Rent A Cheapie car hire in Cape Town

Rentacheapie Car Hire (Pty) Ltd is a privately owned Cape Town business. Its fleet is described as over 300 vehicles in the categories Small, Medium, Larger Utility, Sports Utility and People Transporters. The site says it buys new cars every season, and it lists cars such as the Toyota Urban Cruiser and Corolla Quest as well as the VW Chico Golf, Hyundai i10 and VW Polo Vivo. Its deposit schedule includes the Landcruiser Prado and Toyota Fortuner, and it has Hilux and Landcruiser ranges too.

Rentals run from 3 days up to 3 years, with tiered daily rates. For longer terms, its sister company Rentadeal offers long-term rent-to-own, with an option to buy after 48 months and a service plan, 24/7 roadside assistance and a tracker. Read the Rentadeal contract on its own terms before you sign.

• Airport transfer from Cape Town International costs R250 per trip; the office is about 15 km and 15 minutes from the airport. (rentacheapie.co.za)
• Published September 2026 rates (checked 29 Sep 2026): VW Chico Golf from R179/day, VW Polo Vivo from R249/day, Toyota Urban Cruiser from R309/day, Toyota Corolla Quest automatic from R319/day. (rentacheapie.co.za)
• Fleet is described as over 300-350 vehicles, with a new-car purchase each season; categories are Small, Medium, Larger Utility, Sports Utility and People Transporters, and the deposit list includes Landcruiser Prado and Fortuner. (rentacheapie.co.za)
• Long-term rent-to-own (option to buy after 48 months) is offered through sister company Rentadeal, including service plan, 24/7 roadside assistance and tracker. (rentacheapie.co.za)
• Office hours Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00, Saturday 09:00-15:00, Sunday closed, public holidays 09:00-15:00. (rentacheapie.co.za)

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Rent A Cheapie'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: rentacheapie.co.za, cdn.sanity.io.

What Rent A Cheapie'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.

There is no in-terminal desk. Cars are collected and returned only at 30 Marine Drive, Paarden Eiland, Cape Town. The site offers an airport transfer from Cape Town International at R250 per trip, and the office is about 15 km and 15 minutes from the airport. So the flow is land, wait for a transfer, collect at the base, and reverse it on the way out.

Check the office hours as well. They are Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00, Saturday 09:00 to 15:00, Sunday closed and public holidays 09:00 to 15:00. A late-evening arrival or a Sunday return is a problem to sort out before you book.

Build that into your plan. It costs you time on both ends and a transfer fee, which eats into the saving on a short rental. On a two-week or two-month hire it barely registers. On a 3-day hire it can take a real bite out of the price advantage.

Rent A Cheapie publishes its deposits by vehicle, which is unusual and useful. The refundable deposit runs from R4000 for the Chico Golf range up to R6000 for the Urban Cruiser and the Corolla, and R9000 for the Landcruiser Prado and Fortuner. Smaller hatchbacks and mid-range cars fall between those figures, so ask for the amount for your exact car.

A credit card is preferred for the deposit. If you pay by debit card, EFT or cash deposit into its bank account, a once-off R300 fee applies for banking charges and refund administration, and the deposit for non-credit-card rentals can be higher. The refund is processed within 2 business days of return, though banks can take 3 to 14 business days to show it.

Excess is separate from the deposit. Standard Cover excess runs from R18 000 to R30 000, Damage Waiver from R9 000 to R15 000 and Super Damage Waiver Plus from R2 500 to R5 000. Ask which cover the quote includes and what your excess would be.

Watch the smaller fees. Drivers aged 23 or younger, or with a licence under two years old, pay a once-off R350 fee, and Rent A Cheapie states no minimum age. Approved additional drivers cost R350 each, and failing to disclose an additional driver carries a R1,500 penalty. Cars are given full and must come back full, or you pay a R60 admin fee on top of the fuel.

Kilometres are unlimited only within a 200 km radius of the Paarden Eiland base. Beyond that, the distance must be in your agreement, with once-off travel fees of R499 for 200 to 400 km, R999 for 400 to 750 km and R1499 beyond 750 km, valid for 30 days. The Chico Golf and Hyundai i10 ranges are capped at 750 km from the base. Cape Town to Hermanus is inside the radius, while a Garden Route trip is well outside it.

Untarred roads are allowed only for the Landcruiser and Hilux ranges, plus driveways up to 1 km, and the damage waivers are void on untarred roads. Cross-border travel is not permitted, including Eswatini and Lesotho. One-way rentals are not possible, because cars can only be collected and returned at the base.

If you return early, there is no refund on rentals of 7 days or less. On rentals of 8 days or more returned 4 or more days early, 70% of the remaining days are refunded.

It suits people staying in or around Cape Town for a while, on a budget, who need reliable transport. It suits long-stay visitors, contractors and students, and anyone whose alternative is not renting at all.

It does not suit a 3-day business trip where your time is worth more than the saving, a one-way road trip ending in another province, a cross-border itinerary, or a Garden Route drive with no plan for the travel fees. It also does not suit a late Sunday arrival. For those, pay for a national operator.

Whatever you choose, do the condition report properly at collection. Photograph every panel, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior, with the date visible, and make sure existing damage is written onto the form before you drive off. Also ask what happens if the car breaks down outside Cape Town and how a replacement reaches you. The rental agreement lists 24/7 roadside assistance.