First Car Rental Reviews 

Here’s a version that reflects the context of your accident while keeping the focus on Eugene’s outstanding service:

After being involved in an accident, receiving a rental car could easily have been just another step in an already overwhelming situation. Instead, Eugene turned the experience into one that was reassuring, seamless, and genuinely uplifting.

From the moment he arrived to deliver my rental vehicle, he went above and beyond to make the entire process as smooth and stress-free as possible. He was kind, approachable, professional, and incredibly compassionate. Rather than treating it as a routine delivery, he took the time to understand my situation and made me feel supported during a very difficult time.

Exceptional customer service is rare, but Eugene embodies exactly what it should be. His warmth, empathy, and professionalism left a lasting impression on me. He is, without question, one of the most remarkable people I have ever encountered in a customer-facing role.

If I were building my own business, I would hire Eugene without hesitation. He is an incredible asset to his company, and I sincerely hope he receives the recognition he so thoroughly deserves. Thank you, Eugene, for turning a difficult day into one filled with kindness, reassurance, and genuine care. You made a far greater difference than you probably realize.

I think the final sentence is especially meaningful because it acknowledges that, although delivering a rental car may seem like a small part of his job, his kindness likely had a much bigger impact on you during one of the hardest moments you’ve experienced.

We rent a car through the Cape Town Old Marine drive branch and we were pleasantly surprised with the friendly and helpfull service received by Dominika , the branch manager and her staff.Thank you so much for all your arrangements and efforts to accommodate our travel arrangements.You will definitely be our first choice for car rental in future.Hendrik Bronkhorst.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Noma, Manager at First Car Hire, Dawid Stuurman Airport, for her outstanding customer service and leadership.

I arrived in Port Elizabeth on Thursday 4 May 2026, with a Group B rental vehicle. Due to extremely heavy rain and challenging driving conditions, I needed to upgrade to a 4x4 vehicle. Unfortunately, I was passed from pillar to post by TWF while trying to arrange the change, and it seemed that the necessary process was unclear.
Noma was a breath of fresh air. She immediately took ownership of the situation, demonstrated excellent knowledge and professionalism, and efficiently assisted me in upgrading my vehicle. Thanks to her efforts, I was able to exchange my vehicle for an excellent 4x4 that perfectly suited the conditions.
Noma's commitment to customer service, problem-solving skills, and positive attitude are a credit to both her team and the company. She truly exemplifies what great leadership and customer care should look like.
Thank you, Noma, for your exceptional service. You turned a frustrating experience into a positive one, and your assistance was greatly appreciated.
Hats off to you and your team!

I got the best service from queen the customer service wow I was very excited I'd come there everyday please

First Car Rentals try to find any opportunity to charge you for something. I gave them a full tank of fuel, proof of me filling up and they still charged me for fuel. According to them the fuel gauge showing the car is full is not enough. The car provides a range of a full tank but still that is not enough evidence. Rather use other rental companies. Don't use this one, they are thieves. I've used Avis and Europcar and never had an issue like this!

The vehicle's drivetrain and suspension had serious damage. In addition, they are trying to short pay the refund of the deposit for no given reason. This is unacceptable and makes the rental company look like scammers.

We rented a car in Cape Town and refueled it at the BP Filling station next to the airport. Have never experienced this before. First Car took it in (Presumably using the fuel that I added) and poured another 5.8 liter and added a refuel charge ... Impossible to verify whether it was the case or if it was even poured into the same vehicle. Anyways, will never make use of this company again and hope everyone else sees this review and are aware of their underhanded tactics.

Filled up the car at or tambo before returning it.

Invoice came back stating that 9 liters had to be refilled. Which is impossible unless someone drained the tank.

The stated that the additional fuel cost R270, including admin fee and OTHER ADDITONAL HIDDEN COSTS it resulted in R1280 billed to my credit card.

Watch out for this company they are thieves.

The worse company I came across when it comes to car rental my experience at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth branch was terrible.

When I collected my vehicle in Cape Town, I was initially given a car in very poor condition. When I requested a replacement, I was told no other vehicles were available. Only after insisting that I would not accept the car was I given an alternative—however, it was not in the category I had originally paid for.

During my journey, the replacement vehicle developed mechanical issues. I contacted roadside assistance and was instructed to drive the car back, despite already being over two hours into my trip. This was both unreasonable and unsafe, especially as I was travelling alone at night. I had no choice but to return, and fortunately a family member followed me to ensure my safety.

Upon arrival at the Port Elizabeth branch, I was again told there were no vehicles available in my booked category. I was left with no option but to accept a significantly larger vehicle (a bakkie), as I had a flight to catch. This resulted in excessive fuel costs, which I had not budgeted for.

To make matters worse:

* I incurred additional fuel expenses for both the faulty vehicle and the replacement vehicle.
* I have since received an invoice charging me over R500 for fuel, despite returning the vehicle with a full tank.
* It has now been three weeks, and I am still waiting for my deposit to be refunded.
* I have made multiple calls and sent emails, but have received no response.

This entire experience has been extremely disappointing and stressful. In contrast, I last rented from Avis and received efficient service and a prompt refund, which highlights the lack of service I experienced with your company.Do better!!!!

If you want to save money after your rental period, don’t rent a car here. We returned the car with a full tank, yet we still received a charge of 150 rand for not refueling. See the attached photo. This is outright outrageous. Never again!

Two parties in the queue but it took almost an hour to get the car. The staff were totally disengaged, slow … no apologies…. Even went out to get food. Where is the training????

I had a flat tire in Lesotho and because it was Saturday they did not want to help me. Even if i was only 20 km from the border and i could drive to South Africa. I could call back on Monday, or use the spare wheel and help myself was the advice. I had bought extra coverage for Lesotho but to no avail. After returning the car, i also had to pay 230 euros for replacing the spare wheel. luckily i was well insured.

I booked a car on Friday. The payment went off immidiately but on the system side it gave an error. I phoned them and the person said they would phone back ayer investigating. They never phone back. On Monday I phoned again. The person told me I had not paid for the booking yet and by the end of Monday the booking would be automatically cancelled. On Tuesday I got an email from them confirming the booking. I phoned them and explained the situation and wanted to cancel my booking as I already booked another car. They again told me that I had not paid for the booking, even though I had a confirmation email. I had to speak to 2 people and had to be put on hold for quite a while while they"investigated". They eventually informed me the booking was cancelled and my money would be reimbursed. Let's wait and see how long that takes....

George Airport branch - Excellent, friendly and fast service received today

Poor Service Alert – First Car Rental 🚨
As of today, 27 February 2026, my issue with First Car Rental regarding the R3,500 hold on my account remains unresolved. Despite repeated communication, the case has been reopened yet again, with promises of feedback “within 2 business days.”
Here’s the timeline of events:
. Rnt car on 11/2/2026.
• 25 Feb 2026, 16:11 – I was told the matter was “resolved” and given an authorisation letter to submit to Capitec myself.
• 25 Feb 2026, 16:33 – I provided feedback, pointing out that this was the same story repeated over and over, and that hiding behind an automated system is unacceptable.
• 27 Feb 2026, 09:02 – The case was reopened by their customer service team.
First Car Rental claims they cannot clear the hold directly with the bank, yet other rental companies (such as Blu Car Hire in Mossel Bay) have managed to do so within two days. This proves it is possible.
From the start, my experience with them has been disappointing: dirty, scratched vehicles, poor service, and now weeks of frustration over a simple card hold.
I urge First Car Rental to take responsibility and release the funds immediately. Customers deserve better than endless delays and excuses.

The rental went perfectly until after we returned the car, which we did with a full tank. I then received an invoice for about £7 for fuel and top up charge.
I then tried to submit a complaint via their web site, seeking to get the charge reversed but found that, while I was immediately offered the option to "Pay us a compliment", the only means I could find of actually complaining offered only phone numbers (no email), which would likely have cost me more in call charges.
A quick Google search show that others have had similar experiences and some worse (eg. scratch charges) with First South Africa,

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE, DO NOT TRUST FIRST COMPANY.
We rented a “compact” car such as a VW Golf, Mazda 3, etc. for 10 days, and they gave us a 2011 Opel Meriva instead. The car is almost 15 years old and has 140,000 km, with all the issues that come with that. It is surreal to pay for a 10-day car rental and be given such an old vehicle. Their excuse was that they had no other cars available.

They do not have an office. A man personally brings the car and makes you sign the contract directly next to the car.

There is no Bluetooth, so we had to buy speakers just to play our music. Of course, it also does not have GPS, so we had to buy a phone holder as well.

Three lights are not working, and they do not care. The car display shows multiple error codes related to lighting failures.

The steering wheel shakes above 100 km/h, and the alignment is off. When driving straight, the steering wheel is turned.

We requested the car with a full tank, and they delivered it almost on reserve.

The windshield wipers are in poor condition and leave the windshield dirty directly in front of the driver, seriously affecting visibility while driving.

The front passenger air vent is broken, and the heating cannot be directed toward the passenger. It remains pointed at the window.

Cape Town branch: I will endeavour to ensure that no one connected to me will ever use this company again.

The service I need to is to arrive , pay and get in my car. I am not bothered by a smile or by anything else. I my needs are very simple and could not be met.

The lady said I had never used them again which was incorrect and extended the entire process. Then I wasn’t allowed to pay using my company car which again I had done two months prior. So eventually I decided to walk to Europe car and their service was SO MUCH better.

Paid booking ignored: 08:30 collection, still no car at 12:00 (East London Airport)

We booked and paid for a car with First Car Rental (East London Airport) for 08:30. It is now 12:00 and we still have not been given a vehicle.

We were told we must wait for a car to be returned, which makes the booking time meaningless. No proper ETA was provided, and no upgrade, shuttle to another branch, or alternative vehicle was offered.

This is unacceptable service, especially for a paid reservation. It wasted hours of our day and disrupted our travel plans. I would not recommend this branch if you need reliable collection times.

I am requesting a refund/discount for the hours lost due to failure to supply a vehicle at the booked time.

We rented a car via booking.com from Johannesburg to Durban and with same company a car from Cape Town to Cape Town. All cars was in good condition; same class as we had ordered, handling was quick and correct without any big discussions about additional fees etc. Absolutely seemless with good service. Would definetely use First Car Rental again