SUV Rental
Mid-size automatic SUVs with the ground clearance and capacity to tackle every kind of New Zealand road trip.
A mid-size SUV is the most popular rental class for visitors to New Zealand — and for good reason. You get the higher driving position, more luggage space, and the extra confidence on gravel and alpine roads, without the fuel bill of a full 4WD. Our SUVs are typically the Mitsubishi Outlander or similar — 5-seater, automatic, with AWD on most models.
New Zealand's best scenic spots aren't always on sealed roads — Cathedral Cove, Skippers Canyon, parts of the Catlins, and a hundred quiet beach turnoffs. An SUV makes those drives stress-free. In winter, the higher clearance and AWD also make alpine passes (Lindis, Crown Range, Arthur's, Haast) much safer.
Our 5-seater SUVs comfortably fit a family of 4 plus luggage for a 2-week road trip. We also rent baby and booster seats for $5/day. For groups of 5+, see our 7-seater rental.
Insurance, unlimited kilometres, unlimited additional drivers, GST, 24/7 roadside assistance and snow chains in winter. The only extras are optional premium insurance and child seats.
SUV pickup from our Auckland city depot, Auckland Airport, Christchurch city depot or Christchurch Airport. One-way SUV rentals between the islands are also available.
Most SUV hires start in Christchurch, because that's where the classic South Island loop begins: Tekapo, Mt Cook, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford, then back through Arthur's Pass. Our Christchurch depot is a 20-minute complimentary transport from the airport, and we hold your SUV until your flight lands even if it's delayed.
From Auckland an SUV opens up Coromandel's gravel beach access, the Northland dune roads and the volcanic backroads around Taupo and Tongariro. Auckland Airport pickup runs on the same complimentary transport.
Our SUVs use roughly 8–10 L/100km depending on how loaded and how hilly. Use the road trip cost calculator to model fuel, ferry and one-way fees for your exact route before you book.
Our Fleet
Live pricing and availability — only a 20% deposit to book.
Nomado mid-size SUV rentals start from $49/day, fully inclusive of insurance, unlimited kilometres and unlimited additional drivers.
Our mid-size SUVs are typically the Mitsubishi Outlander or similar — automatic, 5-seater with generous boot space, AWD where available.
Yes. The extra clearance, AWD on some models, and the ability to fit snow chains in winter make SUVs the safest choice for alpine passes like the Lindis, Crown Range and Arthur's.
Yes — recognised public gravel roads like Cathedral Cove access and the Catlins are permitted when driven to the conditions. Restricted roads such as Skippers Canyon and Ball Hut Road are not permitted, as with other NZ rental providers.
Yes. SUV hire is available from our Christchurch city depot and via our complimentary Christchurch Airport transport (about a 20-minute drive, roughly 45 minutes from landing to keys). Christchurch is the most popular SUV pickup point for Mt Cook, Tekapo, Wanaka and Queenstown trips.
For ski access roads like Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables an SUV with chains is the sensible choice. We include snow chains free from June to September on every SUV rental.