Green Motion car rental in South Africa

Green Motion is a UK-based franchise brand. Each country runs under its own franchise agreement. South Africa was taken over in 2020 by local entrepreneurs Mark and Brian Hartmann, who already ran an independent South African rental brand.

Green Motion trades here through the global greenmotion.com site. It lists locations in Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Johannesburg, Lanseria, Mthatha, Gqeberha, Pretoria, Sandton, Umhlanga and Rhodesfield. The phone number in the site footer is the UK head office, not a South African line, so use the South African number on the location or contact page.

If you book through a third-party travel site, that site's terms apply to the booking. Check them against the South African terms on the Green Motion site.

• Green Motion South Africa trades today under the global greenmotion.com site with SA locations for Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Johannesburg, Lanseria, Mthatha, Gqeberha, Pretoria, Sandton, Umhlanga and Rhodesfield. (greenmotion.com)
• Most airport pick-ups are meet-and-greet, not a counter: at Cape Town a branded shuttle from Parkade 2 takes you to a depot six minutes away (on demand 05:00-07:00, every 20 minutes 07:00-19:00, on demand after); at OR Tambo and King Shaka an agent waits at arrivals with a name board. Lanseria has a desk in the car rental terminal. (api.greenmotion.com)
• Four packages: Basic (highest excess), Plus, Premium and Premium Plus (zero excess, R4,000 deposit, glass and tyres covered, free cancellation to 48 hours before, up to 2 optional extras). (greenmotion.com)
• Economy cars from about R241 (EUR 10.95) a day at Cape Town, stated by Green Motion on its Cape Town airport page (undated, varies by season). (greenmotion.com)
• Fleet spans Polo Vivo economy cars, family cars, 7-seaters, SUVs/4x4s, minivans, bakkies and some electric or hybrid options. (greenmotion.com)

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Green Motion South Africa'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: greenmotion.com, api.greenmotion.com.

What Green Motion South Africa'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.

Green Motion describes most airport pick-ups as meet-and-greet, not a counter. It depends on the airport:

The Cape Town shuttle runs on demand from 05:00 to 07:00, every 20 minutes from 07:00 to 19:00, and on demand after that. Green Motion's Cape Town location page describes an agent meeting you outside arrivals, so read your confirmation email to see which one applies to your booking.

Airport reservations are held for 4 hours within office hours, after which they count as a no-show. Out-of-hours collection or return is on request by email and is not guaranteed. If your flight is delayed, email ahead.

Delivery and collection are free at the Cape Town, OR Tambo, Lanseria, King Shaka, Mthatha, East London and Gqeberha airports. Other locations get free delivery within 30 km of the office.

The age range is 21 to 80. Drivers aged 21 to 23 pay a young driver surcharge of R200 a day and face vehicle-size restrictions. There is no senior surcharge. The booking box may default to an age band of 30 to 65, but that is only a selector, not a rule.

Your licence must be a physical original with a photo, held for at least 2 years. Digital licences are refused. It must be in English or the Latin alphabet, otherwise you need an International Driving Permit. Foreign renters show a passport with a South African entry stamp. South Africans show their licence and national ID.

On cards:

• The security deposit needs a physical Visa or Mastercard credit card in the main driver's name.
• It needs enough available credit to cover the excess and must not expire within two months of the return date.
• Debit and pre-paid Visa or Mastercard cards are accepted for the rental charge, but not for the security deposit.
• Virtual cards are refused for both.
• Local hirers face an ID and credit score check before the car is released.

So a renter with only a debit card cannot complete a booking here. See Rent-a-Cheapie and our budget guide for other routes.

Green Motion sells four packages: Basic, Plus, Premium and Premium Plus. Basic has the highest excess. Premium Plus has zero excess, a R4,000 deposit, glass and tyres covered, free cancellation up to 48 hours before hire and up to 2 optional extras.

Green Motion publishes the deposit by package and vehicle group. Only the Premium Plus figure is confirmed here, so check the figure for your car on the South African terms page before you book.

Other terms worth knowing:

• Kilometres are unlimited on all four packages, subject to a Fair Usage Policy. A per-mile fee applies if you exceed the allowance.
• Bring the car back with the same fuel level you received. Missing fuel is charged per litre plus a 10% refuelling fee.
• An additional driver costs R500 per driver per rental.
• Child, booster and baby seats cost R550 per rental and GPS costs R200 a day. Fitting the seat is your job.
• Cancellations must be in writing or through your online account. Telephone cancellations are not accepted. The Basic package is non-refundable.

Green Motion states that economy cars at Cape Town typically start from around R241 a day. The figure is undated and varies by season, so treat it as a pointer, not a quote.

Green Motion treats cross-border travel as a request, not a right. Do not assume you can cross a border. Ask when you book, get approval in writing, and confirm which countries are allowed and what the fee is, because the South African terms set both. Ask too what insurance cover applies once you leave the country.

Green Motion's page does not publish a one-way drop-off fee table. If you want to collect in one city and drop in another, ask for a written quote first. Free delivery and collection at the airports listed above can help you avoid a branch trip, but they are not the same as a one-way rental.

Green Motion suits arriving air travellers who want a hand-over at arrivals and the choice of a zero-excess package, and younger drivers from 21 who are turned away elsewhere. It works well if you have a credit card and do not plan to cross a border.

It suits renters without a credit card poorly, because a debit card cannot cover the security deposit. Be careful with Cape Town too: a shuttle to a depot takes longer than walking to a desk, so allow time on a tight connection.

The brand also has a loyalty scheme called Drive Green Rewards, with three tiers, but we could not confirm its benefits, so ask before you plan around it. Compare quotes with Avis, Hertz and First Car Rental using our comparison guide.