First Car Rental Anmeldelser 

Acabo de finalizar un período de alquiler de 12 días con First Car Rental y quiero compartir mi decepción en el momento de entrega del vehículo.
El vehículo se recogió en el aeropuerto internacional de Durban sin problema alguno (resaltar no obstante que el coche no coincidía con el reservado, y era bastante básico, pero al menos era muy nuevo y funcionó bien).
La primera sorpresa viene con el depósito que solicitan, que no es retenido, sino cobrado. Aviso a potenciales clientes internacionales para que se aseguren de que sus tarjetas de crédito no les van a cobrar comisiones por ese cargo, que repito no es una retención (como realizan otras compañías de alquiler de coche en Sudáfrica, ya que de hecho en nuestro caso alquilamos dos coches con compañías diferentes y sólo First cobró el depósito). Importante tener una tarjeta de crédito que no cobre comisiones por cobros en divisa diferente.
La mayor decepción llegó al entregar el coche en el aeropuerto internacional de Johannesburgo. El vehículo se rellenó de gasolina en la gasolinera Engen Sky, que se encuentra a escasos 750m del parking donde se procede a la entrega del vehículo. Un agente te recoge el vehículo, lo mira y te dice que te puedes marchar. No te facilita ningún comprobante de entrega, ni del estado del vehículo; tan sólo te indica que recibirás el informe por correo electrónico, es decir, te vas sin nada y sin saber qué te vas a encontrar cuando recibas el informe.
Y efectivamente al cabo de dos días recibes un informe en el que se te indica que faltaban 4,57 litros de combustible, que proceden a cobrarte, más un recargo por no entregar el coche lleno.
Envías una foto del cuenta kilómetros que indica que el tanque estaba lleno, así como foto del ticket que confirma que has repostado a 750m del parking de entrega, pero te dicen que faltan 4,57 litros.
Difícilmente se pueden consumir 4,57 litros de gasolina en 750 metros y no es normal que la gasolinera no haya querido llenarte el depósito (aunque claro, no esperan a que la gasolina rebose y caiga al suelo porque no cabe una gota más).
Es tal vez posible que esos 4,57 litros se hayan consumido cuando hayan movido ellos el coche del parking de entrega a sus instalaciones para proceder a la limpieza y preparación antes de entregarselo al siguiente cliente? Parece bastante más probable.
En cualquier caso se trata de cantidades pequeñas, que probablemente la gente no reclame, pero el éxito de una marca se basa en la confianza que genera y el hecho de que te encuentres con cargos dudosos cuando no tienes posibilidad alguna de demostrar que el depósito de gasolina no estuviese rebosando no genera confianza alguna.
La otra compañía de alquiler con la que tratamos en Sudáfrica en absoluto aplicó una política así, el coche se llenó en la gasolinera más cercana al aeropuerto y nadie puso en duda que pudiesen faltar 3 gotas de combustible, al igual que ocurre en la inmensa mayoría de empresas de alquiler de vehículos en el resto del mundo.
En resumen, la empresa genera desconfianza porque no sabes qué te puedes encontrar y la verdad es que no necesitarían utilizar ese tipo de prácticas que por unos pocos euros no consiguen sino restarles clientes.
Lo único positivo es que proceden a la devolución de lo cobrado con gran rapidez

Dodgy location and really poor service. Assistant asked me what car I want and then says they have no cars. Doesn’t offer any assistance. Bad

Poor service. We got a smaller car than arranged. The car was garbage

I booked a Luxury People Carrier : Hyundai Staria or similar from First Car rental at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport from the 27th July 2026 for 9 days. What I received was as Fiat Ulysse. You cannot even begin to compare the two. The Fiat is by no means a luxury vehicle, it essentially an airport shuttle on a commercial van platform with a cheap plastic interior, basic seats and windows that are much smaller than those on the Staria and in addition the windows are tinted making them completely unsuitable for game drives which is why were at the Kruger National park in the first place. There weren’t even floor mats to stop your feet slipping when driving. My children had to lean over the driver’s seat to take photographs of the wildlife. Most of the large family vehicles in the Kruger were in fact the Starias, which rubbed salt in the wounds.
I was told by the Manager Annelie that the correct car would be delivered to us when it became a available half way through the holiday and we never heard from her again. I was subsequently told by staff who work on the forecourt that First car rental and especially Annelie are notorious for pulling this switch, using the “or similar” clause because both vehicles had the same number of seats.
It also transpires that First car rental is owned by Combined Motor Holdings limited (CMH). CMH operates one of South Africa’s largest networks of retail motor dealerships, which officially sells and distributes Fiat and other Stellantis brands locally. Apparently you have a 50/50 chance of getting a Staria vs the cheaper Fiat.
We tried all the other rental companies at the airport when we saw what they were giving us but all their Starias were booked, so we had to take the van. Definitely not worth the risk of ruining an expensive holiday. Go with somebody else

Please read the fine print before deciding to book!

Staff were friendly and Car neat

BUT

Unexpected extra costs were charged on arrival at the counter. that was not advertised and subsequently made the price exactly as Avis and not less as was the impression.

Booked because advertised price was the best.

El coche que nos han dado, nada que ver con el contratado. Coche sin cámara trasera, no control de velocidad, ni radar para aparcar, las luces son muy malas y esto peligroso sobre todo para el que conduce por la noche y más en un país sin señalización horizontal. Por el precio del coche son cosas que deberían venir. Coche alquilado en port elizabeth Sudáfrica.

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!

Un mes y medio después de alquilar un coche en Ibiza nos llega una multa de aparcamiento que no es nuestra porque a esa hora todavía no teníamos el coche. Ha sido imposible que nos anulen la multa. Desde First Rent a Car de Ibiza (Platja d'en Bossa) el chico que nos lo alquiló, Samir, se desentiende del problema. Incluso nos cuelga cuando lo hemos llamado en más de una ocasión. En estos momentos desde Tráfico ya se ha iniciado el trámite para un posible embargo. A ver cómo acaba todo.

Te cobran un seguro a todo riesgo, pero luego no te prestan asistencia si tienes un problema en la carretera, por muy grave que sea.
Coche viejo y sucio especialmente en interiores, con cerradura forzada e impracticable, sin prevenirte de dicho deterioro.
Personal de San Antonio amable y comprensivo pero la dirección de la playa d'en Bossa es muy desagradable, nada empática y nunca dispuesta a auxiliarte por grave que sea tu situación.

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.

Très mauvaise expérience avec FIRST à Maurice.

Non seulement je n’ai jamais obtenu le remboursement de ma réservation malgré plusieurs demandes, mais le service fourni était également de très piètre qualité.

Après de nombreux emails et relances sur LinkedIn, je n’ai reçu aucune réponse ni aucun suivi sérieux.
Le manque total de communication et de professionnalisme est inacceptable.

Je déconseille fortement cette entreprise à toute personne recherchant un service fiable et un minimum de considération client

Habe ein Fahrzeug Citreon in Port Elisabeth am Flughafen übernommen. Für den Zeitraum vom 10.03.2026 bis 14.04.2026. Das Fahrzeug war nicht in dem technischen Zustand für diesen Zeitraum und die langen Touren, die wir geplant und schon gebucht hatten. Als Dipl.-Ing. für Fzg. Technik kann ich das beurteilen. Ich hatte die Annahmen verweigert und bat um ein anders Fzg. Es war kein Fzg. verfügbar. Ich wurde vertröstet, man würde mich Informieren und am nächsten Tag das Fzg. tauschen. Also bin ich zunächst nach St. Francis gefahren und habe am nächsten Tag angerufen, es war kein anderes Fzg. verfügbar. Trotzdem bin ich nach PE gefahren und habe das Fzg abgegeben, den Vertrag gekündigt, um bei einen Wetbewerter ein Fzg. zu mieten. Auf eine Kostenerstattung von ca. 1.650 € warte ich heute noch. Obwohl ich das Fzg noch vollgetankt hatte, wurden mir noch ca. 20 € in Rechnung gestellt. Übrigens, die Tankuhr war defekt. Einen Tankbeleg von der Schelltankstelle hatte ich noch vorgezeigt. Check 24 tut sich mit der Rückerstettung sehr schwer. Leider gibt es keine negativen Sterne,

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????