Driving yourself in South Africa is a fantastic experience. The freedom you feel while driving in your car along the mountains, the beautiful coastline and the amazing nature is fantastic. But where is the best place to rent a car in South Africa? And should you opt for a 4X4 car or can you also get by with a smaller car? In this article you can read all the tips about renting a car in South Africa.
We ourselves took a 4-month road trip in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. We did this with a 4X4 car with rooftop tent, an amazing experience for adventurers.
Content of this blog:
Which car to rent in South Africa? Will you choose a 4X4, SUV or a smaller car?
The first question you ask yourself ‘which car to rent in South Africa’? Will you go for a 4X4, SUV or a ‘normal’ car? The advantage of a 4X4 is that you can also drive yourself in Kruger National Park, for example, and thus do a self-drive safari. In addition, of course, you go off road a little easier.
Are you planning to do a whole road trip South Africa from Kruger / Johannesburg to Cape Town? Then a 4X4 is a must in our opinion, especially if you want to go on self drive safaris and go through the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal. Want to do just the Garden Route or some day trips from Cape Town? Then a smaller car will do just fine as well.
Difference in cost between 4X4 with rooftop tent, SUV and a smaller car
It is important to realize that a 4X4 (with rooftop tent) is quite a bit more expensive than a normal car. Whereas you can rent a normal, small car for a longer period from $25 per day, a 4X4 with rooftent will cost you at least $100 per day including camping gear. On the other hand, you don’t need accommodation because you can spend the night in your rooftent, although you do have to pay for campsites.
What is the best car rental in South Africa?
The best car rental in South Africa as far as we are concerned is Sunnycars. Sunnycars is one of the largest car rental platforms in the world. The reason why we always rave about Sunnycars is because you are always fully insured when you rent a car through them. Sunnycars may seem more expensive than other car rental providers, but this is because with other providers the cost of insurance, extra miles and an additional driver have to be added on later. This gives a false picture.
So you no longer need to buy separate insurance when you pick up the car. If anything happens along the way, you can contact customer service. They then take it up with you and the car rental company. You will always have peace of mind because you are fully insured.
On the Sunnycars website, you can instantly see the different types of cars and the cost of renting a car in South Africa.
Where to rent a car in South Africa?
Where to rent a car in South Africa depends on the route you have planned. Most people rent a car when they land at Johannesburg , Nelspruit or Hoedspruit airport, and then drive to Kruger National Park. After Kruger, you drive the Panorama Route and fly from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth to start on the breathtaking Garden Route. Here, most travelers take about another week and end with a few days in lovely Cape Town.
So with this itinerary you rent a car in 2 different places. Pick up in Johannesburg / Hoedspruit and also return at Johannesburg / Hoedspruit. Then fly to Port Elizabeth. From Port Elizabeth again rent a car for 1 – 2 weeks Garden Route to Cape Town. There you return the car. We liked doing everything in Cape Town by Uber because of the few parking options in the city.
Both in Johannesburg / Hoedspruit / Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth, you can book the car in advance through this link via Sunnycars.
Is it safe to rent a car in South Africa and drive yourself?
Yes, as far as we are concerned, it is definitely safe to drive your own car in South Africa. So as far as damages and accidents are concerned, we are always reassured that the insurance is included with Sunnycars and we do not worry about it.
Furthermore, it is not advisable to drive a car in South Africa after dark. This is because wild animals can just cross the road, people often walk along the highway without lights and there can be potholes in the asphalt. In addition, it is also not safe because of carjacking. Most accidents/annoyances happen when it is dark, so make sure you have always arrived at your destination before that.
What roads should I avoid in South Africa?
There are some roads you really should not drive on in South Africa, even when it is light. Which roads these are we have put down below. Do you have any suggestions which roads are also not safe because you have heard this from people? Please let us know via the comment form below or send us an email at [email protected] so we can add to this.
| Road name | Name city |
| R335 | Between Port Elizabeth and Addo Elephant Park / Schotia Private Game Reserve |
| R102 | Between Port Elizabeth and Addo Elephant Park / Schotia Private Game Reserve |
| R573 | Northeast of Pretoria |
| N2 | In the provinces of Natal and Eastern Cape. You can’t always avoid this road but be alert here and don’t stop anywhere. |
| R538 | Close to Kruger National Park |
| R300 | Near Cape Town/Airport. This road runs through the townships |
Anyway, you should always avoid the roads through the townships (slums). You cannot avoid driving past the slums, but make sure you never end up in the middle of them. This can be really dangerous. Also, you will always see hitchhikers on the side of the road. Never take hitchhikers with you. Not everyone has harm in mind but you never know which people are lurking around and mugging you when you stop. Unfortunately, this happens more often than you think, so for your own safety: never take hitchhikers in South Africa.
Tips listed for driving safely in South Africa
- Prefer not to drive in the dark. Not in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria anyway.
- Avoid townships and other potentially dangerous places.
- Never take hitchhikers.
- Don’t stop for traffic lights around Johannesburg if you don’t have to.
- Don’t fall into police trapdoors in Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal and around Johannesburg. It is difficult to recognize whether they are really police or not. Preferably drive through.
- Near the remote areas, make sure you have extra fuel, oil and enough water.
Still not renting a car in South Africa? Choose the Bazbus at the Garden Route
Still not comfortable renting a car in South Africa or driving yourself? Then the Bazbus in South Africa is the perfect solution. This is a kind of hop on hop off bus that drives all the way from Cape Town, via the Garden Route, to Port Elizabeth. The standard Hop-on-Hop-off tickets allow for one-way travel along the Garden Route with unlimited-time stopovers. The Travel Passes allow for more flexibility (including travel back and forth on the route), but with a time limit, within a set number of consecutive days.
When you are visiting South Africa of course you want to do a game drive in Kruger National Park. On the Bazbus website you can find different packages for Kruger, so you can start your Kruger adventure from Johannesburg or any other stop where the Bazbus runs.
The only drawback is that you won’t have transportation at your destination. You will then have to do everything by Uber or regular taxi.
This is not a sponsorship by the Bazbus, nor do we get paid for this. We are genuinely very excited by their initiative to make South Africa more accessible to backpackers, solo travelers and people who don’t like to drive themselves.
Our conclusion on renting a car in South Africa
South Africa is a country you do have to travel around in. Although we ourselves lived in Cape Town for 6 months, and you can easily spend a lot of time here, the rest of the country has so much beauty to offer as well. We found renting a car in South Africa to be easy, safe and, above all, incredibly free. Don’t like driving yourself or don’t have a driver’s license? Then be sure to check out the Bazbus options in South Africa.
0 Comments