Cheap Car Rentals in South Africa from ฿385
This price is the cheapest per day rate found by a Cheapflights user in the last 48 hours by searching for a car hire in South Africa with a pick-up date of 1/11 and drop-off date of 1/12. Fares are subject to change and may not be available at all agencies or on all dates of hire. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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South Africa car rentals in 2026
Get helpful information to start your search for the perfect car rental in South Africa. The average price data is based on the last 12 months and was last updated on 10 October 2026.
Most popular company | Woodford |
|---|---|
Most common car type | Mini |
Average price per day | ฿662 |
Cheapest price per day | ฿385 |
Popular car types in South Africa
Explore the most popular car models available for rent in South Africa and choose the one that suits your needs. The price data is sourced from various car rental companies and was last updated on 10 October 2026.
There are currently 1,480 hire locations operating in South Africa spread across 43 car hire agencies. In the past week, the cheapest car type to hire in South Africa is small car at ฿385 a day. Below are all the 4 car types available for hiring in the area, along with estimated starting prices:
Economy
฿385+
Compact
฿490+
Intermediate
฿555+
Minivan
฿1,017+
Full-size SUV
฿1,690+
Mini
฿470+
Passenger van
฿1,621+
Premium SUV
฿1,967+
Best car rental deals found in South Africa
Browse through a selection of recently found affordable car rental deals in South Africa. Plan your trip with ease and find the perfect rental option for your needs. There are currently 8 rental car agencies in South Africa with an average daily rate of ฿875. Data was last updated on 10 October 2026.
Hyundai i20฿385/day
Toyota Yaris฿386/day
Mitsubishi Mirage฿470/day
Cheapflights insights for South Africa car rentals
Get relevant, data-driven information to help you hire a car in South Africa, including pricing trends, ideal booking times, and more.
How far in advance should I hire a car in South Africa?
Book your car hire in South Africa 7 days before your pickup date to maximise your savings. Car hire prices are around ฿758/day on average when booked 7 days ahead, which saves you 2,604% off the average price.
What is the cheapest month to rent a car in South Africa?
Planning to hire a car in South Africa? May is the cheapest month, costing about ฿791 per day. In contrast, January is the most expensive, with an average daily rate of ฿1,039. Monthly average car hire prices are listed below. Remember, prices can change based on when you book, the type of car, and availability.
January
฿1,039
February
฿946
March
฿959
April
฿966
May
฿791
June
฿865
July
฿925
August
฿972
September
฿939
October
฿952
November
฿952
December
฿959
What car do most people hire in South Africa?
The most popular types of cars to hire in South Africa are the following: SUV cars (BMW X3 or similar), Compact cars (Toyota Corolla or similar), and Intermediate cars (Toyota Corolla or similar).
Which car hire company has the most locations in South Africa?
Avis has 108 locations throughout the area, more than any other company. Pace Car Rental has the second-highest number of locations in South Africa at 3.
Discover the price range for renting a car in popular cities across South Africa, helping you budget and make informed decisions for your upcoming travel. There are 280 pickup locations in South Africa to choose from. Price data has been averaged over the last 12 months and was last updated on 10 October 2026.
Top rental agencies in South Africa
Explore the leading car rental agencies in South Africa known for their outstanding service and extensive range of vehicles to choose from. There are currently 8 car rental companies in South Africa. Reviews were last updated on 10 October 2026.
Overview
Reviews
Locations
Avis
36 reviews•108 locations
Overview
Cleanliness
8.6
Comfort
8.5
Overall
8.1
Pick-up/drop-off
8.1
Value
8.1
Recent reviews
10.0
|Oct 2026The experience was amazing
2.0
|Oct 2026I booked a car for 25/8/26. I wanted to upgrade my booking. The manager at avis cape town airport just refuse to help us. She demanded my pasport & international licence. She would not even give me chance to speak and canseled my booking on the spot. We wore stranded at airport for more then 8 hours trying to find another car from somewere els. Which cost me over R10 000. December 2025 service was good but this was the worst ever. I will not recomend avis to enny one els in future. Mariaan Robberts
10.0
|Jul 2026Awesome staff, thank you again.
2.0
|May 2026Worst experience in my life I had with a company. They take money with no communication 😒
8.0
|Sep 2023Easy hire convenience. Thank you.
2.0
|Mar 2023The car promised was not available when I went to pick up the car. I was to pay $469 and got charged $662. I brought the car back with 7/8 of a tank of gas instead of it being full. This was in part because I kept getting lost when I tried returning the car. I guess 1/8 of a tank of gas in South Africa is $200 Canadian dollars. I will not rent from Avis again.
1 out of 12
Avis Locations in South Africa
Overview
Reviews
Locations
Europcar
20 reviews•90 locations
Overview
Cleanliness
7.7
Comfort
7.2
Overall
5.8
Pick-up/drop-off
6.4
Value
6.2
Recent reviews
2.0
|Aug 2023When I booked the car I was quoted a cost. After I returned the car I was charged an amount that was 40% higher than the quoted cost.
10.0
|Jan 2023At check in I was given the keys to an economy car not an suv compatible as requested. I had the paperwork with me and they apologised and swiftly rectified their mistake. Everything else was perfect and quick returning the car. Highly recommend
1 out of 7
Europcar Locations in South Africa
Overview
Reviews
Locations
Thrifty
7 reviews•50 locations
Overview
Cleanliness
5.5
Comfort
5.5
Overall
4.7
Pick-up/drop-off
4.7
Value
5.2
Recent reviews
2.0
|Mar 2022They could not find my reservation in their system and denied having reserved a car for me. Consequently I had to pay R700 more for the exact same car that I had reserved in your system. It was incredibly inconvenient and I had no other choice and I’m quite upset with the experience. I will not be doing business through this app/website again for that reason.
2.0
|Mar 2022There is no Thrifty in Cape Town. After standing in line for 2,5h we finally reached the counter and were told that the vender with the name Thrifty does not actually work with Thrifty. They said: you booked with "dollar thrifty" which is no longer a partner. There was no other vender at the airport remotely connected to thrifty.
1 out of 3
Thrifty Locations in South Africa
Overview
Locations
CABS Car Hire
6 locations
CABS Car Hire Locations in South Africa
Overview
Locations
Pace Car Rental
3 locations
Pace Car Rental Locations in South Africa
Overview
Locations
BOBO
2 locations
BOBO Locations in South Africa
Overview
Locations
U-Save
18 locations
U-Save Locations in South Africa
Overview
Locations
Al Wefaq
3 locations
Al Wefaq Locations in South Africa
Car rental FAQs
Find answers to frequently asked questions about car rentals in South Africa, including policies, requirements, and more. FAQs were last updated on 10 October 2026.
What is the most popular car hire provider in South Africa?
The most popular car hire company at South Africa is Firefly. With prices on ECONOMY starting at ฿360/day about 71% more people book with Firefly than other companies in the country.
What is the cheapest city to get a rental car in South Africa?
When visiting South Africa, it is typically cheapest to rent your car in Johannesburg where rental cars typically will cost around ฿458/day (21% less than the country average). The absolute cheapest rental car price in South Africa was found in Johannesburg for just ฿422/day.
What side of the road do you drive on in South Africa?
In South Africa, drivers are expected to drive on the left side of the road.
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