Hiring a Car in South Africa
South Africa’s city roads and main highways are generally very good, and having a car - no matter how modest - to drive on them can make the difference between a roaring good time and abject tedium.
In short, SA Blog recommends hiring a car during your visit.
Here are some handy links for this purpose, starting with modest rides and moving toward extremely immodest but surprisingly agile behemoths:
(See also SA Blog’s related posts on Scooter & Motorcycle Hire and Land Rover Hire.)
- First, click here for the site that lists possibly the greatest number of car hire options in South Africa.
- In Cape Town, you can hire a VW Beetle (1960’s model - about as modest as it gets) on a monthly basis from Best Beetle. Perfect for backpackers on extended stays.
- One of the best places to find inexpensive rentals is BootsnAll’s Cheap Car Rental Links. Good for economy-size cars, which are fine for city driving and routes between towns.
- If you don’t drive stickshift, and need an automatic, click over to one of the familiar international companies (offering additional conveniences like airport pick-up and roadside assitance):
- For tailored service and special arrangements (such as unlimited mileage, unusual vehicles like 16-seat minibuses, or just an extra-friendly touch) click to UVS Car Hire, or phone them directly at +27 (0) 21 686-2404.
- If your ride ain’t pimpin’ enough, and you need to hire a luxury car, Uyaphi.com specialises in roadsters, you can get a Rolls Royce here, or just go back up to Avis and Herz, both of which have plenty of saloon car stock (Mercedes, BMWs, etc.).
- Climbing ever higher, look into renting a motorhome here. There’s quite a robust motorhoming culture in SA - which your friendly motorhome rental man will soliloquize about, on cue - and many places to take these lumbering yet surprisingly agile behemoths.
By BootsnAll | Permalink
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Comments
A while ago there were some complaints about Best Beetle not paying back the R2000 deposit. Do you know if this is still the case? Do you know if they still charge a deposit at all?
Best Beetle is HORRIBLE! I rented from them and the car broke down within an HOUR. They did not refund my money at all!
NOT SAFE for people to rent cars from them in South Africa.
When I asked for a refund, they started o threaten me and harass me. Horrible experience.
Hello,
We would like to rent an original beetle to travel through South Africa. Who knows a reliable
company? I heard Best Beetle is horrible!!
Berith
We would like to place and ad or link to your site
In 2003 I had one of their Beetles for about 6 months. Mine was actually pretty good most of the time, had lots of fun with it. Towards the end of my lease, my brakes were gone. Parked it at a gas station. They picked me up and dropped me off at the airport. Never got my deposit back though.
At the time I was there with a few other Dutch students. They also hired one and theirs burned down in front of their house! The battery under the backseat was not isolated and the backseat caught fire. They were lucky to get out of the car in time. No apology from Best Beetle.
I see they now use my photo on their homepage. They stole it from my TrekEarth page. I asked them to remove it but no response.
Please stay away from the guys. Corrupt cowboys.
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I like the Best Beetles Rental Car Information. Thanks! Helpful and good to know about!