A lot of the questions I get from visitors to this website are about renting a car. Most of these questions are about where to rent a car to what car to rent. On this page I've included advise on both these questions.

South Africa

Where to rent your car in South Africa

Car Rental Services

I've used a lot of car rental companies in South Africa but one of them stands out. The last four years I've used Car Rental Services for all my sedan rentals. This company is operated by Wayne Rodgers, who is an agent that uses all the large rental companies like Avis and Europcar. I haven't found a website that offers better deals than the ones Wayne offers on his website. E-mails sent to him are answered within 24 hours and the service is perfect. I've used Car Rental Services over ten times now and I can recommend their services highly!

I know some people who have rented cars from AutoEurope and they were very happy with the cars, and level of service that they received. I have not used AutoEurope yet so I can't give any firsthand advise. The same goes for Nova Car Hire. They seem to offer excellent rates on cars (including 4x4's). I have heard good things about them, but don't have firsthand experience with them.  

Car insurance

When you rent a car in South Africa you usually get the option of 'standard cover' of 'super cover' insurance. The difference between these two options is the excess you're liable for when you damage the car. I usually go for the 'super cover' insurance because a lot of accidents happen in South Africa and it's easy to damage your car there (although it has not happened to me yet). Make sure that the car is insured on dirt roads. If you see something like this "Please note that the damage waiver does not cover damage caused as a result of the vehicle being driven on an untarred road or a road that was not suitable for that vehicle" in the insurance description then be very careful. A lot of the roads in the national parks are not tarred and that would mean that your car wouldn't be insured on those roads.

Cross border permits

If you plan on taking the car into another country like Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique or Namibia then tell this to your rental company when you make your reservation. The reason for this is that to take the car out of the country where you rented it you need a cross-border permit from the rental company. All the rental companies that I know of will issue you a cross-border permit when you ask for it, usually at a small extra charge. Do not take your car over the border without a permit as you will then not be insured for damages! Check the bottom of this page for an example of a cross border permit.

What to be careful of...

In April 2007 I went on a four week trip to South Africa. I was travelling to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and decided that I needed a car that gave me a high vantage point. I needed a high car because the roads in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in some stretches have turned 'U' shaped by all the grading of the roads. If you rent a normal sedan car then your vantage point in some parts of the park will be too low to see anything. I decided to rent a VW Touran as this is the most affordable car to rent if you want a car that gives you a high vantage point. The Touran was an excellent car, it was spacious and fast (we got a TDI model) and it had cruise control which was a welcome luxury on the long straight stretches of road in the Northern part of South Africa. The VW Touran comes in two versions; a 5-seater and a 7-seater model. I was given a 7-seater model and I will never rent that model again as the 7-seater model doesn't have a spare wheel! This model has three rows of seats and because of the third row of seats there is no place for a spare wheel. Instead of spare wheel you get a canister filled with foam which you can use to 'fix' a puncture. In Europe this system will work fine as most punctures will be caused by pieces of glass or nails. These punctures are typically small and can be fixed with a foam canister. In Africa it's a totally different ballgame though. Depending on where you go you'll probably drive considerable distances on gravel roads. On these roads the punctures you get are usually tears in the tyre caused by sharp stones. These tears can not be fixed with the foam solution which means that if that happens to you you're basically buggered. You'll have to depend on other people to help you. In a park like the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park getting a puncture in one of the Northerns camps may mean that you have to wait for days for a new tyre to be delivered to you from Upington (400km's away). This is not something you're looking for during a holiday so make sure that the car that you're renting has a spare wheel! If you're renting a VW Touran make sure you get the 5-seater model and not the 7-seater. 

Update 27 February 2008

In January 2008 I was in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park again and this time I'd rented a Toyota Corolla Verso. This car is very comfortable on tar roads, but is unsuited for use in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The suspension of this car in combination with the corrugated roads makes for an extremely uncomfortable ride, and it can even cause damage to the car. I lost two hub caps, my handbrake stopped functioning after a week and screws fell out of the dashboard. I was seriously worried that the car would break down before the end of our trip (and I don't get worried easilly). I'd advise anyone going to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to rent a 4x4. You can drive in the Kgalagadi in a 2x4, but a 4x4 will be much, much more comfortable. If you can afford a 4x4 then rent one, otherwise get a 2x4 (but get a high one like the Mazda 5 or VW Touran).

Botswana

4x4 rental from Selfdrive Adventures 

Selfdrive Adventures (Maun, Botswana)

In the beginning of 2008 I received information about a 4x4 rental company (Selfdrive Adventures) in Maun (Botswana). Selfdrive Adventures is based in Maun which is the perfect place for travelers. Most people will probably fly to Maun to start their trip there so they can pick up their car there. Another advantage of this company being based in Maun is that they could potentially help you within a reasonable time should you run into trouble in Moremi or Savuti. Selfdrive Adventures is specialized in equipped and unequipped vehicles, specifically kitted out for travelling in Northern Botswana. Renting a 4x4 is generally speaking very expensive, but the prices that Selfdrive Adventures charges are very reasonable if you take into account what you get for your money. All transfers to and from the airport are free of charge and you're not charged a kilometer rate.

When I published information about Selfdrive adventures on my website I hadn't had the chance to test their services myself. In October 2008 I went on a five week trip to Botswana and I decided to rent a a fully equiped Land Cruiser from Selfdrive Adventures. Making the booking was easy, they were easy to reach by phone and responded to e-mail within 24 hours. When we landed in Maun we were picked up at the airport and brought to the Selfdrive Adventures office as promised. The office is located north of the airport on the main road. The office is not marked by a sign so if you're driving there yourself finding the office will be a mission. The GPS coordinates for the office are S19.96315 E23.45689.

The car that we received was a huge Landcruiser VX automatic. The car had seen better days, but otherwise fine. Unfortunately on day three of our trip the alternator died leaving us stranded at Nxai Pan. It's in situations like that when you really appreciate the satellite phone that came with the car. The car broke down late in the afternoon and early next morning Selfdrive Adventures arrived at Nxai Pan with a new car so in the end the breakdown didn't cost us much time. The car that we received was a brand new Landcruiser 4.2l diesel. It was an awesome car. This car has loads of torque in low revs and it's an absolute joy to drive off-road and in deep sand. I was able to drive comfortably in 2-high where other cars had to switch to 4-low. I drove from Kasane to Savuti in under five hours where other people said that same route had taken them over 10 hours. They had to drive in low range for long streches where I hadn't engaged low range even once. This car comes highly recommended. Selfdrive Adventures has since replaced all their vehicles with these new Lancruiser 4.2l diesels.

This fully equipped vehicles are superbly kitted out for the bush, much better then the fully equiped 4x4 vehicles from Asco Car Hire in Windhoek. Included in the equipment is a high-lift jack, a satellite phone and a GPS. Calls made using the satellite phone (except emergency calls) are charged seperately. I can tell you that having a sat phone with you is a very comfortable idea. When I broke down at Nxai Pan I was very happy that I could call the Selfdrive office for help. If I hadn't had a sat phone with me then I would have been severely buggered. I was very happy with the level of service that Selfdrive adventures provided. Now that all the vehicles have been replaced with new Landcruisers I can't see how you can go wrong by using Selfdrive's services.

For the unequipped 4x4's Selfdrive Adventures uses the Mitsubishi Pajero. This is a very comfortable and capable 4x4, but for serious off-road driving it is not suited. If you're planning on going to Chobe, Savuti or places like that I'd recommend getting a Land Cruiser. I guess that the fully equipped vehicle will be the choice of 99% of the tourists anyway because you'll probably need to rent a fully equipped vehicle.

Insurance

When you rent from Selfdrive Adventures you get two options for insurance:

1. standard option: excess minimum BWP 3000 or 5% of the damage value. Not included; tyres, rims, water damage to engine, diffs, gearbox, transfer case, burnt clutch, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, malicious damage to the vehicle. Public liability cover is BWP 1.5 million.

2. Comprehensive option: excess minimum BWP 1500 or 2.5 % of the damage value. Not included: water damage to engine, diffs, gearbox, transfer case, burnt clutch, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, malicious damage to the vehicle. Public liability cover is BWP 2.5 million. (The main advantage here is that rims and tyres are covered)

Namibia

4x4 rental in Namibia

For a trip to Botswana in November 2006 I had to rent a fully equiped 4x4. I looked at rental prices of fully equiped 4x4's in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia and in the end the best deal at that time was offered by Asco Car Hire in Windhoek (Namibia). As it doesn't really make a difference if you drive from Johannesburg to Maun or from Windhoek to Maun I decided to rent my 4x4 in Windhoek.

Asco Car Hire (Windhoek, Namibia)

I rented a 3.3l V6 Nissan Hardbody from Asco Car Hire and I was amazed at the service that I got. E-mails were answered within a day and even special requests made by me concerning the setup of the car were not a problem. Some changes to the setup of the car were even done for free. I for instance requested an extra roofrack with four extra petrol jerrycans as I was going to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve for eight days and the fitting of the roof and the extra jerrycans were offered to me for free. When I arrived in Windhoek Asco took the time to explain all the things about the 4x4 to me in detail and showed me for instance how to operate the rooftop tent. The car was in great shape when we got it and had low milage on it. I checked the rest of the vehicles that were present and it seemed like all the cars were in great shape. I was so happy with the car and the level of service offered by Asco Car Hire that I decided to rent a 4x4 from them again for a trip to Namibia in October 2007.

Update November 2007

I've just returned from a trip to Nambia where I've used another car from Asco Car Hire. On this trip I rented a 2.4l Nissan Hardbody. Except for the engine this car was exactly similar to the 3.3l V6 Nissan Hardbody that I used on my 2006 trip to Botswana. The car was almost brand new, it had done 15000km, and I had no problems at all with it. The service from Asco was perfect again so I still recommend them highly!

Standard equipment that comes with all of Asco's (fully equipped) 4x4's

Tools / Items
A spade, a jack, 3 spare belts, a cross wheel spanner, a complete toolbox, an air pump, a danger triangle, a tow rope, a wooden support block for the jack, a first aid kit, a tyre pressure-gauge, 2 spare tubes, 3 spare fuses, 2 spare wheels, a 60 liter extra fuel tank or a jerry can, (a 220V extension cable for the fridge / freezer), (a hand brush set).

Camping equipment (equiped for 2 or (4) persons)
1 (2) roof tent(s), 2 (4) sleeping bags with foam mattresses and pillows, 12V/220V fridge/freezer, 1 table, 2 (4) chairs, 2 gas bottles, 1 gas cooker, 1 12V rechargeable lantern, BBQ grill, complete kitchen set, a dust-free storage box, water can, towels.

Cross border permits

If you plan on taking the car into another country like South Africa, Botswana or Zimbabwe. then tell this to your rental company when you make your reservation. The reason for this is that to take the car out of the country where you rented it you need a cross-border permit from the rental company. All the rental companies that I know of will issue you a cross-border permit when you ask for it, usually at a small extra charge. Do not take your car over the border without a permit as you will then not be insured for damages! Check the bottom of this page for an example of a cross border permit.

Example cross border permit

The picture shown below shows a lett er of authority (which is a crsoss border permit)that was issues by Asco Car Hire. This letter of authority permitted me to take the car from Namibia into South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. I removed the registration, engine and chassis number from the form.