During my 2020 trip, I decided it would be fun to drive us around South Africa. It was my first time driving and renting a car in a foreign country. Below I’ve listed my top 15 tips for renting a car in South Africa. Some apply specifically to that country while others are universal points to consider.

1. Choosing a Vehicle

First, you need to figure out what kind of vehicle you need. Most of the roads in South Africa are tarred and easy to drive on so you may only need an inexpensive car. If you plan to self-drive game drives/safaris or travel on more rural, rough roads, you should consider an SUV or 4×4 all-wheel drive jeep.

Before booking, compare rates on websites like RentalCars.com. Renting a car in South Africa can be very affordable depending on the car type and vendor.

While a vendor may offer great rates, it’s important to keep in mind how many service stations or rental hubs are in your area(s) of interest. Avis is a popular rental company in South Africa and has many locations. Other companies may have less. This means if you run into a problem, like breaking down on the highway or technical issues, it will take longer for you to get help or repairs.

Rental Car on Roadside
Parked on the side of the highway with a blown out tire

2. What is Included in the Rental Cost?

In addition to the basic rental, you should consider what else is included in the base rate and what additional coverage you want to add. Typically, things to look for are a mileage/kilometer limit, collision damage waiver (CDW), theft protection, and airport or premium location surcharges.

Car Rental Voucher
Rental voucher listing what's included in the cost

I recommend purchasing tire insurance and/or windscreen/glass damage coverage. On my trip, one SUV blew a tire while another had a tire that went nearly flat from a nail. While the roads are decent, having issues with your tires or getting chips in your windshield is not uncommon.

Many credit cards now cover rental car insurance if you pay for the rental on that card. Read the fine print on the requirements. Some cards will only cover the rental if you decline all coverage provided by the rental company at time of pick-up or booking. You don’t want to have an issue only to discover you owe for damages because you missed an important condition.

Decide if you need to purchase a GPS with your rental. For the first leg of our journey, I used my phone for directions. Then, with our second rental, I opted for a GPS device. Alternatively, you may want to download the Tracks4Africa app. It is a GPS map of Africa that works offline and includes points of interest.

3. What You Need to Rent a Car

In order to rent a car in South Africa, you will need a valid driver’s license in English or an International Driving Permit. You will also need a credit card for payment and your passport. Minimum age requirements may apply.

4. South Africa Drives on the Left

South Africa (and many neighboring countries) drives on the left side of the road. This means the slow lane is the farthest left lane. I spent a lot of time in that lane. 😊

There are a lot of roundabouts (also known as traffic circles or turning circles) in the city and on rural roads. I was worried about this with it being my first time driving on the left. It was easier to maneuver than I thought it would be! Just be sure to enter in the correct direction – enter from the left, turning toward the right.

If you typically drive on the right, everything in the car is flipped for the driver. I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal.  

5. Crossing Borders by Car

If you plan to cross the border to a neighboring country, you need to tell the rental company and secure a Letter of Authority from them. This is usually an additional fee. You also need to check which countries you are allowed to drive in – some South African rental vendors only allow entry into Namibia and Botswana.

There might also be an additional fee at the border by immigration officials to actually take the car across.

Also, driving in other countries can influence the type of rental car you need. Some neighboring countries’ roads are full of large potholes or have a majority of gravel roads. You may need to have a 4×4 there even if you don’t need one in South Africa.

6. Check Your Car Before You Leave the Lot

Walk around and check inside your car before you leave the lot! Verify that wipers, taillights, the GPS (if applicable), and gauges work. Take photos and videos of any marks, scuffs, or other damage and report it to the rental company immediately. The photos and videos will be crucial if you have to dispute any charges.

Our two rental companies had different processes to notify about pre-existing damage. Hertz/Firefly had us fill out a paper form and then return one of the copies. Avis had digital handheld devices for employee use, but we had to track someone down to report the damage.

7. Garages/Petrol Stations

Gas stations are called garages or petrol stations in South Africa. Know if you have unleaded or diesel and the typical tire pressure for your vehicle. If you don’t or can’t find it, ask the rental company. Garage attendants pump the petrol and fill tire pressure for you, but they will ask what type of fuel and how much tire pressure you want so you need to know. They will also clean your windshield while you wait if you’d like. Usually you tip the attendants anywhere from 2 to 10 Rand for good service.

Our SUV fuel costs in early 2020 are below for reference.

  • Unleaded 95: R15.83 per liter ($1.04 USD per liter)
  • Diesel: R16.34 per liter ($1.06 USD per liter)

8. Parking Lot Attendants

Many grocery store, restaurant, and retailer parking lots have “car guards” or parking attendants. They will watch your car and make sure it remains safe while you are away from it. Guards also will point out open spaces for you to park in and help you back out.

It is customary to tip the guards for their service – around 2 to 10 Rand normally. I always kept all my spare change to give car guards and garage attendants.

9. Speed Limits

In South Africa, speed limits are listed in kilometers. Speed limits vary frequently, so make sure you are paying attention. Typically, the speed limit is 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour) in cities, 80 to 100 kph (50 to 62 mph) on secondary roads, and 120 kph (75 mph) on highways.

10. Toll Roads and Fees

There are a lot of toll roads in and around Johannesburg/Pretoria. Usually the toll plazas had booths for cash, credit card, or e-tag depending on how you wanted to pay. Toll fees vary by road and city. However, for our small SUV, the toll fees were 15 Rand (approx. $1) per toll booth from Pretoria (Gauteng Province) to Pilanesberg National Park (North West Province).

Some of the toll roads don’t have plazas and instead just photograph your license plate to charge later.

eToll Charges for Rental Car
eToll invoice for tolls captured by photographing license plate

E-tags make dealing with tolls easier. You can just pull up to the booth which reads the tag electronically, charges it, and then lifts the gate arm. With e-tags you don’t have to mess with cash or worry about your credit card not working. Avis gave us an e-tag in the car. Hertz/Firefly didn’t provide an e-tag so for those days we paid in cash.

11. Robots/Traffic Lights

Traffic lights are called “robots” in South Africa. Robots can go out often, particularly with load shedding (which is a kind of nationwide power reduction to prevent total blackouts). This can be difficult on large, divided, multi-lane roads – especially if you are used to having police help direct traffic during outages. Treat it like a four-way stop.

Be prepared that there are often hawkers selling hats, fruit, toys, and more while you are stopped at a red light. This is not much different than any other major city. Just know multiple people will be walking in-between and around the cars.

12. Contact Numbers

When I blew a tire on the highway, I learned to always have the rental company’s office and roadside assistance numbers in my phone’s contact list. You don’t want to be in a dangerous situation or stranded in the middle of nowhere and searching for the paper with their contact information.

If you do not have a local phone or SIM card, have an app to make communication easier. Many countries use WhatsApp. Hertz wanted us to text their technician through WhatsApp and send photos of the tire.

13. Single Lane Road Etiquette

On single lane highways and roads, you will find that slower cars pull to the left and drive half in the shoulder so that faster cars behind them can pass. Because I didn’t want to speed and wasn’t familiar with the route, I ended up moving over for several cars on the way to Pilanesberg National Park.

This is the polite thing to do and locals will expect it; however, use your own judgment. Many rural roads did not have adequate shoulders – often the tar was disintegrating and dropped off into dirt, while other areas had trash and debris. It would be awful to damage a tire because you were trying to be courteous.

14. Don’t Leave Valuables in the Car

Don’t leave any valuables visible in the car while it is parked. I had absolutely no issues either time I visited South Africa; still, visible items can increase the risk of a break in. A vehicle with a trunk/boot or cargo cover is ideal to block your valuables from sight while you are away from the car.

15. Avoid Driving at Night

When possible, avoid driving at night. Outside cities, there are few streetlights and often no reflective paint on the road. This makes it hard to even see where you are driving. People walk along the shoulder, especially in townships. Night is also when a lot of animals are out and crossing the road. You don’t want to accidentally hit someone or something because you couldn’t spot them in the dark.

I hope you have found these tips for renting a car in South Africa helpful. If you have any other useful tips, please drop them in the comment section below!

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