Car Hire South Africa

Most popular airport car hire locations in South Africa

• Cape Town Airport car hire
• Durban Airport car hire
• Johannesburg Airport car hire
• Kruger Mpumalanga Airport car hire
• Port Elizabeth Airport car hire
• Pretoria Airport car hire

Popular city car hire locations in South Africa

• Cape Town car hire
• Durban car hire
• Johannesburg car hire
• Port Elizabeth car hire
• Pretoria car hire

South Africa Mini Guide

South Africa is a huge country located at the southern most tip of the continent of Africa and hiring a car is advised if you want to get around and see what this incredibly diverse nation has to offer.  From South Africa there are many borders you can cross to see the surrounding countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The opening times of these borders are often extended during South African national holidays and you can obtain a full list of entry ports or any additional information from the South African Border Information Service by contacting them on +27 (0)86 026-7337.

The South African roads which connect the major cities are for the most part very good. These include the N1 running from Cape Town through Johannesburg and Pretoria up to Harare and Zimbabwe. The N2 runs from Cape Town to Durban passing through the world-famous Garden Route near Knysna, while the N3 goes between Durban and Johannesburg.  When driving all distances are measured in kilometres and fuel is sold by the litre. There is also the option of buying a car in South Africa and having the rental company buy it back from you.

Driving is on the left. One of the unusual rules of the road is the four way stop junctions. At these the car which stops first has right of way. Turning at traffic lights is illegal and the wearing of seatbelts is compulsory. It is forbidden to talk on a mobile phone while driving. The roads can be dangerous in South Africa, especially at night. Drivers often disobey road rules and you must watch out for pedestrians and cyclists doing the unexpected. There is even a chance of running into wild animals on the roads.

If you are in the suburbs of Johannesburg beware that cars may try to box you in so that they can perform a hijack. You should leave some room between you and the vehicle in front to be safe rather than sorry. Also, wherever you can refrain from leaving any valuable belongings on show in your car. Speed limits on highways are 120kph, 100kph on major roads outside towns, 80kph in built-up areas in towns and 60kph in towns. There are a few toll roads in South Africa and these generally have emergency telephones should you need them.

Other car hire locations in South Africa:

• Benoni car hire
• Bethlehem car hire
• Bloemfontein car hire
• Bloemfontein Airport car hire
• Centurion car hire
• East London car hire
• George Airport car hire
• Hermanus car hire
• King Williams Town car hire
• Langebaan car hire
• Newcastle car hire
• Phalaborwa car hire
• Pietermaritzburg car hire
• Pinetown car hire
• Port Elizabeth car hire
• Plettenberg Bay car hire
• Rustenburg car hire
• Sandton car hire
• Somerset West car hire
• Soweto car hire
• Umhlanga Ridge car hire
• Umtata car hire
• Upington car hire
• Welkom car hire

South Africa Factfile

• South Africa which is officially known as the Republic of South Africa is a state which comprises of nine provinces
• Out of the world's 17 listed megadiverse countries, South Africa is ranked sixth
• There are eleven official languages in South Africa including Afrikaans, English, Swazi and Zulu
• The currency in South Africa is the Rand (ZAR)
• The South African national rugby union team is nicknamed the Springboks
• It's Illegal to not stop for animals and livestock crossing the road, see more weird driving laws

Is it safe to rent a car in South Africa?

Many visitors to South Africa choose to hire a car as it is probably the simplest and most comfortable method of getting around and seeing this beautiful country. Public transport is limited so renting a car is a popular way of getting out and about and it's generally perfectly safe to do so. Some areas of the country and larger cities are wise to avoid, particularly at night, however for the most part you should have no converns at all. We advise checking travel advice from the Foreign Office and take note of advisories around travel in the country.