All you need (or want) to know about car rental in South Africa in 2026

Before You Turn the Key: What to Expect When Collecting Your Rental Car

Hiring a car in South Africa is straightforward, safe, and often the best way to travel, especially if you are informed and know the rules. You’ll need a credit card, expect to pay a refundable deposit, and should follow our directions to your hotels, rather than your GPS, once you leave the main roads. Choose the right car for gravel roads, don’t stress about refuelling, and always call the rental company first if something goes wrong. After 30 years of designing self-drive trips, we’ve learned where travellers trip up – so you don’t have to!

Why This Article Exists

As a tour operator, we attach the full car rental terms to our final itinerary documents. But car rental Ts & Cs are rarely bedtime reading. They’re long, legalistic, and usually skimmed in the flurry of pre-holiday excitement. Yet this is where misunderstandings, and unnecessary stress, often begin.

On Arrival: Credit Cards, Deposits & Paperwork

When you collect your rental car, the lead driver must present a credit card. This is non-negotiable. (If the lead driver does not have a credit card, then perhaps a passenger with a credit card needs to be the lead driver?)

A refundable deposit is pre-authorised to cover:

• Rental deposit (typically R3,500)
• A GPS or Wi-Fi router deposit (R1,500) so typically R5000 in total

Note: We only book car rentals with 100% insurance cover

In real terms, expect a total deposit (hold) of roughly:

• £225, €260 or $300 (at exchange rates at time of last update)

Insider tip: If the main driver doesn’t have a credit card, make sure that a passenger with a credit card is assigned to be the lead driver at time of booking?

GPS, Wi-Fi & Why Google Maps Can Betray You

All Cedarberg Africa rentals include GPS or a Wi-Fi router (increasingly the latter, so you don’t chew through your own data). The Wi-Fi router gives 1GB daily of data.

In cities and towns, Google Maps works beautifully. Use it.

But in rural areas, especially game reserves, it can be wildly optimistic or downright inaccurate. It may suggest a more direct route which is gravel and corrugated rather than the slightly longer tarred route. Sometimes it’s not even a proper route at all. We’ve seen guests confidently guided to take private farm roads with locked gates, dry riverbeds, and roads that stopped being roads sometime in the 1990s!

Our rule of thumb:
Use Google Maps to reach the general region. Then switch to the written directions we provide in our itineraries for the final directions to all our country properties.

Check Out:

Why using GPS in South Africa Rural areas is not always a great idea

We provide directions from the nearest main road to all our country properties. You can use Google Maps to navigate to the area e.g., the Garden Route. And then use our directions to navigate to the specific hotel or lodge.

Choosing the Right Car Group (This Matters More Than You Think)

We’ll got a separate article all about this, so I’ll be brief.

Group D (compact): Ideal for couples driving on tarred roads in the Western Cape. Easy to park, economical, perfectly adequate. Some of our sample itineraries for couples are based on this.

Group F, I or H: Worth upgrading if you like a car with more power.

Group R (mid-range SUV): Our go-to recommendation for families, or road trips involving gravel roads. Better clearance, better comfort, better luggage space.

Smaller SUVs: Surprisingly poor on rural roads. Fine in cities; frustrating elsewhere. We don’t use them )e.g. Group M for Europcar).

Group N (Toyota Fortuner or similar): Rarely necessary, but excellent for space – especially for families with tall teenagers/young adults or lots of luggage.

4x4s: Almost never needed in South Africa. The only 4×4 in South Africa rental fleets is a  Double-Cab Hilux ‘’baakie’’ (pick-up truck) which may not be what you are expecting. Namibia is another story…

Travelling with golf clubs or bulky luggage? Factor that in early. And ask us if you’re unsure.

See More on Car Types here:

Minding your Ps & Q’s – how to choose which car rental model in South Africa is right for you.

Car rental in South Africa – E-Tolling

Some major highways (mainly in the north and north-east of South Africa) use e-tolling. But only on their major highways (N2, N4 etc.)

All rental cars are fitted with e-toll tags. You:

• Use the e-toll lane
• Don’t stop – the gate automatically opens as your car approaches & it registers the tag
• Don’t pay cash

Toll fees are charged automatically to your credit card after your trip. Simple.

Speeding Alerts (and Why They Exist)

Road accident numbers are too high in South Africa and one of the root causes is speeding. Every rental car is fitted with a telematics system, which records the speed that the car is travelling as well as its location.

If you exceed the speed limit by more than 20 km/h, you’ll receive:

1. A polite SMS alerting you of this event
2. A firmer reminder

A 3^rd final message warning that insurance cover may be affected. (“Should you continue contravening the legal speed limits you will be held liable for the full value of any damages caused. Kindly comply with all traffic laws and regulations.”)

This isn’t Big Brother! It’s a responsible approach to South Africa’s high accident rates. Slow down, enjoy the scenery, arrive alive.

Link to: Self Drive in South Africa and Namibia

Car Rental in South Africa: Refueling

Unlike many countries, rental companies in South Africa cannot legally inflate fuel prices. They charge:

• The cost of petrol
• Plus a small admin fee (around R50)

Our advice? Don’t bother filling up before drop-off.

Why? Cars are refuelled to the brim. If you’re even slightly under, you’re charged, and it often leads to post-trip discussions/disputes over – effectively – the price of a coffee. Not worth it.

If You’re Involved in an Accident

First rule: Call the rental company immediately.
There are clear instructions of who to contact in the vehicle when you pick it up.

• If the car is drivable, they’ll direct you to an approved garage. (Or they will collect it from your next accommodation place.)
• If not, they’ll arrange authorised towing and a replacement vehicle to get to you.

(For the purposes of this article, I am assuming that no-one is injured.)

Important:
Do not arrange your own towing or repairs and assume that you will be reimbursed.

That is not how the system works. They have authorised garages that they work with around the country. So, if you pay for a towing company to get you to a nearby garage (in the interests of speed), then this cost is for your own account.

Excess charges, towing fees, and claim handling fees may appear later—exact amounts are set out in the rental T&Cs.

And yes, driving recklessly (speeding excessively or attempting river crossings) can invalidate insurance entirely. It happens more often than you’d think.

Car Rental in South Africa – One-Way Rentals & Cross-Border Fees

One-way drop-offs (e.g. Cape Town to Johannesburg) incur a standard fee (R1950 at the moment). This is a set amount across the country, with for a couple of exceptions where the distance is exceedingly small e.g., Cape Town to the Winelands.

Cross-border travel adds an additional charge

Dropping a South African rental in Namibia is particularly expensive – well over R10,000 (One Way drop off fee for Namibia AND a Cross-border fee.)

But if you rent a car in Johannesburg and drive it into eSwatini (Swaziland), and then drop it back in Johannesburg or elsewhere, you will only be charged for the Cross-border fee.

We usually recommend adding this directly to your credit card to keep costs down but always confirm the exact amount with us in advance, so that that you know how much it is going to be.

Charges You May See After Your Trip on your Credit Card

Our Inclusions and Exclusions outline someOur car rental includes a number of extras already such as Contract Fee, 2^nd Driver surcharge, GPS/Wi-Fi Router, all mileage, 100% Super Insurance coverage

Our Inclusions and Exclusions in your proposal outline some of the direct charges that you may see on your credit card. But here we remind you of the main ones:

• Delivery or collection fees – if you opted to have your rental car delivered or collected from your hotel. (It is more if it is after hours and increases per km beyond 25km from the nearest rental office.)
• One-way drop off fees – see earlier note.
• Cross border fees – see earlier note.
• E–Tolls – any toll fees incurred on some of South Africa’s highways (see earlier note)
• Refuelling charge – cost of the petrol plus a R50 admin fee (see earlier note)
• Speeding admin fine – if you get a speeding fine, the car rental company will charge you for it, plus an admin fee.

Less common ones:

These charges are occasionally billed.

• Valet  (very dirty returns)
• Baby seats or any extra equipment e.g. bike rack

We don’t include these because:

You pay less by settling them directly – as we add on an admin fee

It avoids double-charging and refund wrangles – as the car rental companies are used to charging for them directly and often wrongly charge (leading to client refunds and unnecessary post-trip hassles)

Frequently Asked Questions about Car Rental in South Africa

Do I need a 4×4 to drive in South Africa?
Almost never. A mid-range SUV is usually more than sufficient. Or sometimes a larger one such as a Toyota Fortuner or similar.

Can I rent a car without a credit card?
No. A credit card in the lead driver’s name is essential.

Is self-drive safe in South Africa?
Yes, and easy in the Western Cape, especially when you follow speed limits, use common sense, and stick to our recommended routes.

Please find below links to documents on Europcar information:

• Europcar Additional Charges
• Europcar Terms & Conditions
• Europcar Fleet Outline

Get the Ball Rolling: Plan Your Self-Drive the Smart Way

Designing a great self-drive trip isn’t about picking a car. It’s about matching roads, distances, hotels and pacing into something that flows in a relaxed and effortless fashion.

Here’s how we help:

1. We listen to how and where you want to travel
2. We design a realistic, well-paced route with the right car for your itinerary
3. We stay on hand while you’re on the road

All your need to know about Car Rental in South Africa – was written by Natasha, of Cedarberg Africa

Cedarberg Africa is a travel and safari company specializing in Southern and East African tailor-made itineraries. As we have special wholesale rates with all the hotels and game lodges, booking through us will cost no more than booking direct. So our 30 years of expertise and knowledge comes at no extra cost to you!

Natasha Jantjies is part of Cedarberg Africa’s specialist travel team and has extensive hands-on experience designing self-drive journeys across South Africa and Namibia. With a sharp eye for detail and a calm, practical approach, she helps you navigate the finer points of logistics; from choosing the right vehicle to understanding the realities of long road journeys and rural routes.