Driving Your Car Rental in Napier

Using a car rental in Napier allows you the freedom to do your own thing and explore the Hawke’s Bay region at your own pace. If you’re new to New Zealand, make sure driving your car rental in Napier is safe and enjoyable with our driving tips.

Basic Road Rules

  • Drive on the LEFT hand side of the road
  • Safety belts are required for all vehicle occupants
  • Hands free mobile (cell) phones are illegal when driving
  • City speed limits are 50kph (around 30mph) with a few areas designated 70kph
  • Open country speed limits are generally 100kph (about 60mph)
  • Drivers must carry a current New Zealand, international or internationally approved driving licence

Check out the online Road Code to read more about New Zealand’s road rules.

Driving in Napier

Your car rental experience in Napier will be very different from anywhere outside New Zealand. The roads are far less busy than in many other countries so if you see six cars waiting in front of you at the traffic lights, you can tell your friends you’ve seen a traffic jam! Driving in the Hawke’s Bay area can be very enjoyable, cruising through vineyard country, following winding country roads, and navigating steep mountains where you can admire breathtaking views.

Do watch your speed in your car rental around Napier as there are speed cameras, including static cameras and mobile cameras from anonymous vehicles parked at the roadside.

New Zealand has a different ‘right of way’ rule, in favour of the car turning right across the traffic. This means you will need to slow and give way (yield) if you are turning left and if a vehicle wants to turn into the same road from the other direction. Forgetting to give way may result in a frustrated ‘toot toot’ from the other car or could cause an accident.

Car Rental Certification in Napier

Your rental car will have been issued with a Certificate of Fitness and Registration. This has required a rigorous six-monthly mechanical inspection, and the annual registration ensures every vehicle has third party injury insurance cover. Documentation for both of these requirements is affixed to the windscreen.

Now you can enjoy all that the Hawke’s Bay region has to offer with your car rental from New Zealand Rent A Car Napier.

Enjoy a safe car rental in Napier with driving safety tips from New Zealand Rent A Car.