9 Feb 2023

Available rental cars 'slim to none' across NZ - association

From Checkpoint, 6:06 pm on 9 February 2023

Rental vehicles are in steaming hot demand after hundreds of cars were ruined in the Auckland floods.

More than 2500 vehicles swamped during the recent rains had to be towed from the city streets.

Rental Vehicle Association chief executive Ben McFadgen says the chances of getting a rental vehicle around NZ currently are "slim to none".

He told Checkpoint there's a combination of factors that have been exacerbated by the Auckland flooding.

"We've got peak season. We've got very, very high demand for rental vehicles at the moment. We've had lots of people coming over from the US, Europe and Australia.

"Now we're at 65 percent recovery from Covid. So it's still got 40 percent to go before we get to pre-Covid levels. We've got supply chain issues with suppliers, parts and windscreens which means vehicles are off the road for longer.

"So while we've got a problem with Auckland, that's just only a small pimple, if you will, on top of a very large boil."