Empire Fleet Solutions

With the 2010 Soccer Finals just three month away, many football supporters from around the globe, especially those from the United Kingdom, have a lot of enquiries regarding the laws in South Africa.  They want to find out what they may or may not do while trying to enjoy the country when their teams are not playing.  One particular question being asked by Britons is whether or not they can drive a rental car in South Africa using their UK driver’s license.

The answer is quite simple.  Yes, Britons can drive a rental car in South Africa using their UK driver’s license.  Any foreign driver’s license may be used in South Africa, for that matter, as long as it is in English.  However, if the original is not in English, a translation must be obtained.  It is better yet to obtain a “green card license” from some South African traffic department.  Britons should note that UK driver’s licenses cannot be replaced if they are lost or stolen in South Africa.  Some foreign driver’s licenses, which may include UK driver’s licenses, may not be covered by South African car insurers.  This is why it is worth obtaining an International Driving Permit (IDP).  If you are involved in a car accident, most South African car insurance companies will insist on seeing one.  An International Driving Permit will thus make your driving experience just so much more enjoyable as you do not have to worry about all the legal stuff.

In order to drive legally in South Africa, you must have your full UK driver’s license.  The minimum age to drive legally in South Africa is 18, which means even if you are 17 with your full UK driver’s license you will not be able to drive in South Africa.  However, to legally drive a rental car in South Africa, that number shoots up to 21.  You will be glad to hear that the modern photo license is also accepted in South Africa.  If you still have the old style paper license though, you will need to have this authenticated by the Consular Section at the British High Commission or by the Consulate General located in Cape Town.  Keep in mind that South Africa is also a left hand drive country like the United Kingdom, so for most people from the UK, it shouldn’t be too hard to get used to finding their way around.

When planning to hire a car in South Africa, it is not enough to just find a car hire company and pay for it.  You need to know about the best car hire deals to subsequently select the best.    In order to get the best car hire deal you have to follow certain steps.  You are sure to get a car hire you will be satisfied with if you follow the steps described below.

• Select three to four car hire companies that best suit your needs and wants.  You have a number of options here, but your best bet are the internet and to some extent a phonebook.  Do not blindly pick the first car hire company you come across; rather look at a number of options.  You will later regret missing out on the best car hire deal just because you got bored in the middle of the research.

• Make contact with the various car hire companies and enquire about their rates, availability, insurance, location, pickup sites, special offers, airline and hotel partnerships, as well as any extra charges.  You should always try and negotiate; you might just get a better car hire deal from the car hire company.

• Decide on a pickup point that will facilitate your car hire experience.  Getting to the pickup point should not be a hassle.  Some car hire companies are even willing to pay for a taxi to pick you up at your home or at the airport and then take you to your desired car hire pickup point.

• Pick a car while keeping all your car hire needs in mind.  Select a car depending on your circumstances, which include the number op people traveling with you and the distance you need to travel.  Factors such as these will determine what type of car you will hire for your trip.

• After picking a car, remember to book it.  Some car hire companies calculate the reservation fee together with the overall rent, while other car hire companies make it out as an extra fee.  Be on the look out for this when hiring a car.            

If you are planning to travel to South Africa, especially during the 2010 Soccer Finals, and you plan to make use of a rental car while you are here, you need to determine where you can get the cheapest rental car.  The best way to determine this is to do some research in advance.  A lot of people do not want to go through the trouble of research and subsequently do business with the first rental car company they come across, no matter what their rental car prices might be.

If you plan to pay for your rental car in South Africa with your credit card, it is a good idea to enquire whether or not your credit card will indeed be accepted by the rental car company.  You should also try and find out how the rental car insurance will work; if auto protection plans for your rental car can indeed be paid with your credit card.  If not, you should put plans in place that can take care of the rental car insurance issue.  Even though your credit card was accepted for rental car insurance in other countries, do not assume that it will automatically be accepted in South Africa.  Do the right thing by checking in advance.

Once you decide on making use of a rental car in South Africa, you will want to do as much research as possible ahead of time.  Go online and scan several rental car companies, and then compare their rates with each other.  You will want to ask about various terms of use, whether or not you will get discount for a rental car over a longer period of time, policy with regards to filling the tank upon return of rental car, costs regarding rental car insurance packages etc.  Make sure you are aware of any limits or special requirements that pertain for travel to South Africa.

Finding a good rental car company, together with adequate rental car insurance is of the utmost importance when planning your next trip to South Africa.  Ensure that you are clear on all of the details in advance, so that you understand everything you need to about rental cars.  This way, all planning concerning rental car and rental car insurance will be done in advance, and you will not risk making any hasty bad decisions at the rental car counter.

The question regarding whose insurance is responsible if you are involved in an accident with your rental car is quite straightforward.  It all really depends on who is responsible for the cause of the accident.  However, certain technicalities do play a role.

Find below the different scenarios which determine whose insurance company is responsible if you are in an accident with your rental car:

• If the other vehicle caused the accident, it is subsequently the at-fault insurance company’s responsibility to pay for damages to your rental car.  They will need to pay you either the fair market value of your damaged car, or pay for the complete repairs of your rental car, depending on the damages.  However, due to the fact that they do not yet have their client’s version of the accident, they may refuse payment for a while.  This in effect means that your insurance company will have to pay for the repair of your damages (if you have such an option) and then claim the costs from the at-fault insurance company as soon as they take full responsibility.

• If the other vehicle caused the accident but its driver has no insurance, your insurance company is subsequently responsible to pay for your damaged rental car.  There is no sense in threatening the other driver with legal action if he does not even have the money to repair his own car, let alone your rental car.

When the accident happens to be your fault, your insurance company will have to pay for all damages incurred during the accident.  This includes paying out the fair market value of the other party’s damaged car as well as paying for complete repairs to the other party’s car.  However, it sometimes happen that your insurance will not pay out immediately, which means that the other party’s insurance will claim the repair costs against your insurance company when they admit guilt.  However, your rental car will be repaired immediately.

Getting a rental car from an insurance company when involved in a car accident is one of the more difficult issues one has to deal with.  While waiting for your car to be repaired, you still have to go to work and drop the kids off at school.  Getting a rental car is especially important if you only have the one car in your family.  Ensure that the rental car provided is comparable to your damaged vehicle. 

There are three basic ways which you can follow to get a rental car after your motor accident:

• Insurance Company Takes Immediate Responsibility

The at-fault driver’s insurance company agrees to immediately accept liability for the car accident.  In this case, the insurance company will pay for your rental car until they pay you the fair market value of your damaged car or pay for the complete repairs of your car.  

• You Have Your Own Rental Coverage Insurance

It could happen that the at-fault insurance company makes no decision regarding your car.  This is usually the result when they cannot obtain their client’s version of the accident.  In this case, you should enquire whether or not you have car coverage through your own insurance company.  If you do, they will pay for your rental car while issues surrounding your damaged car are being handled.  In turn, your insurance company will fight the at-fault driver’s insurance company to get compensated for the money they paid for your rental car once the responsibility for the car accident issue has been resolved. 

• Insurance Company Makes No Decision

An extremely problematic issue facing you when seeking a rental car is if the at-fault insurance company either denies responsibility or withholds their decision during the time period you need a rental car.  The at-fault insurance company is responsible for paying for your rental car during which time you are in need of a car.  If they either later agree they are responsible or are found to be responsible, then they are obligated to pay you for the money you spend on a rental car.

There are generally two possible ways under which you may be covered by car hire insurance.  The first is from auto insurance agents in your local area which sell auto insurance, but which can also be used as car hire insurance.  The second car hire insurance option is through the credit card that you have used for the car hire.  It is a good idea to find out more about these two possibilities if you are looking to obtain car hire insurance.

If you already have auto insurance on your own vehicle which you took out from your local auto insurance agent, chances are good that this auto insurance policy extends to serve as car hire insurance as well.  Generally, if you are traveling in another part of the country, your auto insurance policy will serve as car hire insurance once you hired a car at your destination.  However, you should note that any gap in your auto insurance coverage will also apply to your car hire insurance.  For example, if you do not have comprehensive coverage for your own vehicle, then your hired vehicle will also not have comprehensive car hire insurance. 

Some credit card companies also offer car hire insurance packages for vehicles hired using their credit cards.  Car hire insurance offered by credit card companies may vary from one company to the next. Due to credit card companies revising car hire insurance policies so often, you should make sure that you are aware of the most current car hire insurance policies when hiring a car.  You should also enquire whether the car hire insurance only cover physical damage to the hired vehicle, or if it extends to include theft, personal injury, liability, etc. as well.  Car hire insurance offered through your credit card company should be considered as supplemental car hire insurance, and not primary car hire insurance. 

Ultimately, if you do some research ahead of time, you will know exactly what car hire insurance coverage is provided by your own auto insurance policy, as well as by your credit card company.  This way you will know what, if any, additional car hire insurance you may need.

The issue surrounding whether or not one should get car hire insurance is being raised more and more.  However, it does have a clear and simple answer, which is yes; you do in fact need car hire insurance.  Anyone who owns a car is aware of the risk that is not having insurance; the same risk applies to not having car hire insurance.  Car accidents take place each and every day, especially during extreme weather conditions such as snow, heavy rain, fog, and frost.  There is also the risk of potentially being the victim of theft, burglary, or vandalism.  The risk that comes with driving a hired car is the same as driving your own car; it might even be bigger, seeing as you do not know the ins and outs of the hired car so well.  That is why having some car hire insurance is so vital.  When hiring a car, the last thing you want to deal with is having it damaged or even stolen.  Taking out some form of car hire insurance is a necessity, no matter where you hire a car. 

By taking out car hire insurance, you are basically protecting yourself from financial liability.  This means in essence that you do not have to pay for thousands of rand worth of damage.  For example, if the hired car is stolen while in your possession and the car hire insurance covers this, you are safe from any potential legal action.

Some people are of the opinion that car hire insurance is too expensive, whether you only hire for a day or over a longer period of time.  While this might be a valid argument when it comes to certain car hire insurance companies, it most certainly is not the case with the majority.  Most car hire insurance companies are quite reasonable with their car hire insurance packages.  Besides, would you not rather pay a bit extra for good car hire insurance than end up having to pay ten times more when legal costs are involved if your hired car is indeed stolen or damaged heavily?

Certain car hire companies even specialize in car hire insurance.  When you need to hire a car next time, it is good idea to try and come into contact with such a car hire insurance company, seeing as they might offer you amazing deals on any type of car hire insurance for various lengths of time.