Car hire in Pretoria

Two sensible options. The first is to collect at OR Tambo, where every major brand has a counter and the choice of vehicle is widest, then drive up the R21. The second is to take the Gautrain from the airport to Hatfield or Centurion and collect from a branch there, which suits travellers who do not want to drive a Johannesburg freeway straight off a long flight.

Pretoria branch clusters sit in Hatfield near the Gautrain station and the university, around Menlyn in the east, in Centurion to the south, and in the older city centre. Suburban branches keep shorter hours than the airport, and many close early on Saturday and all day Sunday, so check the collection time on your booking against the branch hours.

If you are flying out of OR Tambo and returning the car there, budget at least an hour for the R21 run in the afternoon peak.

Other brands on this site are strongest at OR Tambo rather than in Pretoria itself. If your preferred brand is not listed here, coverage varies and you should check availability for your dates instead of assuming there is a branch nearby.

Pretoria rates track the national picture closely, because the same fleets serve Gauteng as a single market.

These figures come from Discover Cars and Cheapflights. Most are national, not Pretoria quotes. A "from" price is the cheapest car found on the day; an average includes bigger cars and longer rentals, which is why the two sites differ so much. Discover Cars puts December at about R474 a day against about R387 in September, so holiday dates cost more.

Long hires are worth asking about here. Pretoria has a steady stream of contract and relocation renters, and monthly rates are usually quoted separately from the daily rate rather than being a simple multiple of it.

Pretoria driving is straightforward outside peak hours. The N1 Ben Schoeman between Pretoria and Midrand is the pinch point, and it is slow southbound in the morning and northbound in the afternoon. The N4, R21 and R80 (the Mabopane Highway) carry most of the other traffic.

Gauteng's urban e-toll gantries stopped billing in 2024, so the freeway network around Pretoria and Johannesburg is no longer tolled. Conventional toll plazas still apply once you leave the province, notably on the N1 north towards Polokwane and the N4 east towards Mbombela, so keep a card or cash in the car.

Parking is easy by big city standards. Menlyn Park, Brooklyn Mall and Loftus have large paid parkades, Hatfield has metered street parking and marshals near the university, and most restaurants and guest houses have secure off street parking. Load shedding still knocks out traffic lights from time to time, and when that happens the intersection legally becomes a four way stop, which many drivers ignore. Approach dark intersections slowly.

Approximate one way driving times in normal traffic:

For a Kruger trip, most Pretoria renters drive the N4 east and enter through Malelane or Numbi, which is a comfortable day's drive with a stop in Middelburg or eMalahleni.

A hatchback or small sedan covers Pretoria and every day trip on this page. The roads to Hartbeespoort, Sun City, the Magaliesberg and Kruger's southern gates are all tarred.

A bakkie earns its keep in two situations. The first is if you are heading to bushveld lodges or farms in Limpopo or the North West where the final stretch is gravel, since the extra clearance and tougher tyres genuinely help. The second is if you are moving furniture or equipment, which is a common reason locals hire in this city.

If you are going into Kruger itself, note that a normal sedan copes fine with the tarred main roads and the graded gravel loops. The real argument for something higher is the seating position for game viewing, not the road surface. Towing a trailer with a hire vehicle usually needs prior arrangement and is not permitted by default.

Expect the same rules as everywhere else in the country: a licence held for a year or more, an international driving permit if your licence is not in English, a credit card in the driver's name for the deposit, a minimum age of 21 to 23, and a young driver surcharge under 25.

Two extras are worth thinking about in Gauteng specifically. An additional driver is often the cheapest way to keep everyone fresh on a long N1 or N4 run. And if you are staying in a guest house with limited secure parking, ask whether the rental includes a tracking unit, since some brands price theft cover differently by area.