Britz Campervans New Zealand Review

Rated 3.3 / 5 from 11 reviews

Editors Review

Last Updated 11/12/20

Britz' depot in Auckland is temporarily transferred from Pearse Drive to Puhinui Road after a fire incident last September 2020. Even so, you can still continue with your adventure and rent out one of their vehicles, which include the first-ever electric campervan in NZ named Evolve. This impressive campervan breakthrough is meant to provide a unique and sustainable experience to travellers! Continue reading to know more about this new addition, along with other important info about Britz Campervan Rentals NZ―its fleet, insurance options, and overall reputation.


Britz Campervan Rentals NZ is no doubt a large campervan company offering comfortable campervans from 2-6 berths. They operate in the mid-high budget space, with a quite unsteady reputation despite the dominating presence throughout the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and their new addition—South Africa.

About Britz Campervans New Zealand

Britz was acquired in 1999 by THL, who also operate Maui and Mighty Campers in New Zealand—in fact, THL claim to be the largest RV rental operator in the world, with brands in NZ, the U.K. (Just Go Motorhomes), the US, and Australia, as well as a franchise operation in South Africa. THL also manage several tourism businesses in New Zealand. While some will be concerned about the fact that their money’s going to a company conglomerate, THL is known to reinvest locally—recently helping the Christchurch community in earthquake recovery efforts, for example.

The Britz slogan in New Zealand is “no boundaries”. With a full range of motorhomes (from 2-berth to 6-berth) on offer, as well as good rates on 2- and 4-wheel-drive cars, they clearly pride themselves on the wide variety of vehicles they have available.  Britz is upfront about not being the cheapest option out there (by far), so they’re always keen to advertise their latest deals on their website—travelling during the off-season can get huge discounts up to 40% off. Not only that, they make sure to be on top of the competition with their Britz Price Match. Also, they have three depots in NZ, making pick-up and drop-off easier than other small campervan hire companies. 

Fleet

Britz’s fleet is relatively new, with the vast majority of vehicles coming in at under four years old. Older vehicles are maintained to a ‘like new’ standard, but none date from earlier than 2012. They design and build their own campervans and 4WD fit-outs, and the company is known for frequently introducing new models; VW or Mercedes makes comprise the majority of the fleet, although there are a couple of Toyotas, like the Hitop. 

All vehicles come with linen and bedding, and kitchen and general equipment, as standard. There are plenty of optional extras for hire; some are bundled, as with the $10 a Day Bundle, which includes extra driver fees, a gigabyte of WiFi for the duration of your journey, a baby booster or child seat, picnic table and chairs and more; the Express Return Pack, meanwhile, includes return emptying of your fuel tank and gas bottle, dropping your keys with Express Key Return, road user charges, and a toilet and wastewater emptying service. This option (the Express Return Pack) is pricey but possibly worth considering if you’ve never been on a campervan holiday before. All campers are also fitted with an in-vehicle tablet which works as a GPS and offers instructional and troubleshooting videos for your camper, at no extra charge.

Also, Britz often has its summer campers―Action Pod, Cruiser, and Encounter. But of course, these are just available by the summer season. The summer campers are designed for couples and even large groups up to 6. 

And if you're planning to get to NZ sooner, be sure to check out this amazing NZ free camping tool that gives you specific freedom camping rules for a particular NZ district. 

Britz Electric Vehicles

2 Berth Evolve

A 2 berth campervan, Evolve is an easy-to-drive LDV chassis that mostly range up to 120 km. Unlike most campervans in the market, this one is an electric-based unit, which means you take on the scenic routes while DC charging—hence, providing lower emission and no EV road user charges. But of course, it is like any other 2 berth in terms of sleeping capacity and interior amenities. It comes with a shower, toilet, kitchen, and lots of storage areas. Plus, its spacious rear lounge becomes a double bed. This fully-electric campervan is designed for adults only as it does not come with child/booster seats. So, if you want to explore Auckland and Queenstown in an eco-friendly manner, Evolve is the perfect vehicle for you. 

Britz Campervans

3 Berth HiTop

This Toyota Hiace model is much the same as the ‘stock standard’ Hi-Top model offered by a number of other companies; it’s a 3-berth campervan with a double bed, and then there’s space for another adult (but more realistically, considering the headroom, a child) to sleep in the bed over the cabin. There are kitchen facilities, with a sink, fridge and gas cooktop as well as a microwave, but no toilet or shower. No matter for between two and three adults who are happy to use camping ground bathroom facilities—and thankfully, the vehicle does come with a porta-potty supplied. Really, the difference here between Britz’s Hi-Top and the Hi-Top models that other companies offer is pricing—but on the other hand, the vehicle is likely to be a lot younger than those of competitors because of Britz’s strict age restrictions, and it might well be in better nick too.

2 Berth Venturer

Getting into a little more luxury in terms of your 2-berth options, there’s the Venturer—for a couple who want to travel in comfort. Because it’s built on the Mercedes Sprinter rather than the Toyota Hiace, it’s a good deal longer and wider than the models profiled above, which means that there’s room to move around in the main cab rather than being crammed together. Because of this, cooking facilities are also good, with a 110-litre fridge-freezer as well as a microwave, gas cooktop and sink with hot and cold water. The sleeping arrangements are flexible, as the bed in the back can be set up either as two singles or a double — plus it has a toilet and shower on board.

2+1 Berth Venturer Plus


This isn’t too different from the Venturer, except this vehicle makes room for two adults and one child—great for a small family—without sacrificing the kitchen and toilet facilities (which are excellent for a campervan of this size). The beds are a little different—one double and one single (which fits above the driver’s seat) is standard, although the double in the rear can be converted to two singles, as with the Venturer.

4 Berth Discovery

The design of this vehicle is pretty unique; it’s a 4-berth motorhome that manages to fit in a kitchen as well as bathroom facilities and a living area, and it does this by laying out the two double beds in a bunk bed formation at the rear. Obviously, this is perfect for a family with kids—the sheer excitement of the top bed will please them enough on its own!—but also great for two couples. With electric heating and a fairly spacious living area, plus an optional bike rack, the Discovery makes a great base for an RV holiday. If you like the sound of this one, then it’s a good idea to book ASAP—it’s only available in the high season.

4 Berth Explorer

This vehicle offers a “traditional” motorhome experience for four people, in which respect it isn’t too different from the Discovery, save for when it comes to the beds. These vary in that they’re two permanently set-up doubles (great at the end of a long day of adventuring!), one in the rear and one over the cab. The fridge/freezer is fairly large at 140 litres, and there’s a sink, microwave and gas stove, as well as a shower and toilet. In terms of uniqueness, there’s not much to put the Explorer above other similar models offered by smaller companies; again, the deciding factor here will probably be the price, so shopping around is worth it if this seems like the sort of vehicle you’d want to hire.

4 Berth Voyager

During the daytime, this Toyota Hiace camper seats two in the front and two in the back—that’s right, it’s a 4-berth, and rather well laid-out for its small size. Two people can sleep in the double bed above the cabin, and two on the rear dinette. This means it’s good for small families on a budget, a couple who really want to go all out and get some extra space, or four travellers who are game for a bit of a squeeze. What’s most impressive is its capacity for internal dining, with a fold-out table, and its well-equipped kitchen. But this means that there’s no toilet or shower onboard—so not for everyone.

6 Berth Frontier

One of the largest models of motorhome offered by Britz, this vehicle is great for families, but with its spacious sleeping capacity of 6, it’ll suit a group of three couples just fine too. What is particularly attractive about the Frontier is its large windows and not one but two living spaces—and when you’re travelling in New Zealand, there’s nothing more worth seeing than the views when you wake up each morning. Two of the three beds pack away during the daytime, so there’s plenty of living space. The kitchen is well-supplied with 140-litre fridge/freezer, microwave, stove and hot and cold running water (as you’d expect from an “all the bells and whistles” motorhome like this one), and the bathroom is surprisingly roomy—there’s floor space to stand in the shower!

While this is a great, and very comfortable, vehicle, it’s also inevitably one of the most expensive to hire—and Britz, offering as they do fairly new, mid-range to top-of-the-market motorhomes, certainly won’t be the cheapest option out there.

6 Berth Vista

This model is functionally the same as the Frontier, with an identically supplied kitchen and the same amount of room in the bathroom, though only one of the beds packs away during the daytime; the permanent rear bed is also a little smaller. Additionally (and unlike the Frontier), it features a DVD player with a flatscreen, as well as a fixed awning. These two motorhomes are ideal for a group of four who want plenty of space, a large family or several couples — the differences between them are really fairly minor, and the pricing is identical.

Britz Summer Campers

Action Pod

The clue is in the name here: this camper isn’t for those who want a luxurious holiday, but for go-getters who want to spend most of their time on the road and seeing the sights, rather than relaxing in a fully kitted-out vehicle with all the latest conveniences. Still, a Britz model is usually going to hold up pretty well against its competitors. There’s an interesting slide-out kitchen fitted at the back, whose cupboards fold out in a U-shaped position to make cooking easier than in, say, a smaller vehicle where you have to stand in the main body of the camper. And unlike some super-budget makes where you may not even get any food storage and preparation facilities to save for the odd coolbox, the Action Pod actually does come with facilities like a fridge, sink and two-hob gas cooktop.

Because this vehicle is designed as one where you’ll be doing a lot of sitting up at the front, it’ll be a relief to know that it comes with air conditioning and heating in the cab as standard. There are two seatbelts, and child or booster seats strictly cannot be fitted—this is your absolute basic 2-person make. It’s available to pick up and drop off from Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown.

Cruiser

 

This ‘summer camper’ would probably be best described as “medium-sized but perfectly formed”—that is to say, Cruiser is a good family campervan that manages to squeeze in a toilet and shower! Recommended for 4 adults or couples with two children, the double-bed setup at the rear is much the same as that of the Action Pod, but it now comes with a convertible living/ dining space that becomes another double bed. Also, you gain on bathroom facilities though lose a little bit of the kitchen space. The front swivel seats easily rotate so that you can conveniently relax after a full day of driving.

Encounter

A family-friendly, summer camper, Encounter is a 6 berth motorhome that makes travelling with the whole crew more fun and comfortable. The motorhome consists of three slightly different layouts, but all are fully-equipped with everything you need—from kitchen facilities to bedroom spaces to general living amenities. Just like most 6 berths, sleeping places include the rear dinette and cab-over areas. Plus, these are stylish yet practical motorhomes are automatic, which means they are a breeze to drive.

Insurance

Now, let's talk about insurance options. The standard liability amounts to $7,500. You may reduce the liability to $0 (not including single vehicle rollover accidents) by availing the reduction option (Peace of mind) at $46/per day. This also covers  windscreen and tyre as well as  overhead and underbody damages. If you want a hassle-free trip, you can avail the Inclusive Pack at $58/ day for the inclusion of the reduction option, as well as Wifi, picnic table & chairs, linens, extra driver fees and the like. 

Reputation

Hiring a vehicle through a company as well-established and supported as Britz is generally a slick process, and the standard of a vehicle is undoubtedly high. However, despite the worldwide recognition, Britz NZ reviews are not all praises. There have been several issues about disappointing vehicle maintenance and customer service. Considering you are renting a unit from a highly-acclaimed company, personalized service from staff may not be that evident. This makes for contrast to some of the smaller family-owned businesses, where one tends to encounter a highly personalized service, but can sometimes run into unexpected problems. But of course, there’s also a tradeoff here on price—Britz is a good deal yet more expensive than smaller brands

Summary

This long-established company has found a firm foothold near the top of the market with its high-quality vehicles. The size of their fleet, though, means that shopping around and doing a little price comparison is absolutely essential. If you’re on a mid-to-high budget or have the sort of funds that can spring for more quality, Britz NZ is well worth checking out.

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Pros

  • Plenty of choice of models
  • Lots of stock
  • Multiple depot locations

Cons

  • Large company, you are just another client
  • Despite stock levels, they book out in peak times
  • Mixed reputation

Facilities

Branch Locations

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Write Your Own Review

Tell the world about your experience renting from this company
Donna - avatar not loaded
, New Zealand
1 Review

"REVISIT CUSTOMER SERVICE SYSTEMS"

  • Reviewed 2 years ago

PROS:
6-berth Mercedes, VG steering.
Comfy and roomy for all our XXXXL body size, even shower/toilet cubicle somewhat.
Strong camping chairs.
CONS:
Poor system management illustrated at pick up and drop off. Queues. Health & safety strike hazard with moving vehicles, and pedestrians moving in and around vehicles, especially children.
Inability to engage professionally with the customer. Relying on the THL APP to provide the customer service role.
No THL APP video that covers the operation of all the front dash board and driver side steering features.
No interior check of the vehicle carried out at pick & drop off.
Windscreen damage should be included in basic insurance cover.
Keep left sticker worn. Better to have on steering wheel.
No instant 0800 HELPLINE or ROADSIDE ASSIST number. Sticker on sun visor or glove compartment.
Reversing camera not very clear.
Tables behind driver seat banging and sliding. (reported on drop off)
Velcro strips worn away. (reported on drop off)
Awning mouldy. (reported on drop off)
Sloppy customer service hasn't put us off repeat road trips, just know what to expect at the branch.

1Service 4Mechanical 3Interior 3Value
N. Scarlett - avatar not loaded
, Australia
1 Review

"Unorganised"

  • Reviewed 4 years ago

Really nice people. However the collection process leaves a lot to be desired.
Almost an hour wait at the airport after having been advised it would be 5 minutes. The driver wasn’t aware of the names of their third party booking company. So advised us just to wait. 3 shuttles slater and he realised our booking
Company was in fact with Britz!!
So that had a ripple effect. Upon arriving at the Christchurch Britz depot where the numbers waiting was extensive!
To add there was no evident order for check in. Advise was to Just find a table (of which all were taken) have a coffee, wait and someone will come see you!!!
Well that was another long wait!!
Britz pride themselves in being the biggest motorhome rental company in New Zealand. But in my opinion they have grown beyond their means and are presently unable to effectively manage the administrative processes associated with that growth! Which Affords a Really unfortunate initial experience to holidaying in New Zealand’s beautiful South Island.
Sorry Britz but you need to pick up your game!

1Service 3Mechanical 3Interior 2Value
A. Lock - avatar not loaded
, United Kingdom
1 Review

"What a load of rubbish"

  • Reviewed 4 years ago

We rented a Britz campervan for 18 days in December 2019 and January 2020. It took over 3 hours to be given our campervan. The condition of the vehicle was appalling. The fridge didn't work, the main house door to the vehicle fell off on Christmas Day, the hinges came away from the body of the vehicle. We were asked to drive 5 hours back to Auckland to get the vehicle fixed because all the regional repair centres closed on 20th December for their Christmas Holidays. Who runs a company for tourists over the holidays without any service support! The campervan was a heap of rubbish!
Andy

1Service 1Mechanical 1Interior 1Value

  • Brand Manager

    Hi Andy, We are very sorry to read of your experience. Please contact [email protected] so that we can review your booking and address the issues with the pickup branch. Thanks a lot, your Britz team

BKMCO - avatar not loaded
, United States
1 Review

"Great Concept - Poor Execution and Service"

  • Reviewed 4 years ago

We rented a 4-Berth Maui for our recent three-week trip. There were two of us, and I can't imagine having four people in there, but I guess it's technically possible. After speaking on the phone with a booking representative, I chose to spend the extra money to go with Maui brand, because we were told they were newer models, and quite frankly I didn't want to be stuck broken down on the side of the road with an older model. WELL, we don't feel like we got what we paid for AT ALL when it comes to quality or service, and we paid a LOT compared to lower cost models/companies. First of all, the service at pickup and drop off was terrible. The rep who was supposed to give us detailed explanations of how to use everything in the RV acted rushed, like she had better places to be. At one point, she actually SAID "I don't have time to show you that!" The RV was well equipped, but it was extremely noisy with pots and pans rattling around - we had to put paper towels between them all to reduce the annoying noise; the microwave mount was broken, so the oven kept sliding out and making horrible ratting noises as we drove - for the last two days we were afraid it was going to come crashing onto the floor at may times. The roof hatch flap was broken, so we couldn't open it for air ventilation, and somewhere on the roof there was a leak, so when it rained (which is did a lot while we were there), water would come with a heavy flow down onto the counter and got our bed wet - we had to resort to keeping towels up on the counter the whole time. And the worst part was we had a dead house battery the first time we tried to freedom camp without power hookup - we called the help line, and they told us we had to take it to a service center four hours out of our way the next day - which of course burned an entire day of our trip for us. We loved our trip to NZ and would certainly recommend it to anyone, but I could never in good faith recommend Britz or Maui, as I found their product and service to be strongly lacking for the money paid.

2Service 1Mechanical 4Interior 2Value
J. Dewig - avatar not loaded
, United States
1 Review

"Britz-campervans-new-zealand North Island hire"

  • Reviewed 4 years ago

This was my first Britz rental and my forth camper rental in Aus/NZ. The Auckland pick-up and return depot was very clean and nice, and all transaction went smoothly. The 4 berth camper was perfect for a couple. The Vehicle had 74,000 K, was clean and mechanically sound, with good tight steering. The included Kitchen and bedding amenities were nice. Britz was a little more expensive than the competitors, but I was satisfied with the value we received. You can rent cheaper vans, but Britz does seem to be better. I hate to repeat a cliche, but you get what you pay for.

5Service 5Mechanical 5Interior 4Value
C. Edelane - avatar not loaded
, Indonesia
1 Review

"New Experience"

  • Reviewed 4 years ago

Nice performence of Maui Campervan
I love using campervan and this is my new experience using campervan.. thx to Maui for the services..

5Service 5Mechanical 5Interior 5Value
D. Marcus - avatar not loaded
, Australia
2 Review

"Good experience"

  • Reviewed 4 years ago

I rent a van with the to do a road trip through the south island and they were very helpful and all was really easy. Even they have transfer from and to the airport for free. I would choose again the company.

5Service 5Mechanical 5Interior 5Value
G. W - avatar not loaded
, United States
1 Review

"Never renting Britz again!"

  • Reviewed 5 years ago

We had a horrible experience with Britz. We traveled to New Zealand for our honeymoon last September. We chose a fully self-contained vehicle for comfort, the ability to freedom camp, and for a medical reason. Our self-contained vehicle was anything but self-contained. Our toilet malfunctioned twice during our trip, causing us to miss a tour to replace the toilet. The waste water tank, which was suppose to be empty upon vehicle pick-up, was FULL - something we did not know until our shower overflowed the night we rented the vehicle. The gauge for the waste water tank was broken, which is probably why they did not bother to check that the tank was empty when renting out the vehicle to us. We were also given a waste water tank that had a clog, so we were never able to fully empty it - another possibility for why we were given a full waste water tank, and this required us to refill our tank everyday. Other issues were: 1) our remote for the van inconsistently worked; 2) our space heater did not work; 3) we were never given an adapter to fit our water hose.

Importantly, all of these issues, and most importantly the clogged waste water tank, faulty waste water gauge, and toilet canister leak, prevented us from freedom camping and caused a lot of stress and anxiety surrounding the medical issue. This added a large cost to our trip that we did not budget for. We of course complained to Britz, and the customer service has been TERRIBLE. We were not allowed to speak to someone in person after returning our van, and for the past 2 months, we have been sending emails back and forth with their customer service group. We correspond with someone different each time, and each time, we have to repeat our list of issues because they lack communication. They still fail to offer us adequate reimbursement for our nightmare.

2Service 5Mechanical 2Interior 1Value
M. Hudson - avatar not loaded
, Australia
1 Review

"Review of my Britz-Campervans-New-Zealand hire"

  • Reviewed 5 years ago

They were good

5Service 5Mechanical 5Interior 5Value
David - avatar not loaded
, Australia
1 Review

"Never using Britz (THL) again"

  • Reviewed 6 years ago

We just completed a 3wk trip through Nth and Sth Island of NZ, which was beautiful, however the service from Britz was not. (Britz is part of THL, which includes Maui and Mighty)
We went in to pick up the van from Christchurch and the house battery wasn’t charged. We may have needed to free camp on the first night, so I asked if I could get another vehicle. “No” was the simple response.
When we got to our destination, about 3 hours drive away, and I plugged the power cord in to the van, a very audible alarm started going off. After about 20mins hunting for the source of the problem we discovered that the battery charger was not working. This was clearly obvious by the “error” message showing on the LED display on the charger itself. After several shut downs, and attempts to re-boot the system, we decided to phone Britz.
After 5 phone calls, in which I had to go over everything again each time, we were advised that we had to drive back to Christchurch the following day to have it swapped out. This resulted in us losing at least a day from our trip, additional fuel, and a lot of inconvenience.
Now if this had have happened on day 2, 3, or any other of the following days I would have been OK, as sometimes things break down, however someone at the Christchurch depot would have plugged that van in and then ignored the alarm. It was able to be heard from outside the closed van.
When I asked the supervisor at Christchurch what they would provide by way of compensation I was advised that I would have to take it up with the Auckland office when I dropped the vehicle off at the end of the trip. I said I wasn’t happy with that as it wasn’t their error that caused the problem, however they wouldn’t offer any other option.
Consequently we also had problems with the drainage not working properly on the kitchen sink, and a leaking fridge. We decided to put up with those, rather than lose any more time.
As you can imagine, Auckland weren’t happy that they had to deal with it, and they offered me a $200 refund. This is on a $4800 hire. I managed to get them up to $250, however the attitude from the manager wasn’t acceptable. Nor was the amount offered.
I don’t care which branch was responsible. I am a customer of Britz and they should have dealt with me as such.
We are definitely going back to NZ. We will definitely not be using the THL group of companies.

1Service 3Mechanical 2Interior 2Value
E. D - avatar not loaded
, Australia
1 Review

"Review of my britz-campervans hire"

  • Reviewed 6 years ago

the vehicle itself is large and convenient. te main issue is a very unpleasant service from the THL team in Queenstown and in Christchurch.

1Service 4Mechanical 5Interior 4Value