The staff were patient. I added roadside assistance plus, but the deposit was still $200. The insurance for this model is excellent; the basic coverage has zero deductible and is handled by the rental company. Additional coverage can be added as needed.

They provided me with a Hyundai Tucson with 32,666 km on it. Surprisingly, it was fully equipped with keyless entry and start, heated seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control (these two features are really helpful for first-time right-hand drivers, as the car tended to veer left initially), pre-collision warning, steering assist, and rear cross-traffic alert. Apart from the lack of a 360-degree camera, it had everything. There are many winding roads in the South Island, and local drivers take corners very quickly.

The guy handling the car rental was very enthusiastic and professional.

I rented a car for 12 days. On the 14th day, I found a thumb-sized bubble on the tire and wanted to know how to properly resolve it. The car rental store did not answer the phone, and the company’s customer service was unresponsive after several attempts. I had no choice but to drive to the Queenstown airport store for a solution. The service staff quickly handled the car exchange without mentioning any cost. However, when I returned the car at Christchurch Airport on April 29, the company charged my credit card without explanation. When I asked the store for an explanation, they said it was for the tire replacement fee and gave me a phone number and email to contact the company. This way of handling the situation is unacceptable. Issues: 1. The cost was not mentioned when exchanging the car. 2. The responsibility and cost for the tire issue were not explained but directly charged without prior notice. Better service is needed, especially in providing Chinese language support to avoid communication barriers.

Check-in was a bit slow, but it's good that we could get the car earlier.