Car hire in South Africa here starts with car hire collection at CPT or City delivery in Cape Town, and one-way cars end at George Airport or O.R. Tambo in Johannesburg. Most of what a visitor needs at pick-up comes down to four of the South African rental conditions: the licence, the card, the driver's age and the roads the car may use.
Which driving licence do I need?
A valid national driving licence with its details in Latin script. Its expiry date must be no earlier than the last day of the rental, and copies and electronic licences are not accepted. If your licence is only valid in the country that issued it, add an International Driving Permit and produce it when asked.
South African law recognises a licence issued in another country if it is in one of South Africa's official languages, or has a certificate of authenticity or a translation in one of them attached, and if it carries the holder's photograph and signature. An International Driving Permit issued to a visitor is recognised in the same way. A licence without a photograph, or in another language with no translation attached, needs a permit alongside it.
Do I need a credit card to hire a car in South Africa?
It depends on the car. Some cars require a physical, embossed credit card in the name of the main driver, which you bring to the pick-up. Where the rental company accepts a debit card instead, that is stated during booking and in the voucher, and the debit card must also be physical, personalised with embossed details and in the main driver's name. The advance at booking is paid by bank card, and the ways to pay the balance at pick-up are shown during booking and on the car's page. Cash is taken only in South African rand (ZAR).
How old do I need to be?
The age band and the years of driving experience are on each car's page under Terms, and they differ between cars, even between similar models. On Cape Town cars the minimum age is 20, 21 or 25 and the maximum 70 or 80, and the licence must have been held for 2 or 3 years; a car shows its band as, for example, 25 to 80 years of age with at least 2 years of driving experience. The rental agent can refuse the car at pick-up if the driver does not meet that car's band, so check that band on the car's page before choosing.
Where can I drive a hire car in South Africa?
On paved public roads only. The one-way routes run on national roads: the N2 to George Airport and, for most of the way, the N1 to Johannesburg. To take the car into a neighbouring country, tell the rental agent in advance so the documents can be completed first; some Cape Town cars list a cross-border option for Lesotho and Eswatini, with its fee, among the extras on the car's page. South Africa drives on the left, with the steering wheel on the right, and the general limits for driving in South Africa are 60 km/h in urban areas, 100 km/h on other roads outside them and 120 km/h on freeways.
How far can I drive each day?
Each car's page shows its kilometre allowance for your selected dates. Beyond it, the car's page shows a rate per extra kilometre, and some cars offer Unlimited mileage as an extra. The routes out of Cape Town use this much of it for the drive alone; anything else you drive comes out of the same allowance:
| Route | Distance |
|---|---|
| Cape Peninsula loop via Chapman's Peak and Cape Point | 151 km |
| CPT to Hermanus and back | 206 km |
| CPT to George Airport | 408 km |
| CPT to Oudtshoorn and back | 833 km |
| CPT to O.R. Tambo | 1,426 km |
Can I add a second driver or a child seat?
Both are listed as extras on the car's page where the rental company offers them. A child safety seat is offered on every Cape Town car and a booster seat on many; "The second driver in the contract" is offered on some cars, in some cases at no charge, and the car shows the price. Every driver has to meet the car's age and experience band and carry the licence the conditions ask for.
Can I return the car in another city?
Yes, in two: George Airport (GRJ), 408 km from CPT on the N2, and O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), where Cape Town to Johannesburg by road is 1,426 km, mostly on the N1. Those are the drop-offs for one-way hire from Cape Town; the search lists the cars that can end at each. No car from Cape Town can be returned in Mossel Bay or Port Elizabeth.
What does the insurance cover?
Standard insurance leaves out damage to the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen and the interior. It is cancelled if an insured event is not reported to the rental agent at once with a police report, unless the agent agrees otherwise, and it is invalid for deliberate damage or neglect. Higher cover for car hire insurance in South Africa is described on each car, and the deposit is shown with each car in the search.
What costs are mine during the rental?
Fuel, parking, fines and road tolls. The car goes back with the fuel level it had at pick-up; a lower level is charged at the rental company's rates and a higher one is not refunded. A car returned too dirty to inspect is washed at your cost. Rental time counts in 24-hour days with a 24-hour minimum, so collecting on Monday morning and returning on Tuesday afternoon is charged as two days; to extend, tell the rental agent in advance.
What else do the South African conditions ask?
Keep the phone number you gave at booking, with its country code, reachable from the day before pick-up to the end of the rental; service complaints are not accepted if the renter could not be reached by phone or by Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram. Only small pets may ride in the car, and they stay in a travel carrier.
What to have at pick-up:
- Physical national licence with its details in Latin script, valid to the last day
- International Driving Permit, if the licence is valid only in its home country
- The card the booking names: a physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name, or a debit card where the booking allows it
- The voucher, on paper or on a phone
- A phone reachable from the day before pick-up