First Car Rental in South Africa

First Car Rental (CMH Car Hire (Pty) Ltd) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Combined Motor Holdings, the JSE-listed vehicle retail group. It is a national brand with a corporate parent rather than a franchise network. It also sells its ex-rental cars through its CarCart pre-owned channel, retiring them at 60 000 to 80 000 km.

In search, First shows up on suburb queries such as Hatfield, Sandton, Centurion, Roodepoort and Nelspruit. Its corporate product, Show&Go, lets account customers skip paperwork and complete a quick checkout. First also offers long-term rentals for 30 days or more, described as cheaper than the daily rate and including maintenance and roadside support.

• Long-term rentals (a 'mini lease') are offered for 30 days or more, described as cheaper than the daily rate and including maintenance and roadside support; published from R231 per day. (firstcarrental.co.za)
• Economy fleet groups are published with example models: Group A mini hatch manual (Suzuki S-Presso 85%, Tata Tiago 14%), Group B economy hatch (Suzuki Swift, Citroen C3, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Suzuki Dzire etc.), Group C compact sedan manual (Suzuki Ciaz, Honda Amaze); fleet also includes executive, passenger van and bakkie categories. (firstcarrental.co.za)
• Show&Go corporate product lets account customers skip paperwork and complete a quick checkout in seconds. (firstcarrental.co.za)
• Ex-rental cars are sold through First's CarCart pre-owned channel, retired at 60 000 to 80 000 km. (firstcarrental.co.za)
• Optional waivers listed: tyre damage R40/day, windscreen R40/day, hail R70/day; child seats R580 each; GPS R150/day. (firstcarrental.co.za)
• Cancellation guide for prepaid bookings: 10% of rental cost at 7+ days out, 25% at 6-4 days, 50% at 3-1 days, 75% on the day; Cape region 13 Dec to 3 Jan is stricter (100%). (firstcarrental.co.za)

Checked on 29 September 2026 against First Car Rental's official website. Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. A rental company will not ask you to pay a deposit into a new bank account by phone or WhatsApp; if anyone does, hang up and call the official number.

Sources: firstcarrental.co.za, firstcarrental.co.za, firstcarrental.co.za.

What First Car Rental's own terms and FAQ pages said on 29 September 2026. Rules differ by vehicle group and branch, so check the terms for your booking.

Countries First Car Rental lists for cross-border travel: Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini (Swaziland), Namibia (firstcarrental.co.za).

First lists desks at 17 airports, including Cape Town International, OR Tambo International, King Shaka International, Lanseria and Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). The full list is in the Airport desks row at the top of this page. It also has suburban branches, including Hatfield, Sandton, Centurion and Roodepoort.

You book a vehicle group, and the branch supplies a car from that group. Group A is a mini hatch, Group B an economy hatch and Group C a compact sedan, with executive, passenger van and bakkie categories above them. Group A and C are listed as manual, so check the transmission for the group you book. Airport rentals carry a 13% airport surcharge on the final invoice.

Confirm the current rand amounts with First before you pay.

The minimum age is 23, with a driver's licence card held for at least 2 years. Under-23s are only authorised on prior-agreed corporate (debtors) accounts, with a licence held for at least 3 years and a per-day Young Driver Fee. First does not publish that fee.

First accepts credit cards only: American Express, Diners, MasterCard and Visa, in the renter's own name. It does not accept debit, virtual or digital cards, so a debit card will not rescue a booking. The same card used online must be shown at the branch.

The deposit has two parts. First charges a R2000 fuel deposit plus the full rental to your card, and separately places an authorisation hold for the Renter's Responsibility, the excess. The unused payment is refunded within 48 hours of return, or 5 working days if tolls apply. Your bank releases the hold in 24 hours to 7 working days.

Cross-border travel is allowed only into Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and Namibia, and only for some vehicle groups. Groups E, Z, G and L may not cross into Botswana or Namibia. You need a letter of authorisation requested at reservation, with about 4 days' notice. The fee is non-refundable: R2200 for Namibia, R2000 for Botswana, R1500 for Lesotho and R1300 for Eswatini. Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia are not permitted, and First's pages disagree on some other barred countries, so ask.

One-way fees run from R400 to R2000 depending on the pick-up and return combination. One-way rentals into Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini or Namibia are not permitted.

Other published amounts: R525 per additional driver, a R130 contract fee and R400 per traffic fine. Tyre damage and windscreen waivers cost R40 a day each, hail costs R70 a day, and a child seat costs R580. On prepaid bookings, cancelling costs 10% of the rental at 7 or more days out, rising to 75% on the day, and the Cape region is stricter from 13 December to 3 January.

First competes with Avis, Europcar and Woodford. Its rules are stricter on two points: a minimum age of 23, and credit cards only. If you are under 23 or hold a debit card, look at other operators first.

If you are landing at an airport and leaving straight away, the desks are comparable. Quote the same dates at three operators before you choose, and check the deposit and cross-border rules as well as the daily rate.