Europcar permits gravel only under four conditions at once, one of which is a 500-metre distance limit.

Silence is not permission. Snap and Omega publish no gravel policy at all. That is not the same as allowing it — it means the question is unresolved and will be resolved by whoever holds the contract after you have already damaged the car. Ask, and get the answer in writing on the rental agreement, not in a phone call.

Ezi is the one we got wrong first time. We had Ezi filed as permitting formed gravel. Re-reading the terms before publishing, there is no such permission — only a prohibition on undesignated roads and a list of named exclusions. We corrected it rather than shipping it.

The roads that are named

Even suppliers that permit formed gravel exclude specific roads by name. Drive one and you are uninsured on it, whatever cover you bought. This is every road we found named in a supplier’s own terms, and who names it.

RoadWhereNamed by
Skippers CanyonQueenstownEuropcar, Hertz, GO Rentals, Ezi, Apex
The road to MacetownArrowtownEuropcar, Hertz, GO Rentals, Ezi, Apex
Ninety Mile BeachNorthlandEuropcar, Hertz, GO Rentals, Ezi
Ball Hut Road / Tasman Valley RoadAoraki / Mt CookEuropcar, Hertz, GO Rentals, Ezi
Te Paki Stream bedNorthlandGO Rentals, Ezi
Glenorchy–Paradise RoadHead of Lake WakatipuEzi, Apex
Matukituki RoadWanakaApex
Deer Park HeightsQueenstownEzi
North of ColvilleCoromandelEuropcar
Tapu–Coroglen inland roadCoromandelEuropcar, Ezi

The Crown Range is not on this list, and that is deliberate. It gets described as a rental-car exclusion all over the internet. We checked the full terms of all ten suppliers here plus Sixt and Thrifty: not one of them names it. New Zealand’s highest sealed road is steep and it closes in snow, but no supplier we read forbids it.

Two lists are missing and we will not pretend otherwise. Avis and Budget both reference an annexure titled “where you cannot drive the vehicle”, and neither annexure is present in the terms document they publish. So we can tell you Avis and Budget permit formed gravel, and we cannot tell you which roads they carve out. Ask them directly before you commit to a route.

Which New Zealand rental company is best for gravel roads?

On the contract alone, not on price. This sorts the ten suppliers above by how clearly their terms answer the gravel question.

+Clearest: Apex, GO Rentals and Hertz. All three permit formed gravel and publish the roads they exclude by name, so you can check your route before you book.
+Permitted, list missing: Avis and Budget. Both permit formed gravel, but the annexure of excluded roads is absent from the terms they publish. Ask for it.
?Unresolved: Ezi, Snap and Omega. None publishes a permission to drive on gravel. Ezi prohibits undesignated roads and names exclusions; Snap and Omega say nothing. Get an answer in writing on the agreement.
−Most restrictive: JUCY and Europcar. JUCY excludes cover on any unsealed road beyond short campground access roads; Europcar allows gravel only when four conditions are met at once.

This ranks contract terms only. It is not a price comparison, and no supplier pays to appear on this page.

On the road

Driving a hire car on New Zealand gravel roads

Your contract says whether you may drive gravel. This is how to do it without a cracked windscreen or a slide into the ditch, based on advice from the council that runs the gravel roads around Aoraki/Mount Cook.

  • Slow right down. Even in a 4WD. Mackenzie District Council, which looks after more than 500 km of gravel around Aoraki/Mount Cook and Tekapo, suggests below 40–50 km/h on narrow unsealed roads, and slower again on loose gravel and corners.
  • Ease off for oncoming cars. Dust hides the road and flicked stones break windscreens and headlights, so slow further and give other traffic plenty of space.
  • Use the wheel tracks, keep left. Gravel is thicker on the shoulder and the camber can pull you to the edge, so stay in the existing tracks and keep left on corners and blind crests.
  • Smooth inputs only. Brake, steer and accelerate more gently than usual, and don’t brake suddenly going downhill. If you skid, stay off the brakes and steer gently where you want to go.
  • Lights and air. Run low-beam headlights, increase your following distance, and press the recirculation button when it’s dusty.

Tips from Mackenzie District Council’s gravel road advice, read 4 November 2026.

Flying into Queenstown? See Queenstown Airport car hire for which desks are in the terminal and the local roads contracts name.

What you are on the hook for

The standard excess is the amount you pay before any cover starts. Half the suppliers here do not publish it in advance at all.

SupplierStandard excess before any reduction (NZD)
JUCYUp to $7,500
JUCY no longer publishes one flat figure. Its terms cap the maximum excess liability at $7,500 per event, with the actual amount shown at booking. For a Small Hatch or Compact SUV from Christchurch (quoted 1 November 2026) it was $3,000 plus a $500 bond. An older 2022 document quoting $3,000 is superseded — we removed that number before publishing it.
EuropcarNot published
Refers to the figure printed on your rental agreement. Nothing published in advance.
Ezi$5,999 to $7,000
Ezi publishes a range rather than per-class figures, “depending on the category”.
Snap$3,000
The default Limited Cover excess, alongside a $2,000 bond.
Omega$3,500
A single flat figure — the lowest standard excess we found in New Zealand.
Apex$4,000 / $5,000 / $6,000
Not in the published terms, but shown in Apex’s booking engine on 1 November 2026: $4,000 for the i30 and ASX, $5,000 for the X-Trail, $6,000 for the Everest. Limited cover ($27.20/day) cuts it to $1,000; Maximum ($31.58/day) to $0.
GO RentalsNot published
No standard excess published in advance.
Avis$5,900 / $6,900 / $7,500
By vehicle group; $7,500 applies to the Signature Series.
Budget$5,900 / $6,900
By vehicle group: smaller cars at the lower figure.
Hertz$5,500 / $6,001 / $7,200
By vehicle class. Read off an FAQ document on Hertz’s own server that carries no effective date, so we cannot date these figures — confirm at the counter.

What the excess actually is, and why the hold on your card is a separate number →

Where this site earns, and what it doesn’t tell you

Everything above compares what the ten suppliers permit in their contracts. It does not compare what they charge — New Zealand car hire is priced dynamically by date and depot, so any price we printed would be wrong within a day.

For the booking itself, QEEQ is an aggregator that carries New Zealand inventory. It and the other comparison sites in the “Compare prices” boxes (DiscoverCars, EconomyBookings, Localrent and GetRentacar) are the links on this page we earn a commission from. That is the whole of our commercial interest in car hire — we have no relationship with any supplier named on this page, which is why we can say JUCY voids your cover on gravel without it costing us anything.

Whoever you book through, the contract you sign is the supplier’s, not the booking site’s. The gravel clause above is the one to check before you pay.

Check New Zealand prices on QEEQ →

Two fees that change the total

An extra driver and a one-way drop are the two additions most New Zealand itineraries need. The spread is wider than it looks.

SupplierAdditional driverOne-way fee
ApexNo chargeNil
Snap$3 per dayNot published
Ezi$5 per dayNot published
Hertz$5.50Not published
GO Rentals$15 per rental$100 to $1,000
OmegaNot publishedNil between Omega depots

Two corrections worth stating, because we nearly published both wrong. Hertz charges $5.50 for an additional driver with no per-day qualifier anywhere in its wording. GO Rentals charges $15 per additional driver per rental, not per day — on a two-week hire, publishing that as a daily rate would have overstated it by $195.

Apex charges for neither, which on a two-driver one-way South Island loop is a real difference rather than a rounding one.

Your Australian licence

You do not need an International Driving Permit. New Zealand requires a translation only where the licence is not in English, and an IDP is simply one accepted form of translation. An Australian licence is already in English.

How long you may drive on it changed on 1 November 2026. According to the NZ Transport Agency:

  • If you last arrived in New Zealand before 1 November 2026: up to 18 months from that arrival.
  • If you arrive on or after 1 November 2026: up to 12 months.

Leaving New Zealand and coming back restarts the period. For a holiday hire this changes nothing in practice; it matters if you are staying longer on a working holiday or visiting family for months.

Checked against the NZ Transport Agency on 1 November 2026.

Hiring a campervan instead?

The tables on this page cover cars only. Campervan and motorhome companies write their own road rules, which are usually stricter on gravel. For Australian trips, see campervan and motorhome hire in Australia and campervan hire in Tasmania. Every Traviva car hire guide is listed on the car hire hub.

Questions people ask

Can you drive a rental car on gravel roads in New Zealand?

It depends on the supplier. Apex, GO Rentals, Avis, Budget and Hertz permit formed gravel roads, with named exclusions. JUCY excludes cover on any unsealed road apart from short campground access roads, and Europcar permits gravel only under strict conditions. Read the clause before you book.

Which New Zealand car rental companies allow gravel roads?

Of the ten suppliers we read, Apex, GO Rentals, Avis, Budget and Hertz permit formed gravel. Ezi, Snap and Omega publish no permission, so treat gravel as unresolved and ask in writing. JUCY and Europcar are the most restrictive.

How long can I drive in New Zealand on my Australian licence?

If you last arrived in New Zealand before 1 November 2026, up to 18 months from that arrival. If you arrive on or after 1 November 2026, up to 12 months. Leaving and coming back restarts the period.

How should I drive a rental car on a gravel road in New Zealand?

Slow down, keep left, stay in the wheel tracks and make every input smooth. Ease off further when a car comes the other way, because dust cuts visibility and flicked stones chip windscreens. Check first that your rental terms permit the road.

Do Australians need an International Driving Permit in New Zealand?

No. New Zealand only requires a translation or International Driving Permit when the licence is not in English, and an Australian licence is in English.

How we checked this

Every clause on this page came from the supplier’s own terms document or rental agreement. No blogs, no aggregators, no comparison sites — the wording matters too much to take secondhand. Where a supplier publishes nothing, the table says so instead of filling the gap.

Six claims did not survive that check and were corrected before this page went up: JUCY’s excess, Ezi’s gravel position, the Hertz and GO Rentals driver fees, the licence duration, and a Crown Range restriction that turned out not to exist. We mention it because a page like this is only worth reading if the errors get caught before you do.