Britz New Zealand Review: The Good, The Bad & The Unexpected Costs

Is renting a Britz campervan the ultimate way to explore New Zealand – or just an expensive hassle?

After five weeks living on the road, we’ve got the inside scoop.

From the freedom of waking up to lakeside views to the hidden costs that might surprise you, here’s everything we wish we knew before booking.

Let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the unexpected!

📌 Disclaimer: We were given a discount on our rental by Britz, but all opinions are our own. We only work with companies we trust.

This post was originally posted in 2019 and has been updated to reflect their current offers. So while our model camper is no longer available the information in this post is up to date.

Why Rent A Motorhome in New Zealand – Is It Worth It?

Before diving into the review, let’s talk about why a campervan is the best way to travel New Zealand:

Pros & Cons Of Motorhome Travel

✔️ You have the freedom to move your itinerary and your accommodation is sorted; Want to explore that side road to see where it leads? Found somewhere you love and want to stay another night? Heard about a cool hike you want to check out slightly off route? With motorhome and campervan travel, you can without having to worry about future room bookings!

❌ But you can’t camp wherever you want; A common misconception about travelling New Zealand in a campervan is the freedom to park wherever you want. There are many freedom camping laws in NZ that make it somewhat restricted but there’s still plenty of options that give you the freedom to explore too.

✔️ You can drive wherever you want; Alongside a loose itinerary, you’re able to take those detours and explore on a whim, and take as long as you want to get from A to B.

❌ NZ Road can be dangerous; It can be tiring driving for long lengths of time between destinations, and if you’re not used to mountainous and winding roads, New Zealand roads can be a hazard. 

✔️ Reduces the need to eat out; Most rental motorhomes and campervans have a small kitchen on board, meaning you’re self-sufficient and don’t have to rely on eating out while you travel! If you get creative, there are some really good van life meals to enjoy on the road!

❌ Small costs add up; Fuel, the cost of camping, toll roads etc. all add up. They’re not exactly unexpected costs, but a lot of people don’t realise quite how much it can add up when you’re driving constantly.

✔️ You get to immerse yourself in nature; with apps like CamperMate you can find some amazing overnight stops in nature that will make you forget that you’re only a stone throw from civilization.

❌ You have to deal with the poop tank; one of the realities of van life, even if only temporary, is having to deal with the waste tanks. It’s not a nice job but if you’re camping rural the chances are you’re going to use that onboard toilet at some point and it’s going to need emptying.

Self Contained Campervan vs Car Rental

Now that we’ve covered the pros and cons, let’s compare motorhome rentals to car travel in New Zealand.

We’ve done both multiple times in various countries and it always works out cheaper to travel in a self contained motorhome or campervan than to hire a car and then stay in accommodation.

You also get much more freedom when you travel in a campervan vs travelling to pre booked accommodation.

Costs To Consider With A Car Rental:

• Rental price – as low as $30 day
• Fuel – around $100 a tank, consumption will vary
• Insurance – depends on the company 
• Nightly accommodation – $50-$200+ a night
• Eating out if you go for budget rooms without a kitchen
• Parking fees (some accommodation charge, or don’t have parking so you have to use on-street)

Costs To Consider With A Motorhome Rental:

• Rental price – as low as $100 day
• Fuel – around $100 a tank, consumption will vary
• Insurance – depends on the company 
• Nightly accommodation – Free or as little as $10 per person
• Groceries
• Road user charges – $7ish per 100km (we’ll talk about this more soon and how to save money here)

Perfect For Outdoor Lovers & Off Season Travel

If you love nature, and tend to travel in the off season, renting a motorhome would always be our recommendation so you can make the most of the off-season discounts that are often available for bigger vehicle rentals.

Britz New Zealand; What You Need To Know Before Booking

Before you go ahead and book your Britz Motorhome, there are a few important things you need to know first. 

Types Of Motorhomes Available

Britz offers a range of campervans and motorhomes with varying layouts, from compact budget models suitable for one or two people to fully equipped motorhomes that sleep up to six people!

They update this frequently, so the exact model we used (Britz Vista) they do still have the same sizes;

2 Berth Venturer

This sleeps 2 people with no fixed bed; the seating area converts into the bed. There’s also a mini kitchen, toilet and shower room.

4 Bert Discovery

Sleeping 4 with a drop down bed and seating area that converts into the second bed. Also has a kitchen, toilet and shower room.

4 Berth Wanderer

This also sleeps 4 with a drop down bed and 2 fixed singles at the back, along with a kitchen, toilet and shower room.

4 Bert Odyssey

This sleeps 4 with a convenient fixed double bed and drop down double bed. Plus a kitchen, toilet and shower room.

5 Bert Navigator

Need more space? This sleeps 5 with a convertible double bed in the seating area, a drop down double bed and convertible single bed from the second set of seats. It also has a kitchen, shower and toilet room.

6 Berth Frontier

This is the newer version of what we had. It sleeps 6 with a fixed double bed, a convertible double bed from the main seating area and a small convertible double with the second seating area. Alongside the kitchen, toilet and shower room.

Pet Policy

We didn’t have Lilly in New Zealand but it’s always good to know when a rental company is pet friendly! Britz allow up to 2 dogs or cats per vehicle.

However there is an additional $299 pet fee added to your booking (per booking, not per pet). This increases the cost of the rental quite a bit so it would be something to consider vs the cost of pet friendly accommodation if you were to rent a car instead.

Booking Process

The booking process for Britz is pretty easy and their customer service is great for any questions that you might have;

Step 1: Choose Your Camper → Visit the Britz website and select from 2-6 berth models. 

Step 2: Select Your Pick-Up & Drop-Off Locations → Britz allows one-way rentals between Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Queenstown.

Step 3: Check Inclusions & Extras → Options like WiFi, camping tables, and bikes can be added here.

Step 4: Insurance & Bond → Britz requires a card print instead of a large cash deposit, making it easier for budget-conscious travellers.

Step 5: Confirm & Pay → Prices fluctuate by season, so booking early saves money. Remember, you can contact them with your quote to organise discounts on longer bookings.

Britz Motorhome Pricing

There are a few options to consider when renting a motorhome with Britz, each one can make it as budget or as expensive as you want depending on the needs of your trip.

Get The Best Nightly Deal

As soon as you know the dates of your road trip, head over to the Britz website or Motorhome Republic’s deals page to grab the best nightly rental price.

If you don’t want to pay in full at the time of booking, you can save your quote and contact them to organise a deposit to secure the booking from as low as $250

Doing a longer trip? Reach out to Britz and request a long term rental discount!

Additional Cost To Consider

One Way Drop Off;

If you’re wanting to collect in one city, and drop off in another, you’re going to need to pay a one way hire fee.

This is currently $100 and gives you a bit more flexibility in your itinerary.

When we hired a Britz Motorhome, we collected and dropped off in Auckland so we could focus on the North Island.

Road User Charges;

The road user charges (or RUC) is compulsory for Diesel vehicles and is to be paid when you return the vehicle based on how many KMs you’ve driven.

It’s roughly $7.64 for every 100km

This one catches out a lot of tourists renting a car in New Zealand because very few other countries do this.

HOWEVER, there is a way to avoid this if you know you’re going to be putting in some KMs on  your road trips and that’s to pay for the express return package.

The express return package varies in price based on the duration of your rental but it allows you to return your gas and fuel empty, toilet and water tank full and waves your road user charges.

For our 5 week rental I believe we paid around $400 for the express return. We drove in excess of 5,000km which would have worked out around $380 in RUC, plus $100ish for a full tank of fuel, plus around $40 for a full gas bottle and time spent doing that… so while the savings were small, it was still worth doing to reduce that stress at drop off.

Fuel Cost;

Fuel will be the biggest expense when renting a motorhome. Since prices are always fluctuating it’ll be hard for us to help predict that for you but to give you a general idea, our 6 berth motorhome cost around $100 for a full tank every few days.

You can use the Gaspy app to find the cheapest fuel along your route

Ferry Cost

If you plan to travel between Islands on your road trip, the ferry will be another cost to consider.

For 2 people in a motorhome will cost around $600 one way – for us, it made more sense to explore one island then find a cheaper way to get to the South Island and do it again there.

Curious about our alternative? Find out how we got a week’s car rental for $1!

Insurance;

You get very basic coverage included in your rental, with a deposit of $5-7,000 but you can reduce this by upgrading to their value pack for $60 a day and have complete coverage including damage to the windscreen and tyres. Read about their coverage policies here.

What’s Included

Britz Motorhomes come really well stocked with general living equipment as standard.

Everything from cooking utensils and toilet roll, to bedding, towels and washing up equipment.

The only thing you need to pack is yourselves and your clothes!

You can add a few extra things like WiFi, camping tables and even bikes!

Motorhome Electronics

If you’re used to van life, you know how crucial a good electrical setup is for off-grid travel.

Britz motorhomes do have solar panels, but there’s a catch – you can’t use the power outlets unless you’re plugged into mains electricity at a campsite, which was a bit disappointing for us.

💡 What this means in real life:

• No charging laptops or cameras unless you’re paying for a powered site.
• No using the kettle or larger appliances off-grid.
• Frequent paid campsite stops (every 3-4 days) just to recharge.

For casual travellers, this might not be a dealbreaker. But if you work remotely or need reliable power, it’s something to plan around.

Our Experience With Britz New Zealand: The Good & The Bad

Overall our experience with Britz was a good one! Their pre booking support is fantastic, and the team at drop off were great too..

However, we did find that the collection staff were quite rushed and the explanations were limited so if you’re a first time motorhome traveller, you might need to deliberately ask them to show you how things work because we didn’t get that.

Also, whilst doing the pre-drive off check we found a nail in the tire. The member of staff tried insisting that it would be fine for our 5 week trip but we didn’t think it was fair for us to spend all that money and potentially end up in the garage once the tire gave up.

Thankfully they did eventually agree to change it, which added a bit of a wait to our collection time but that’s better than the alternative.

We had no further issues on the road, but it’s worth knowing that they have an assistance phone number that you can call should you have any questions!

📌 Tip: Always check the vehicle thoroughly before driving off and report any issues immediately.

*Leah from 2025 here! As I’m updating this post, I wanted to add that this was 2019 so hopefully staff have had more training now, or, we just collected on a bad day.

Driving Experience

If you’re new to Officer Travels, you might not know that Dec does all of the driving on our road trips.

Thankfully he’s used to driving larger vans and vehicles so driving the Motorhome wasn’t as overwhelming for him as it would be for those who have only ever driven small cars.

One thing we did notice, and something to be aware of, is that many parking spaces and carparks aren’t designed with motorhomes in mind and since in New Zealand road side parking has to be done facing the same direction as the traffic, it can make finding a spot a bit tricky.

Living In The Motorhome

We had just spent 2 years living in a tiny Mazda campervan in Australia, so living and travelling in a 6 berth motorhome was a very big luxury upgrade for us.

We found it to be very comfortable. The bed mattress, the living arrangement and the kitchen size were exactly what we needed after being in such a small space before.

Features We Loved

Having so much space and a shower was a novelty for us but you might be surprised to hear we hardly used the shower room for its intended use!

In fact, it became a bit of a dry room for our rain coats that got a lot of use on our 5 week trip.

The time spent in the motorhome had a lot of influence on our current van build, so here are a few things we loved about it;

• Fixed bed. Trust me, after 2 years living in a van where we had to build our bed every – single – night, being able to roll into bed after a long hike without having to worry about building it was *amazing*
• Shower room; but not as a shower. In fact, having a shower in the motorhome helped us realise we didn’t need a shower room in our van build. We still loved the space for hanging our rain coats though!
• Access to the cab; I think this is pretty standard in motorhomes, but being able to access the cab from the main living space and drive off without having to get out of the van is really important for us.

What We Didn’t Like

I think our only ‘issue’ with our motorhome was the electrical set up. Our tiny camper in Australia was completely off grid so it was a shock to be in something bigger, and more luxurious, that couldn’t last a  week without being plugged in.

As I mentioned before, the collection process felt rushed and if we were completely new to campervan travel we might have left feeling overwhelmed. Thankfully that wasn’t the case for us but it’s something to make a note of if you know you’re going to need more help.

Would We Rent From Britz New Zealand Again?

Yes! Despite the setbacks in the beginning, we would hire a Britz Motorhome again. Their layouts, new vehicles, availability and overall cost are all benefits that we really appreciated. 

Now that the newer models have fixed beds, we would probably hire a 4 berth rather than the 6 berth but there’s no doubt that we’d use Britz again.

Fun fact; we actually went on to work at a campsite that acted as a depo for Britz Motorhomes. We helped countless travellers get to know their motorhome and have a great start to their trip!

Tips For Renting & Travelling New Zealand In A Motorhome

Exploring New Zealand by motorhome is an adventure like no other, giving you the freedom to wake up to lakeside views one day and rugged coastal cliffs the next.

But before you hit the road, there are a few things you’ll want to know to make your trip smoother = and avoid any costly surprises along the way.

What Are NZ Driving Requirements

New Zealand’s roads are stunning, but they can be a challenge if you’re not used to them.

Winding mountain passes, narrow one-lane bridges, and the occasional rogue sheep crossing all make for an interesting drive.

If you’re visiting from overseas, you’ll need a valid driver’s licence in English (or an official translation), and if you’re staying longer than 12 months, you’ll need to convert it to a New Zealand licence.

One major thing to be aware of? Tired driving is treated just as seriously as drunk driving here.

If you’re arriving on a long-haul flight, consider staying in a hotel for the first night or two before picking up your motorhome.

We saw several families have their rentals taken off them by police after being caught driving unsafely due to jet lag, leaving them stranded without a refund on their rental or pre-booked campsites. Not the best way to start your trip!

Freedom Camping In New Zealand Explained!

New Zealand has a fantastic mix of free and paid camping spots, but it’s not quite as simple as just pulling up anywhere for the night. 

Freedom camping is only allowed in designated areas, and rules vary between different councils. Generally, you’ll need a self-contained motorhome (one with a toilet, grey water tank, and fresh water supply) to camp outside of official sites.

Free camping: Great for budget travellers, but spots can be limited in touristy areas, especially in summer. You’ll also need to be prepared to be completely self-sufficient.

Paid campsites: These range from basic DOC (Department of Conservation) sites to full-facility holiday parks with showers, laundry, and powered sites. Staying in paid camps is handy when you need a reset – hot showers, proper cooking facilities, and laundry machines can feel like a luxury after a few days off-grid.

When Is The Best Time To Rent?

If you want to save money and avoid the crowds, the best time to rent a motorhome is during the off-season (May – September).

This is when rental companies like Britz offer their best deals, and you’ll have an easier time booking last-minute campsites.

Bonus? The roads are quieter, and you won’t be fighting for a photo spot at Milford Sound or Lake Tekapo!

Summer (December – February) is peak season, which means higher rental prices, fully booked campsites, and a lot more traffic on the roads – especially around the South Island’s hotspots.

If you’re travelling in summer, book well in advance and be prepared to plan your route around campsite availability.

Must Have Essentials

Britz provide the basics, but there are a few essentials that will make your trip much easier:

• Bug spray – Sandflies are relentless, especially on the West Coast. A good repellent is a must!
• Sunscreen – The UV in New Zealand is strong, even on cloudy days. Trust us, sunburn sneaks up fast.
• Microfibre towels – Dry quickly and take up minimal space.
• Head torch – Essential for late-night toilet trips at campsites.
• Reusable water bottles – Tap water is safe to drink in most places, so refill rather than buy bottled.
• Power bank – Handy for keeping phones charged when off-grid.

How To Save Money On Your Trip

New Zealand isn’t the cheapest place to travel, but there are plenty of ways to cut costs without missing out:

• Use apps like CamperMate and Rankers to find free and budget-friendly campsites.
• Get a TOP 10 Holiday Parks membership – Saves you 10% on stays at their campsites and discounts on a lot of other activities across the country.
• Refuel at Pak’nSave or Gull stations – They tend to have the cheapest petrol prices.
• Shop at local supermarkets like New World and Countdown instead of relying on small convenience stores – and use local markets when you can!
• Make the most of free activities – Hiking, scenic drives, and beaches don’t cost a thing!

Final Verdict: Is Britz The Right Choice For Your Trip?

So, is renting a motorhome in New Zealand worth it? 

For us, absolutely!

The freedom to wake up in stunning locations, cook our own meals, and have a flexible itinerary made it one of our favourite ways to travel.

While the cost can add up with fuel, campsites, and additional fees, the experience of having a home on wheels in one of the most beautiful countries in the world is hard to beat.

That being said, it’s not for everyone.

If you’re not comfortable driving a larger vehicle or prefer the convenience of hotels, a campervan might not be the best fit. But if you love road trips, nature, and a bit of adventure, we highly recommend giving it a go!

👉 Planning a New Zealand road trip? Join our Facebook group ‘Road Tripping Australia And New Zealand’ to connect with like-minded travellers and swap road trip tips!