How to get your car back from a towing company in New Zealand, the fees, your rights and how to dispute the tow

Last updated 20 June 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

You come back to the kerb and your car is gone. Before the panic sets in, the single most useful thing to know is that towing in New Zealand runs on two completely separate sets of rules, and which one applies decides what you pay, how you get the car back, and whether you can claim the money back afterwards. A car lifted off a public road is a different legal situation from a car lifted out of a private car park, even though the truck and the bill can look identical.

This guide walks through how to find your vehicle, what a towing company can and cannot charge, the documents to take when you collect it, and the grounds that have actually got Kiwis a refund when the tow was unlawful. It is general information, not legal advice, but the rules are firmer in your favour than the average towing invoice suggests.

The two kinds of tow, and why it matters

The first thing to work out is where your car was parked when it was taken, because that decides which law applies.

A tow from a public road, such as a clearway, a bus lane, a road works zone or anywhere the car was obstructing traffic, is arranged by the council, Auckland Transport or the police. Their power to do this comes from the Land Transport Act 1998. A parking warden or police officer can have a vehicle moved if they believe on reasonable grounds that it is obstructing the road or creating a safety risk. The fee is set with reference to the actual cost of the tow, and you usually also receive a parking infringement notice for the original offence.

A tow from private land, such as a supermarket car park, an apartment block, a leased commercial space or someone’s driveway, is arranged by the landowner or their agent. There is no infringement notice, because no road rule has been broken. The legal basis is that your car was trespassing on private property, and the landowner is entitled to have it removed. The leading case, Jamieson’s Tow and Salvage Ltd v Murray, confirms a landowner can authorise removal of a vehicle parked without permission and recover the reasonable cost of doing so.

The practical difference is large. On a public road the council controls the process and the fee schedule is public. On private land you are dealing with a commercial operator whose fee is only limited by what a court would call reasonable, and whose signage and authority you are entitled to question. Both are covered separately below.

Step one, find where your car is

Storage is charged by the day, so the fastest way to keep the bill down is to find the car immediately.

If the car was on a public road in Auckland, call Auckland Transport’s 24 hour contact centre on 09 355 3553. They can confirm whether the car was towed and tell you which company is holding it. Other councils run a similar line, usually listed on their website under parking or towing. If you are not sure whether your car was towed or stolen, the council or police can check the registration against tow records.

If the car was on private land, look for the warning sign at the entrance to the car park. A lawful private tow depends on clear signage, and that sign should name the towing company and a contact number. Call them, confirm they have your vehicle, and ask for the address of the yard and the total amount owing before you travel.

If you cannot find a sign and the council has no record of the tow, treat the vehicle as potentially stolen and report it to the police on 105.

Getting it back, what you pay and what to bring

A towing operator has what is effectively a lien over your car. They can hold it until the reasonable towing and storage charges are paid. That is the uncomfortable reality of recovering a towed vehicle. The leverage to get the fee reduced or refunded usually comes after you have the car back, not before.

What it costs

Fees vary by council, operator, vehicle size and the time of day. As a rough guide, a standard car tow is commonly in the range of $50 to $150, with after hours and heavy vehicle tows costing more. Storage is then charged on top, typically around $10 to $30 a day. On a public road there is usually also a separate parking infringement fine for the original offence, which is billed by the council and is not part of the towing company’s charge. Always ask the operator for the exact total, broken down into tow and daily storage, before you go to collect.

The drop fee, if you catch them in time

If you return to your car while it is being hooked up, or before the truck has driven away, the position is more in your favour. Many operators will release the vehicle on the spot for a reduced drop fee rather than complete the tow and charge the full amount. Ask for this directly. It is common practice, though an operator who has already lifted the car is not always obliged to agree.

What to take with you

Bring photo identification and proof that the car is yours, such as the registration papers or evidence the vehicle is registered in your name. If you are collecting on behalf of the owner, take written authority from them. Pay by a method that gives you a record, and get an itemised receipt that separates the tow fee from the storage fee. That receipt is the document you will rely on if you dispute the charge later.

Your belongings inside the car

The operator must take reasonable care of your vehicle and anything in it. The Land Transport Rule: Operator Licensing 2017 requires tow operators to take all reasonable precautions to prevent the vehicle being damaged and to prevent anything being lost from it, to use the shortest available route, and to avoid unnecessary delay. If property has gone missing or the car was damaged in the tow, photograph it before you leave the yard and raise it in writing straight away.

Towing from a public road, councils and police

On a public road the decision to tow is made by a parking warden or a police officer, not by the towing company. They can order a vehicle moved if it is obstructing traffic, parked on a clearway during its operating hours, blocking a bus lane, sitting in a tow away zone, or creating a hazard. The towing company is simply carrying out that instruction.

Because the council controls the process, the fee schedule is public and the same for everyone in that district. You will usually face two charges, the towing and storage fee, and a separate parking infringement notice for the offence that triggered the tow. The infringement notice is challenged the same way as any parking ticket. You have 28 days to pay it or to write to the council disputing it, and lodging a dispute puts the fine on hold while it is reviewed. Our guide on how to get out of a parking ticket in New Zealand covers the grounds that work.

The towing fee itself is harder to avoid if the tow was properly ordered, but you can still challenge it if the charge was unreasonable, if the car was not actually obstructing anything, or if the warden made a clear error such as towing during the wrong hours. Ask the council for the warden’s note of why the vehicle was towed, and the time it was recorded as obstructing.

Towing from private land, where the rules change

This is where most disputes arise, because the only thing limiting the operator is the requirement to act lawfully and charge a reasonable fee. Two conditions have to be met for a private tow to stand up.

There must be clear warning signs

The car park must display clear signage warning that vehicles parked in breach of the conditions may be towed, and setting out the terms. The Commerce Commission’s guidance on parking, clamping and towing is that by parking in a private facility you agree to the terms on its signs, which means those terms have to actually be there, visible and legible, when you park. If the sign was missing, hidden, contradictory or too small to read, the basis for the tow is weak.

The operator must have the landowner’s authority

A towing company cannot simply patrol private car parks and remove vehicles on its own initiative. It must be acting on the authority of the landowner or their agent for that specific site. If you doubt the tow was authorised, ask the operator who instructed them. A tow carried out without genuine authority from the landowner is unlawful and the fee is recoverable.

The fee must be reasonable

Even where the tow was lawful, the operator can only recover a reasonable fee. Consumer Protection’s position is that the charge should not exceed the genuine cost to the landowner and the enforcement company, including storage, and must be proportionate to the landowner’s interest in clearing the car. A fee that is really a penalty designed to punish or deter, rather than to cover the cost of the tow, can be challenged and reduced.

Wheel clamping and the $100 cap

Clamping is a separate issue from towing, but it comes up in the same car parks and the rule is worth knowing because it is one of the few hard limits in this area. The maximum a clamper can charge to release your vehicle is $100, set by the Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Act 2019. Any operator demanding more than $100 to take a clamp off is breaking the law, and you can call the police. The clamper must also be reasonably available to remove the clamp once you have paid. The cap applies to clamping only. It does not apply to towing, which is why some operators have switched from clamping to towing. Our separate guide to wheel clamping and the $100 cap covers the clamper’s duties, when you can remove a clamp yourself and how to get a clamping fee refunded.

When the tow was unlawful, getting a refund

If you believe the tow should not have happened, or the fee was excessive, the strategy is to pay what you must to get the car back, make clear you are paying under protest, and then pursue a refund. Paying to release the vehicle does not waive your right to challenge the charge.

Build your case in writing while it is fresh. The grounds that succeed most often are:

• There was no warning sign, or the sign was hidden, illegible or contradictory, so you were never on notice that towing could occur.
• The operator was not acting on the landowner’s authority for that site.
• The fee was unreasonable, well beyond the genuine cost of the tow and storage.
• You had returned to the car and were in possession of it before removal was complete, and were refused a reasonable drop fee.
• The vehicle was damaged or property was lost during the tow.

Take photographs of where the car was parked, the signage or lack of it, and any damage. Keep the itemised receipt. Write to the towing company first, set out why the charge was wrong, and ask for a refund within a set time such as 14 days. If they refuse or ignore you, the next step is the Disputes Tribunal. You can also report a private operator’s conduct to the Commerce Commission, which oversees consumer law in this area.

Escalating to the Disputes Tribunal

The Disputes Tribunal is the practical venue for a towing dispute. It is cheap to file, you do not need a lawyer, and a referee decides the matter on what is fair and reasonable. It can order a towing company to refund a fee that was unlawfully charged or unreasonable in amount, and it can award compensation for damage to the vehicle or lost property.

You file online, pay a small lodgement fee that scales with the amount claimed, and name the towing company, and the landowner where the authority for the tow is in question. Bring your photographs, the receipt, the correspondence and any record of the signage. For a step by step walkthrough of filing, evidence and the hearing, see our guide on how to take someone to the Disputes Tribunal in New Zealand.

Tribunal referees have shown they will not rubber stamp a towing invoice. Where signage was inadequate, authority was missing, or the fee bore no relation to the real cost, they have ordered refunds. The threat of a tribunal claim, set out in a firm letter, is also often enough to make an operator refund a doubtful fee rather than defend it.

The takeaway

A towed car feels like a situation where you have no power, standing in a yard being told to pay before you can drive away. In the moment, paying to get the car back is usually the right call, because the operator can lawfully hold it. But the power balance shifts once the car is yours again. Work out which kind of tow it was, keep every receipt and photograph, and test whether the signage, the authority and the fee actually stack up. On private land in particular, a great many tows do not, and the Disputes Tribunal exists precisely to put that right.

Related guides

• Car clamped in New Zealand, the $100 wheel clamping limit and your rights
• How to get out of a parking ticket in New Zealand
• How to take someone to the Disputes Tribunal in New Zealand
• The shop refused my refund, your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act
• How to get out of a speeding ticket in New Zealand

Frequently asked questions

Can a towing company keep my car until I pay in New Zealand

Yes. A towing operator has a lien over the vehicle and can hold it until you pay the reasonable towing and storage charges. They cannot charge an unreasonable amount, but they are entitled to refuse to release the car until a fair fee is paid. The usual approach is to pay under protest to get the car back, then dispute the charge afterwards.

How much does it cost to get a towed car back in New Zealand

It depends on the council, the operator, the size of the vehicle and the time of day. A standard car tow is commonly between $50 and $150, with storage of roughly $10 to $30 a day on top. A tow from a public road usually also comes with a separate parking infringement fine for the original offence. Always ask the operator for the full total, split into tow and daily storage, before you collect the car.

Can my car be towed from a private car park

Yes, but only if the car park displays clear signs warning that towing is a consequence of breaching the parking conditions, and the towing operator is acting on the landowner’s authority. If the signage was missing or unclear, or the operator had no authority for that site, the tow is open to challenge and you can claim the fee back at the Disputes Tribunal.

What can I do if I arrive while my car is being towed

Ask the operator to release the vehicle for a reduced drop fee rather than complete the tow. If you have returned to the car before it has been removed from the site, many operators will agree, although one who has already lifted the vehicle is not always obliged to. Stay calm and do not try to physically stop the truck, as that can create a separate problem for you.

How do I get a refund for an unfair tow in New Zealand

Pay under protest to get the car back, then write to the towing company setting out why the charge was unlawful or unreasonable and ask for a refund. Keep your itemised receipt and photographs of the parking spot and signage. If the operator refuses, file a claim in the Disputes Tribunal, which can order a refund and award compensation for any damage or lost property.

Can I get my belongings out of a towed car

The operator must take reasonable precautions to prevent anything being lost from the vehicle under the Land Transport Rule: Operator Licensing 2017. In practice you can ask to retrieve essential personal items, though the operator can still hold the vehicle itself until the fee is paid. If property has gone missing or the car was damaged, photograph it before leaving and raise it in writing immediately.

How long before a towing company can sell my car

An unclaimed vehicle can eventually be disposed of to recover the costs owing, typically after it has been held for a period of around three weeks, with storage charges accruing the whole time. Because storage adds up daily and disposal becomes a risk, you should recover the vehicle as soon as you can and dispute the fee afterwards rather than leaving the car in the yard.

Who do I complain to about a towing company in New Zealand

For a tow from a public road, complain first to the council or Auckland Transport that ordered it. For a private tow, complain to the towing company and the landowner, and you can report the operator’s conduct to the Commerce Commission. If the money is not refunded, the Disputes Tribunal is the venue that can actually order it back.

Have you been towed in New Zealand and got the fee reduced or refunded? Tell us how in the comments below.