Kiwis are Sensible when Hiring Cars

Kiwis are Sensible when Hiring Cars

Nearly half of New Zealanders always pay for the additional insurance offered by the car rental company

Auckland, 3rd March 2016 – The most recent survey by consumer satisfaction company, Canstar Blue looking into habits around Hire Cars has shown that New Zealanders are practical when it comes to hiring a car with 49% saying that they always make sure the car is fully insured before they drive away.

More than 40% also take a photo of the hire car before leaving with the car to back themselves in case of a dispute. The youngest generation surveyed, 18-29 year olds, are the most likely to snap some evidence of the car to protect themselves.

Consumers are savvy in using various forms of protection, including buying insurance and taking photographs and other evidence to ensure that if anything was to happen they would be covered, says Canstar New Zealand General Manager, Jose George.

“It’s not a one size fits all situation when it comes to paying for additional insurance. Once the risks and available solutions are understood, consumers should weigh the relative costs and benefits of the options provided by the company and decide on what option best suits them. The decision to insure themselves further may vary based on the specific circumstances of each rental.”

However, most of the concern is unfounded as only 8% of New Zealanders have ever crashed or dented a hire car and just 13% have had to pay unexpected charges when returning the car.

Of those who have crashed or dented it, men (10%) are far more likely to have done so than women (4%).

International drivers – concerns remain

The majority of Kiwis think that international drivers are unprepared for New Zealand driving conditions (78%), up slightly since the same question was last asked in 2013 (76%).

Concern about international drivers is largely unchanged despite the efforts of hire car companies and Government agencies, through the Visiting Drivers Project, to make sure that drivers are properly educated and assessed before hiring a car, says George.

“After incidents where car keys were taken from tourists over the 2014/2015 summer period, many hire car companies set out to make sure that tourist drivers are ready for our roads. This means they will have to fill out a questionnaire and could be asked to do a trial drive if the hire company is not satisfied with their answers. This is a great way to start to improve the concerns that many Kiwis have about foreign drivers.

“The NZTA places foreign drivers as accountable for just 5.7 per cent of fatal crashes between 2010-14. However this is significantly higher in popular tourist destinations. The South Island accounts for 41 per cent for all crashes that involve overseas drivers.”

Price above all else?

Nearly two thirds of New Zealanders (64%) chose their hire car based on price above all other features.

Despite this high rate of deal-seekers, value for money was not the number one driver of satisfaction, instead customer service ranked more highly in consumer’s priorities lists when it came to being satisfied with their hire car provider, says George.

The survey asked participants to rate their hire car company across seven variables:

1. Value for money
2. Customer service
3. Availability of vehicle booked (was the vehicle that you booked the one that you received)
4. Booking process
5. Transparency of cost and fees
6. Availability of accessories ordered
7. Overall satisfaction with the hire car

This year’s winner of the Canstar Blue Customer Satisfaction Award – Hire Cars is Apex, achieving 5-stars in nearly every category.

Apex’s near clean sweep of top marks shows that consumers are happy with their services. Apex Car Rentals, Australasia's largest home-grown car hire company, promises that when you hire from them there are no hidden costs, meaning consumers won’t be hit by an unexpected fee at the end of their trip, says George.

“Apex is now a three-time winner of this award so customers know they can place their trust in their services as they were the only brand to achieve 5-stars in the majority of the categories.”

Hire car habits by region: (only exceptions)

Auckland: Aucklanders are most likely to always pay for the additional insurance offered by the car rental company (53%), least likely to choose their hire car provider based on price over other features (61%), most likely to have crashed or dented a hire car (11%), most likely (equal with Wellington) to have had to pay unexpected charges when returning the car (16%) and least likely to think that international drivers are unprepared for NZ driving conditions (74%).

Waikato: Those in the Waikato are most likely to always take a photo of the hire car before leaving with it to back themselves in case of a dispute (58%), most likely (equal with Wellington) to always thoroughly read the terms and conditions before finalising a rental agreement (61%) and most likely (equal with Canterbury) to have chosen their hire car based on price over other features (69%).

Wellington: Wellingtonians are most likely (equal with Wellington) to always thoroughly read the terms and conditions before finalising a rental agreement (61%) and most likely (equal with Auckland) to have had to pay unexpected charges when returning the car (16%).

Canterbury: Cantabrians are least likely to always pay for the additional insurance offered by the car rental company (45%), most likely (equal with Waikato) to have chosen their hire car based on price over other features (69%) and most likely to think that international drivers and unprepared for NZ driving conditions (84%).

Otago: Those in Otago are least likely to always take a photo of the hire car before leaving with it to back themselves in case of a dispute (33%).

Bay of Plenty: Those in the Bay of Plenty are least likely to always thoroughly read the terms and conditions before finalising a rental agreement (50%), least likely to have crashed or dented a hire car (3%) and least likely to have had to pay unexpected charges when returning the car (3%).

ENDS

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