car rental fuel policy

South African Car Rental Fuel Policy

A common complaint from South African car rental customers is that they are charged for fuel top ups after having just filled the vehicle on return. The most common reason for this car rental fuel policy is the following:

1. There is a difference between a garage full tank and a car rental full tank:

Gas stations or petrol garages traditionally fill to what is known as the first click when the nozzle automatically switches off. Car rental companies on the other hand always fill the vehicles to brimful when the fuel can physically be seen in the pipe. The reason for this is to avoid any disputes as to what is “full” The difference between first click and brimful can be quite a few litres depending on the vehicle. When filling yourself always let the garage attendant fill to brim or just as it overflows to be certain. 

2. If your car is fetched from you, your car will need to be filled up again.

Fuel and mileage are measured depot to depot. This means that if your car is collected from you at any other place then it is topped up when it gets back to the depot and the kilometer reading is taken at that point.

3. A full Gauge does not always mean a full tank

Another common misconception is that if the fuel gauge shows full it means the tank is full. The gauge is very misleading and visually while showing full could well in reality need several litres to top up the tank.

For more car rental FAQ’s please visit our Car Rental Frequently Asked Questions section.