Car Rental for Under 19, 20 and 21

Young people love South Africa! Students, interns and tourists visit this beautiful land each year. Many require independent transport, but find it tough to hire cars due to their age. Drive Africa caters for all the car rental needs of under-21s (yes that includes individuals under-20 and under-19) visiting South Africa as bonfide International Travelers.

You have read and heard that drivers 18 years old or under 21 have difficulties with the insurance for rental cars, our rental package includes a full comprehensive insurance which covers the entire insurance and there is no excess to be paid. The only restrictions in place for young drivers (all drivers in fact) is that they refrain from drinking alcohol whilst using the car and that they drive carefully and when planning a trip to neighbouring countries that they leave enough time to get to their planned destination and back.

This means if you are a foreigner and have turned 18 and you have a valid driver's license, Drive Africa can supply you with a suitable car! Therefore, there is no need to stress anymore! Even though you're 18, 19 or 20 we believe in your driving ability and will fulfil all your car hire needs.

* See our current Under-19, 20 and 21 Special Deals!

Your main requirements are affordability, reliability and a car that is economical to run. Drive Africa is committed to meeting these requirements and providing you with great service.

The minimum age for car rental in South Africa, however, is 21 with most car rental and car hire agencies. Here at Drive Africa we believe in our younger drivers. If you are under-21, under-20 or even under-19, but at least 18 years of age with a clean, valid unendorsed driver's license for at least 1 full year you can hire a car from Drive Africa. Other rental companies need you to have your licence for 2 years. If you wish to do so for an extended period of time you need or for a full Gap Year, the Drive Africa Rental Purchase / Buyback option is ideal for students. The car buyback option is also ideal, if you have had your driver's licence for under 1 year, as you can still buy a car and we can insure it for you. Slightly icreased excess amounts do apply for under 22, 23, 24, 25 year olds buying a car in South Africa.

Drive Africa student cars are supplied by one of the biggest car rental networks in South Africa. We are brokers for several renowned local rental companies including Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, First and Thrifty. Through the relationships we have established with these companies we are able to offer a wide choice of modern rental cars for age 18 car hire students throughout South Africa, at rates that are realistic and affordable.

Other conditions of service are also favourable. You are able to collect and drop off vehicles at most cities with airports around the country. Unlimited kilometers, insurance (fully comprehensive cover) and border crossing to neighbouring countries are also included.

Our special ‘under-21’, ‘under-20’ and ‘under-19’ student package is available in South Africa and also to travel the following countries: Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.

For longer stays in Cape Town or elsewhere in South Afroca, the rental purchase option is well worth considering. From a period of 3 months on, rental purchase (buying a car) makes far more financial sense than standard car rental. Long-term rental for students or interns and the rental purchase option make stress-free transport and travelling in South Africa possible.

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Simply select the organisation of your choice, and once you have signed up and found out the location of the project, your dates and times of arrival and departure- let us know your transport requirements. We will work out the most suitable student car rental offer and email you a quote.

Quick, uncomplicated and free of charge. Compare the quotations and rent your desired car. The following question often pops up.

Why do car renters under 25 or under 23 have to pay more with rental companies?

Why do car rental companies charge an extra fee (underage surcharge) for renting to a driver under 25 years or under 23 years for that matter? Some car hiring companies even decline renting to under age renters or have an inflated extra charge per day for the under 24 years 23, 22, 21 or 20 year old. Is this not age discrimination when an "underage" driver has a surcharge on top of his normal daily car rental costs?

The answer is purely the risk to the rental companies. The reason is that young drivers are more susceptible to damage and accidents - it is the same reason why young people pay higher car insurance rates, the world over. To state it bluntly the Rental car agencies incur more risk with young drivers. They would charge the renter the underage charge even if he wants to take the car on his own insurance.

At Drive Africa we have developed a package together with the major car rental companies that offer car hire exclusively to foreign underage drivers right down to 18 or 19 years old. The reason being that our foreign travellers have far more stringent laws for their driving licence in their respective countries and do far more practical driving hours at night, during the day on highways and secondary roads and actually clock up a number of required hours of driving before they are allowed to take up a driving licence.

So with our rental package the insurance for the student car rental in Cape Town, South Africa is already included and even drivers looking for 18 year old car hire or under age of 22, 23 or 24 are able to drive a rental car with fully comprehensive insurance cover.

In conclusion, if you hold a foreign passport and are under 21 and have held a clean, valid unendorsed driver’s license for at least 1 year, plus have an adventurous spirit, this package is ideal for you! You won’t have to pay any underage surcharge as required by many other companies and your overall costs will be much lower.
Enjoy a trouble free time in South Africa with a car supplied through Drive Africa.

Another "magic with cars" product brought to you exclusively by Drive Africa