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.

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.