unfortunately very bad experience with this van rental.

after a week, alternator failure emergency stop on the side of the road: the emergency number does not answer... forced to take all our things to go to the local Motel...! stuck two days in the same place, we are told that the brakes no longer work, we have to change them. Elements do not offer us anything in return, except that they are sorry. two stars because the equipment was ok.

Reviewed over 1 year ago and experienced in November 2022

After getting several quotes this was one of the cheapest for a sleepervan.

$1800 for 16 days including: $0 excess, transfer from airport to pick up location, kitchen equipment (inc. camping stove, table, chairs, crockery, cutlery, pans), bedding, roadside assistance, unlimited km, 2 drivers, GST.

The van had a few aesthetic blemishes but ran very well. It had done approx 150,000km (in comparison, our friends van had done over 400,000!). It had plenty of oomph to get up all the hills we could throw at it. In over 3,500km of driving we only had one slight concern with vibration coming through the steering wheel but popped into a garage who said it was likely from some slightly worn brake discs and that there wasn't a safety issue. Elements were very good in responding to our concerns and gave us the option of getting them replaced or keeping an eye on it - we chose the latter but got the impression doing the former would have been straightforward to arrange.

The conversion is fairly basic with plywood and a couple of large plastic containers forming the sink supply and drain for the self-certification sticker. Generally we left the bed up the whole time and sat outside or in the front seats. In the day we'd put our bags on top of the bed, at night in the front seats.

n.b. A general note about sleepervans (not specific to Elements) but worth bearing in mind; neither my partner or I are tall (5' 7") but the bed was slightly too short. This was easily overcome by sticking our feet through the gap between the driver/passenger seats but may be slightly more of an issue for the taller person!

Elements were very easy to communicate with over email although every time I tried ringing them once in NZ their line was busy.

Overall we had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the flexibility of having a self-contained sleepervan (rather than a larger camper). A bit more crockery/cutlery and better availability on the phone and this would be a perfect 10/10. Recommended.

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Not impressed at all with this company.

I booked a self contained camper van in August from the UK for a week in NZ in November.

A week before the pick up date when I was in NZ they e-mailed to say they needed to cancel as their computer had in error confirmed the order. In response my insistence to honour the order they confirmed they would.

10mins before picking up the camper van for 9.30am they e-mailed to say the vehicle was not safe to drive as it had developed an engine warning light. They had managed to book with an alternative camper van that could be picked up at 12.00.

This turned out to be a non self contained camper van. A very bad experience.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Rented the Tandem for 2 weeks, great trip and great service.

Vehicle has all that you need and, being on a budget, comfortable enough for the two of us. Mattress squabs got a bit hot in the sun but no problems when keeping. Overall great experience.

Reviewed about 1 year ago and experienced in January 2022

unfortunately very bad experience with this van rental.

after a week, alternator failure emergency stop on the side of the road: the emergency number does not answer... forced to take all our things to go to the local Motel...! stuck two days in the same place, we are told that the brakes no longer work, we have to change them. Elements do not offer us anything in return, except that they are sorry. two stars because the equipment was ok.

Reviewed over 1 year ago and experienced in November 2022

Booked one of their campers for 3 weeks and ending up extending for a week, great deal and service and the self contained feature is super handy!

Reviewed about 2 years ago

After getting several quotes this was one of the cheapest for a sleepervan.

$1800 for 16 days including: $0 excess, transfer from airport to pick up location, kitchen equipment (inc. camping stove, table, chairs, crockery, cutlery, pans), bedding, roadside assistance, unlimited km, 2 drivers, GST.

The van had a few aesthetic blemishes but ran very well. It had done approx 150,000km (in comparison, our friends van had done over 400,000!). It had plenty of oomph to get up all the hills we could throw at it. In over 3,500km of driving we only had one slight concern with vibration coming through the steering wheel but popped into a garage who said it was likely from some slightly worn brake discs and that there wasn't a safety issue. Elements were very good in responding to our concerns and gave us the option of getting them replaced or keeping an eye on it - we chose the latter but got the impression doing the former would have been straightforward to arrange.

The conversion is fairly basic with plywood and a couple of large plastic containers forming the sink supply and drain for the self-certification sticker. Generally we left the bed up the whole time and sat outside or in the front seats. In the day we'd put our bags on top of the bed, at night in the front seats.

n.b. A general note about sleepervans (not specific to Elements) but worth bearing in mind; neither my partner or I are tall (5' 7") but the bed was slightly too short. This was easily overcome by sticking our feet through the gap between the driver/passenger seats but may be slightly more of an issue for the taller person!

Elements were very easy to communicate with over email although every time I tried ringing them once in NZ their line was busy.

Overall we had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the flexibility of having a self-contained sleepervan (rather than a larger camper). A bit more crockery/cutlery and better availability on the phone and this would be a perfect 10/10. Recommended.

Reviewed over 4 years ago

Me and my friend used the two-seater campervan for two weeks and it was amazing!

First time driving a automatic on the left side. I was a bit scared at first, but the nice staff of Elements gave me tips on how to drive on the left side and how to drive an automatic. They also provide cooking equipment and bedding. So, all we had to spend money on was on food and gas, and since the vans are self contained you can free camp on any free campsite. At night time, all we had to do was popdown the table and we could sleep.

The car itself drove very smooth and I felt save in it! Which is a nice thing for all the newbies, like me, that are driving an automatic on the left side for the first time. Highly recommend! :)

Reviewed over 5 years ago