When searching for “car rental south africa” or “car hire south Africa” on the internet, using terms such as “cape town car rental cheap” or “south Africa car rental companies”, you will come up with many car hire companies that will offer you many different quotes on many different vehicles!
Car Rental has more involved than simply handing somebody a vehicle – and here are some car hire terms that you may deem necessary to understand your quote:
Additional charges: Charges that are not listed with the primary cost of the vehicle. These costs will include items such as one way fees, baby seats, fuel, etc
Additional Driver: This would be for any driver other than the renter. The renter is the credit card holder who would be responsible for the costs involved with the hire. You can have several “additional drivers” listed, but you have to let the car rental company know for insurance purposes.
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): In the event of any accidental damage on the vehicle, the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) covers the cost of repairs. There will generally be an excess, and the renter would be liable for the first amount agreed upon on the contract.
Reduced Excess (ER): If the car hire company offers an optional charge to lessen or waive the insurance excess in the event of an insurance claim against damage or theft.
Insurance Excess: The amount the client is responsible for in the event of damage or theft of the rental vehicle. The client is responsible for this amount whether it is his / her fault or not. You can check with your credit card company if they cover the insurance excess – also known as a deductible.
One Way Fee: When renting a vehicle, for example at Cape Town international airport, the vehicle should be returned to the same airport, or within a reasonable distance such as the Cape Town City branch. When the client is planning on leaving the vehicle in a different location, possibly George or Port Elizabeth or OR Tambo or any other place other than the originating airport, the renter would be charged a fee called a one-way or drop-off fee.
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI): This is the insurance that covers the driver, additional drivers and passengers for personal and physical injuries incurred in an accident. Check with the company if this is included in the pricing, and if there is a limit to the amount
Rental Period: The car hire period starts when the client picks up the car and ends when you drop it off. Rentals are based on a 24 hours period from the time of pick up – so, for example, from 10am on a Monday to 10am the following day is charged as a one day rental. If the rental continues past 10AM, the company will charge out for a full day extra – although there is usually a “grace period” of 59 minutes.
Security Deposit / Authorization: Car rental works with a credit card – the authorization is the amount that gets blocked on the client’s credit card at time of collection. The amount blocked can be up to the rental plus the full insurance excess.
Theft Protection (TP): This applies in the event that the vehicle is stolen or vandalized. As with the CDW, an excess usually applies.
Young Driver Surcharge: With most companies in South Africa, the minimum age of the driver must be 23yrs (sometimes 25yrs). If the person is below this age, a surcharge would be payable for insurance purpose.
