Car rentals in South Africa

History

Car rental firms in South Africa

South Africa has a well developed and competitive car hire market, with a large presence at major airports.

Tips for renting cars

Whether on business trip or holiday visit, car rental is an essential part of modern travel as we fly from city to city, arriving at the destination having saved a considerable number of hours, but without a car. Car rental makes up a big part of your travel expenditure, so why not spend some time to learn some tips for renting cars?

It goes without saying, planning ahead would be the best option. It makes sense to book your car online even if you do it last minute on your laptop while you wait to board your flight. It helps ensure you get the car you want at a better rate. It would also save you the hassle of going from counter to counter at the airport, looking for the right car at the right rate, because prices DO vary from company to company. Most car rental companies have very user-friendly websites to get a quote instantly, so take advantage of this service. Try Global Rental, their quotes show many options in table form, making it easy to compare different cars and rental plans. You can compare prices across car groups. As with most car rental companies, they offer extras such as collection/delivery, child seats, and GPS hire. Also see Travel Jigsaw for quick quotes.

The duration of your stay could be a deciding factor too. If you are staying for less than a week, renting with the big companies would be a better option. Try Avis for competitive prices; Budget (their website automatically gives you a better weekend rate); Tempest Car Hire (keep an eye out for specials like their weekend GPS special as well as different mileage options and weekend rates); Thrifty Car Rental; or the Woodford Group where you can even hire bakkies. If you�re staying for longer, get quotes from smaller companies as they would probably be able to offer you a cheaper rate. Try South AfriCar; Citi rent; and Comfort Car Hire. For Cape Town, try Renta VW where you can rent a VW Golf for less than R100 a day on monthly rates; or for Jo�burg, try Pace Car Rental for long term rental specials.

Many airlines, credit cards and medical aids have partnerships with car rental companies, so find out if the company can offer you a discount through one of their partners. Try SAA where you can earn Voyager miles with their partners; Kulula Airlines; Mango; 1Time; or British Airways .

Some car rental companies offer loyalty programmes, so if you travel frequently, it might be worthwhile joining one. Have a look at Sixt (they offer membership specials); and Hertz who besides having Weekend rates, Monthly rates and unlimited mileage rates, they also have a No. 1 Club Gold membership that is international and available for individuals and companies.

For the environmentally-conscious car renter, you�ll be pleased to choose your car on Europcar after the website carbon calculator calculates the carbon emission for the duration of your trip and the car model you choose. GPS and Childseats are available for rental and there is no extra charge for an extra driver. They offer special weekend or monthly rental rates, as well as special rates if you plan to travel less than 100 kilometres a day.

When choosing a vehicle, think practical. If you have children or a lot of gear, look for a large sedan of an SUV. Most car rental companies have car diagrams showing how many people and how much luggage the car can carry. But if you are planning to zip through town from meeting to meeting with just a laptop, then choose a simple, small car to save you money on rental, petrol, and the small dimensions will also be easier to negotiate in unfamiliar streets and parking.

As with any transaction, make sure you read the terms and conditions. If you�re at the counter or on the phone, ask the agent if there are any restrictions; maybe your 20 year-old sister is too young to drive the car? If there�s more than one driver, what are the extra costs? Is there an alternative location for pick-ups and drop-offs? What are the excesses if you have an accident? It�s a good idea to provide the company with your flight details so that they can keep the car for you if your flight is delayed. And it�s important to know that if you will be charged a full day for any time you exceed (so if you fetched the car at 2 pm yesterday, you will be charged for two days� car hire if you return the car after 2 pm today).

When you fetch the car, don�t rush through the checking and just sign any papers. Make sure to note any cracks, scratches or dents the car may already have so that you are not charged for the damages after you have returned the car. Check the lights, wipers and the odometer. While the agent is at the car with you, ask them questions about the car such as how to start the car (you would be surprised how this could vary from model to model), what kind of petrol the car takes, where the essential knobs and levers are, and make a mental note of what model and colour the car is� you could lose it in a parking lot!

When you return the car, try to be as punctual as possible, and fill up the car yourself on the way in case they charge you higher petrol prices. Inspect the car with the agent (now you�ll be glad you made a thorough inspection when you picked up the car!) and make sure you have all your belongings before you hand the car back (check especially the cubby-hole and the boot).

Then have fun! Unlike hotel rooms, hired cars have an extra dimension of anonymity, allowing you to let your hair down, to throw caution to the wind as you speed away from the car rental office, taking the car for a three-day test drive without supervision (not that I am advocating careless driving�). I remember hearing my brother in his varsity days, freshly returned from holiday, proudly tell us how he and his friends raced their little rental sedan off road, on a farm� through mielie fields, over dunes, in the waves. Ok, I could be making some of that up, the details are fuzzy now, but I do remember my mother shaking her head and sighing, not sure whether to be amused or embarrassed that he was her spawn. And I also remember vowing that when I finally got my driver�s license, that I too would behave badly with a rental car.

Driving a rental car could be great joy or a total misery, depending on whether your travel budget matches the lifestyle back home. I have a friend who came to visit us in his little rental BMW; we all stood around admiring the shiny German engineering inside and out. But when asked whether he was enjoying the car, he just shrugged off the question with a �ja, it�s ok.� Then I remembered that he had just left behind a brand new Audi TT at home. Shame, he must have suffered. Nevertheless, rental cars open up worlds of opportunities. You might not be able to afford that AC Cobra (or your wife won�t let you buy one), but you can always rent one for the weekend (for exotic car hire, try Car Hire.za; or Classic Car Hire World, although most of these cars are only available in cape Town), or you could discover the advantages of a car you would other wise never consider test driving if not forced to spend a weekend in it. Wherever your rental car takes you, enjoy it like an affair with a stranger: have fun, be careful, and enjoy the ride!