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Car hire contact numbers in South Africa
By CarRentalZA editorial team · 4 min read · Updated 29 September 2026
These are the main phone numbers for South Africa's car hire companies, each taken from the company's own website on 29 September 2026 and linked to the page it came from. Use them to book, change a booking, report a breakdown or query a charge after your rental.
Numbers change, so open the source link before you call. A rental company will not ask you to pay a deposit into a new bank account over the phone or on WhatsApp.
Main numbers by company
| Company | Number | What it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around About Cars | +27 21 422 4022 | Head office, office hours (Cape Town) | aroundaboutcars.com |
| Avis | 0861 021 111 | Reservations (local, national call centre) | avis.co.za |
| BLUU Car Rental (formerly Bidvest Car Rental) | 086 101 7722 | Reservations / call centre | bluucarrental.com |
| Budget | 086 101 6622 | Reservations and quotations (local, national call centre) | budget.co.za |
| Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 0860 999 500 | Call centre (Mon-Fri 7am-4:30pm) | enterprise.co.za |
| Europcar | 0861 131 000 | 24-Hour Call Centre (reservations, incidents, roadside) | europcar.co.za |
| Firefly Car Rental | 0861 600 136 | Central reservations, domestic customers | fireflycarrental.co.za |
| First Car Rental | 0861 178 227 | Call centre (South Africa only) | firstcarrental.co.za |
| Green Motion South Africa | 0027 87 095 8918 | South Africa reservations and assistance line (shown for every SA location) | greenmotion.com |
| Hertz | 0861 600 136 | Central Reservations, domestic customers | hertz.co.za |
| Pace Car Rental | 011 262 5500 | Central reservations | pacecarrental.co.za |
| Rent A Cheapie | +27 21 510 2808 | Phone / urgent bookings | rentacheapie.co.za |
| SANI SIXT | +27 (0)11 230 5000 | Telephone reservations / cancellations / extensions / emergency number (ARCHIVE COPY 3 Jan 2026 of sani.co.za; live site blocked) | web.archive.org (archived copy) |
| Tempest Car Hire | 0861 836 737 | 24-Hour Call Centre (reservations, incidents) | tempestcarhire.co.za |
| Thrifty | +27 21 935 4800 | Contact number shown in the site footer (no label given; the same number is Hertz SA's international central reservations line) | thrifty.co.za |
| Woodford Car Hire | 0860 999 500 | Reservations, customer care, accidents and breakdowns (single national line, also the after-hours number) | woodford.co.za |
| Xtreme Car Rental | 086 100 1337 | Central reservations | xtremecarrental.co.za |
Each company page has the full list, including airport branches, email addresses and the rules on age, cards and deposits.
Roadside, breakdown and accident lines
If the car breaks down or you have an accident, call the rental company's own line rather than a tow truck that stops at the scene. The operator decides who recovers its car, and an unauthorised tow can be billed to you.
| Company | Number | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | 0800 001 669 | 24-hour Roadside and Emergencies (local) |
| BLUU Car Rental (formerly Bidvest Car Rental) | 0800 11 57 67 | Bluu Assist roadside and breakdown (South Africa, toll free, 24 hour) |
| Budget | 0800 001 669 | 24-hour Roadside and Emergency (local) |
| Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 087 086 0571 | 24-hour breakdowns and emergency |
| Europcar | 0861 131 000 | Breakdown or undrivable vehicle (same call centre number, per rental terms) |
| Firefly Car Rental | 011 397 9288 | Emergency & Road Assist branch, Jet Park Johannesburg (Mon-Fri 07:00-19:00 only, closed weekends and holidays) |
| First Car Rental | 0860 888 911 | 24-hour roadside assistance (South Africa only) |
| Pace Car Rental | 071 971 2613 | After-hours accident line, Johannesburg |
| Rent A Cheapie | 072 632 0697 | 24/7 roadside assistance and accident reporting (from the rental agreement) |
| SANI SIXT | +27 (0)11 230 5000 | Emergency number (archive copy) |
| Tempest Car Hire | 0861 836 737 | 24 Hour Roadside Assistance |
| Woodford Car Hire | 0860 999 500 | Report an accident or breakdown |
| Xtreme Car Rental | 083 337 3187 | Emergency, accident or breakdown, 24 hours 7 days (mobile) |
Before you call: have these ready
- Your booking or rental agreement number
- The name of the main driver and the card used for the deposit
- For a breakdown or accident: where the car is, the registration number and whether anyone is hurt
- For a charge after the rental: the date of the charge, the amount and the agreement number
If a dispute is not resolved by the company, most operators belong to SAVRALA, the rental industry body, which takes dispute details, and the Motor Industry Ombudsman handles motor industry complaints free of charge.
Why we list only these numbers
We publish a number only when it appears on the company's own website on the date shown, and we link to that page. Numbers found only on directories, reviews or social media are left out, because a wrong number on a page like this is worse than none. Branch numbers for the large networks are on each company page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Avis contact number in South Africa?
See the Avis row in the table above, taken from avis.co.za on the date shown. The Avis page on this site lists its other lines.
Which number do I call if my hire car breaks down?
Call the rental company's own roadside or breakdown line, listed in the table above where the company publishes one. Do not accept a tow from a truck that simply arrives, because the operator decides who recovers its car.
How do I complain about a car hire company?
Write to the company first and keep a reference number. If that fails, SAVRALA takes dispute details for its members and the Motor Industry Ombudsman handles motor industry complaints for free.
Are these numbers up to date?
Each one was checked on the company's own website on 29 September 2026. Numbers change, so open the linked source before you call.
Can I book a rental car on WhatsApp?
Some companies publish a WhatsApp line; where they do, it is on the company page. Never pay a deposit into a bank account sent to you on WhatsApp.
Why is a company missing from the list?
We only list a number we could confirm on the company's own website. If a company's site did not show a national number on the day we checked, it is not in the table.
