This was a commonly asked question pre-lockdowns, and is asked even more so now. Car prices are based on demand, and typically people all want to rent a car at similar times of year (e.g. summer holidays, long weekends, school holidays etc) meaning there are peaks in rental car demand at these times. Rental car companies in NZ only have so many rental cars to offer, and rates typically rise as cars become fully booked out. ​During the NZ lockdowns, demand for rental cars reduced significantly meaning many rental car companies reduced the size of their rental fleets in order to continue operating. Rebuilding these fleet numbers has been difficult due to vehicle supply issues, meaning overall the price of rental cars has increased post-lockdowns.