Car hire South Africa airports: cross-border letters and e-tolls

The South Africa airport guide
Picking up and dropping off a hire car

All the major agencies sit together in one hall at every South African airport, which makes comparison easy and the queue long at peak arrival times. Two things specific to South Africa matter more than the rate you book: the cross-border letter, and the e-tolls.

At a glance

Agencies in one hall: All ACSA airports
Cross-border letter: Arrange in advance
Gauteng e-tolls: Billed via the agency

A Johannesburg freeway seen from the air

Picking up and dropping off

Desks are together in the arrivals hall at every ACSA airport. At the larger ones the cars are in a dedicated parkade a short walk or shuttle away; at the smaller ones they are in the car park outside the door.

Returns are the part that goes wrong. The drop-off is signposted from the approach road, but the signs are small and the turn arrives quickly. Look at the return route on a map before you drive back, not while you are driving back with a flight to catch.

The cross-border letter

If you intend to drive into Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho or Mozambique, you need a cross-border letter from the hire company. It must be arranged in advance — it is not something a desk agent produces on the spot — and there is usually a fee.

Without it you will be turned back at the border with a car you cannot take across. This is the single most expensive mistake available to a visitor hiring a car in South Africa.

E-tolls on the Gauteng freeways

The Gauteng freeway network has overhead toll gantries. In a hire car these are billed to the agency, which passes them on to you with an administration fee per charge. There is nothing to do at the roadside; just expect the charge to appear after you return the car.

Gravel roads and the fine print

Several of the places people fly to South Africa for involve gravel: the Kgalagadi from Upington, parts of the Wild Coast from East London, some Karoo routes. Many hire agreements restrict or exclude gravel-road use, and a tyre or windscreen claim on an excluded road is yours.

Read the clause before you book if your route includes any, and consider a vehicle class the agreement actually permits there.

Where a hire car is worth it, and where it is not

The airport you land at largely answers this, because what lies beyond each one is so different.

Cape Town: yes, almost always. The Peninsula, the Winelands and the Garden Route are self-drive destinations, the roads are good, and there is no train to compete with. This is the airport where a car changes the trip.
O. R. Tambo: it depends. Staying and working in Sandton or Pretoria, the Gautrain plus e-hailing often beats a car you pay to park and then drive in unfamiliar traffic. Heading out to the Kruger or the Drakensberg the next morning, take the car.
King Shaka: depends on where you sleep. On the Durban beachfront a car is of limited use. Exploring the north coast, the Midlands or the battlefields, it is essential.
George: yes. The airport exists principally to put people at one end of the Garden Route.
Upington and Kimberley: yes, and plan the fuel. The distances in the Northern Cape are long and the towns are far apart.

Driving in South Africa: the five things to know first

Traffic drives on the left, which catches out visitors from most of Europe and the Americas, particularly at junctions and particularly in the first hour after a long flight.
A four-way stop is a real rule. Where traffic lights are out, every intersection becomes one: first to arrive is first to go. It works, and it only works if you join in.
Robots are traffic lights. Directions given to you will use the word.
Fuel stations are attended. You do not fill your own tank; an attendant does, and a small tip is customary.
Distances are long and the speed limits are not high. Johannesburg to Cape Town is about 1,400 km. The drive is two days, not one, and the domestic flight exists for a reason.

At the desk

The hire desks at all three major airports are in the arrivals area, landside, rather than at an off-site lot reached by shuttle. Collection is quick. What is slow is the paperwork, and three things determine how slow.

A credit card in the driver’s own name for the deposit. A debit card is often refused for the hold even where it is accepted for payment.
Your licence, and a translation or international permit if it is not in English. This is the requirement most often discovered at the counter.
The cross-border letter, arranged in advance, if you intend to drive into Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini or Zimbabwe. It cannot be produced at the border and without it you do not cross.

Take photographs of the car before you leave the bay, including the roof, the wheels and the windscreen, and check what the agreement says about gravel roads and tyre and glass damage — the two exclusions most likely to matter on a South African trip. We publish no rental rates or insurance prices here; they move constantly and a stale figure is worse than none.

Common questions

Do I need a special letter to drive a hire car into Namibia or Botswana?

Yes — a cross-border letter from the hire company, arranged in advance and usually for a fee. Without it you will be turned back at the border.

How do e-tolls work in a hire car?

The gantries bill the hire company, which passes the charge on with an administration fee. Nothing to do at the roadside.

Can I drive a hire car on gravel roads in South Africa?

Often not, or only in certain vehicle classes. Many agreements restrict gravel use and exclude tyre and windscreen damage incurred on it. Check before booking if your route includes any.

Where are the car hire desks?

Together in the arrivals hall at every state-operated airport. At the larger airports the cars themselves are in a nearby parkade.

Checked 1 November 2026. Where a figure moves — a fare, a tariff, an opening hour — we say so rather than publish a number we cannot stand behind today. How we source and check everything on this site.

Which side of the road does South Africa drive on?

The left. Visitors from most of Europe and the Americas find the first hour after a long flight the most demanding part, particularly at junctions and when turning across traffic. If you have just come off an overnight flight, the airport is not the place to discover this.

Do I need an international driving permit for South Africa?

If your licence is in English with a photograph, it is generally accepted. If it is not in English you need an international permit or an official translation, and the rental company will ask for it at the counter rather than overlook it. Arrange it before you travel.

Can I pay the deposit with a debit card?

Often not. Most companies require a credit card in the driver’s own name for the security hold even where a debit card is accepted for the rental itself. Check the specific company’s terms before you land, because it is not a condition that can be negotiated at the desk.

Car hire at South African airports: the two rules that matter