Tempest Car Hire at Johannesburg Airport offers car rental through Holiday Autos which is where I booked my car for my road trip around South Africa.
The car cost just under £200 for nine days, picking up and dropping off at the same location. In this Tempest car hire review you will learn how to rent a car in South Africa and what are the things to look out for.
The primary purpose of my trip was to visit the Garden Route and drive to Cape Town from Johannesburg. I drove a total of nearly 4,000 kilometers during the nine days of hire, visiting many national parks and cities along the way.
Related: Read My Full, One Week South African Road Trip Itinerary Here
The car itself was clean inside and outside, although I did notice some smudge marks in the textile on the back seat. I assume these were children dropping food while on holiday but it did not affect me at all.
Here I needed a credit card with a deposit of £500 and I also had to print the rental documents from Holiday Autos. As usual, I handed over my drivers license and passport before we proceeded to anything else.
The car came with unlimited mileage and a “full-to-full” fuel policy, which is great if you want peace of mind. I had already purchased a third party car hire excess insurance and I am quite familiar with the upsell tactics at the pick up desk so I did not upgrade or buy anything else.
It might sound basic, but you will have to have insurance that covers the windscreen, tyres and underside of the car as these can be damaged easily and cost a huge amount to money! So before you drive off take not of every scratch on the pick up document as this is your only chance to avoid any disputes!
Tempest Car Hire Review
The Tempest Car Hire rental desk is within Johannesburg Airport, a five minute walk from the arrival gate, following the signs to Car Rentals/Bus Terminal.
Once you are at the top of the escalators, Tempest Car Hire will be at the end of the hallway in front of the lifts.
The pick-up desk was clean and everything was tidy. I did not have to queue at all when I arrived and Anacher, the receptionist was very helpful as she explained everything clearly during the pick-up process.
Credit Card Pre-Authorisation
Anacher took my credit card, drivers license and passport. She then pre-authorised my card for a deposit of £500 to cover the excess for any damages to the car.
I had insurance with a third party insurance firm, so I could claim this back in case of an accident. If nothing is wrong with the car at drop off, they release the money within a week.
Check My Instagram For More Photos: @solaris_traveller
Once I got the keys I took the lift to the pick-up level and I checked the car for any scratches. I rented an automatic which I think is easier to drive, especially when it is an unfamiliar car.
Added Extras In The Car
I really enjoyed driving this car although I thought it could have been a bit more powerful when driving uphill or when I had to overtake trucks. I went to South Africa with a friend and it was big enough for the two of us. It had air-conditioning, electric windows and a radio as well as a USB plug.
The Downsides
It took me ages to figure out how to open all the doors at once with the central locking and the alarm was a bit temperamental and it had gone off a couple of times.
Returning To Johannesburg Airport
The drop off process was very smooth – I drove back to the same car park where I picked the car up. The clerk came up to check the car, we cleaned out the trash and packed up our stuff then the clerk told us everything was fine so we headed up to the airport desks to check in.
I would say the service was excellent, although I am still waiting for the deposit to be released a week after I dropped the car off. I might need to phone them to find out what happened and why it is taking so long. They took the deposit on the 17 February and now it is the 4 March and it still hasn’t been released.