Summer sun and cheap rental cars Christchurch Airport
The summer sun is blazing on the tarmac and the nor'west wind is rustling the pine trees as you walk out the sliding doors on the first day of 2027. The South Island is calling and securing your Christchurch Airport car rental right now puts you straight onto State Highway 1 with the windows down. With 90 active vehicles in the system for the New Year period, the early January rush is officially here.
Finding cheap rental cars Christchurch Airport comes down to picking the right forecourt. Thrifty is leading the pack with a fleet average of $1422, closely followed by Ezi at $1464. Smart bookers look past the flashy top-end options and check the Economy class, where a trusty Suzuki Swift sits for just $1011 for the whole week.
You will be sharing the road with a lot of petrol engines and standard drivetrains, which make up over half the listings, but grabbing a hybrid like the Toyota Corolla from Ezi saves you plenty at the pump. A five-seat setup is the most common choice by far with 61 cars available, giving you plenty of room for a couple of mates and your camping gear. Roads are dry and clear for your seven-day spin down to Tekapo or up to Kaikoura, so lock in your pickup timing early to beat the holiday traffic bottleneck at the airport gate.