Hertz Rent a Car

What Hertz Rent a Car does

Hertz Rent A Car is the Southern African operating presence of Hertz Global Holdings Inc., a NASDAQ-listed (HTZ) international car rental company whose consolidated full-year 2025 revenue was $8.5B. The regional franchise operates across more than 40 locations in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, anchored at primary international airports (OR Tambo, Cape Town International, King Shaka, Walvis Bay, Windhoek, Maun, Gaborone) and supplemented by downtown and tourist-area branches, and integrates multi-brand operations following the April 2025 unification of Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, and Firefly.

The product platform spans a core car rental offering from economy (Suzuki Swift, Toyota Agya) to luxury (BMW, Mercedes-Benz) and 4x4/SUV categories (Toyota Fortuner, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Suzuki Jimny), with specialty lines including Hertz Ride motorcycle rentals (BMW GS range, Honda NX500) in Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Supporting technology includes iOS/Android mobile applications, an online booking platform, the Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program, and CLEAR-powered Fast Lane expedited pickup. Protection and pricing modules include Super Waiver, Glass and Tyre Waiver, Hail Damage Waiver, Platinum Plus (zero damage liability), Monthly Car Hire, Weekend Deal, and 55+ Special promotions.

Revenue mechanics rely primarily on per-day and long-term rental fees, supplemented by ancillary protection products, used car sales through new Amazon and Cox partnerships with an online marketplace launched in November 2025, and rent-to-buy programs in over 100 cities. Go-to-market combines direct airport and downtown counter sales, online and mobile self-service booking, call-center reservations, WhatsApp support, and multi-channel digital marketing. The customer base is predominantly distributed B2C across leisure, business, and adventure-travel segments, with selected B2B fleet and sponsorship partnerships.

Name

Hertz Rent a Car

Legal name

Hertz Global Holdings Inc.

Website

https://hertz.co.za

Company type

Public

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hertz Global Holdings (NASDAQ: HTZ) is a major international car rental company; its Southern African franchise, Hertz Rent A Car, operates across 40+ locations in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, serving leisure, business, and adventure travelers with cars, SUVs, and motorcycle rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Car Rental Services

NAICS

Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321), Passenger Car Rental and Leasing (53211)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Long-Term / Monthly Car Rental (THADAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chauffeur-Driven Car Rental (With Driver) (THADAAAG), Long-Term / Fixed-Term Car Subscriptions (6–36 months) (THADACAD)

Keywords

• Car rental services
• Vehicle rental fleet
• Airport car hire
• Corporate car rentals
• Short-term leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Car Rental Fees: Primary revenue from short-term vehicle rentals charged on a per-day or per-rental basis. Revenue reached $8.5 billion for full-year 2025 with Q4 2025 revenue of $2.03 billion.
2. Used Vehicle Sales: Expansion into used car retail sales through partnerships with Amazon and Cox, plus rent-to-buy program in over 100 cities, diversifying revenue streams beyond traditional rental
3. Fleet Management Services: Positioning as potential partner for autonomous vehicle fleet management, generating revenue from fleet operations and management services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hertz Rent a Car operates a car rental franchise across South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia through more than 40 airport and downtown locations, offering short-term, long-term, and monthly vehicle rentals across economy, hybrid, SUV, luxury, commercial, and motorcycle categories. The business extends into chauffeur services, protection and waiver add-ons, and a used-car retail marketplace, supported by mobile apps, online booking, loyalty rewards, and multi-brand integration with Thrifty, Dollar, and Firefly.

Product overview

Hertz Rent A Car is a car rental company operating under Hertz Global Holdings, with Hertz Southern Africa serving South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia across over 40 locations. The product portfolio centers on core car rental services spanning economy, compact, standard, and luxury vehicles (Suzuki Swift, VW Polo, Toyota Corolla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz), SUVs (Toyota Fortuner, Corolla Cross), commercial vehicles (VW Kombi, Toyota Quantum), and specialty motorcycle rentals through Hertz Ride (BMW G310 GS, F750 GS, R1250 GS, R1300 GS, Honda NX500). The offering is structured as a platform with multiple add-on modules including protection products (Platinum Plus, Super Waiver, Glass and Tyre Waiver, Hail Damage Waiver), service packages (Chauffeur Services, Bicycle Rack Rentals), promotional offers (Monthly Car Hire, Weekend Deal, 55+ Special, The Great Escape campaign), loyalty program (Gold Plus Rewards), and expedited services (Hertz Fast Lane powered by CLEAR). The company also operates sub-brands Thrifty, Dollar, and Firefly. Recent expansion includes used car sales via Amazon and Cox partnerships, positioning for autonomous vehicle fleet management, and rent-to-buy programs in over 100 cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hertz Ride: Motorcycle rental service offered in Cape Town and Stellenbosch featuring BMW motorcycles including G310 GS, F750 GS, R1250 GS, R1300 GS, and Honda NX500
• Platinum Plus
• Hertz Gold Service
• Hertz Firefly

Products and services

• Car Rental Core short-term and long-term car rental service spanning economy through luxury vehicles, SUVs, hybrids, and commercial vans across Southern Africa for leisure travelers, business travelers, and corporate clients.
• Hertz Ride Motorcycle Rental Motorcycle rental service featuring BMW and Honda adventure/road motorcycles, available at Hertz Ride Cape Town and Hertz Ride Stellenbosch for self-drive adventure and touring customers.
• Chauffeur Services Professional driver service available in Cape Town and surrounding areas, with drivers collecting clients and transporting them to destinations for business or leisure travelers.
• Used Car Sales Online car-buying marketplace for purchasing used rental vehicles, distributing through partnerships with Amazon and Cox and a rent-to-buy program operating in over 100 cities.
• Super Waiver Standalone protection product that reduces the renter's damage liability by covering many Collision Damage Waiver exclusions when added to a car rental.
• Glass and Tyre Waiver Standalone protection product covering tyre or glass damage (excluding rim/hubcap damage) that can be added to a car rental.
• Hail Damage Waiver Standalone protection product that safeguards the renter against damages directly resulting from hail.
• Bicycle Rack Rentals Holdfast Boot Carrier Bicycle Holder rental that fits to the boot of Hertz rental vehicles, carrying up to 3 bicycles for sedans and hatchbacks.
• Thrifty Car Rental Budget-focused car rental brand operated under the Hertz Southern Africa umbrella alongside Dollar Car Rental, integrated into one unified banner on 2025-04-07.
• Dollar Car Rental Budget car rental brand operated under the Hertz Southern Africa umbrella alongside Thrifty Car Rental, integrated into one unified banner on 2025-04-07.
• Firefly Car Rental Car rental brand operated by Hertz Southern Africa as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% fleet utilization rate (best-in-class)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chery South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2023Fleet partnership where Chery delivered 100 Chery Tiggo 4 Pro models to Hertz Rent A Car fleet. Chery provides dedicated Fleet Sales support with same-day servicing for vehicles received before 14:00, special weekend repair arrangements, and transport to nearest dealer. Each vehicle includes 10-year or 1-million-kilometre engine warranty.
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for used car retail sales through Amazon platform, expanding Hertz's revenue streams beyond traditional rental into used vehicle sales
• Cox AutomotivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for used car retail sales and rent-to-buy program operating in over 100 cities, diversifying Hertz's business model
• WaymominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHertz Holdings mentioned as potentially benefiting from Waymo's autonomous taxi expansion through fleet management partnerships for robotaxi operations
• Footprints 4 SamminorOthersCharity partnership assisting underprivileged families with transporting children to medical appointments. Hertz provides vehicles to support the organization's mission.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Avis Budget Group: Global car rental conglomerate operating Avis, Budget, and Zipcar. Directly competes with Hertz at airports and downtown locations worldwide, including in South Africa through Avis Rent a Car.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Largest North American rental company with growing international presence. Competes with Hertz across leisure, business, and replacement rental segments with strong neighborhood/airport hybrid model.
• Sixt SE: German-headquartered premium car rental and mobility services company. Competes with Hertz in premium leisure and business segments across Europe, North America, and expanding into Africa.
• Hertz Global Holdings: The publicly traded parent company (NASDAQ: HTZ) and brand owner. Hertz Rent a Car Southern Africa operates as a franchisee of this entity, sharing brand, technology, and operational standards.
• Europcar Mobility Group: Major European car rental operator with international presence. Competes with Hertz at airports and city locations, offering both leisure and corporate rental products.

Direct peers

• Thrifty Car Rental: Budget-focused rental brand operated by Hertz Southern Africa alongside the Hertz brand. As a sub-brand, it shares operational infrastructure with the subject company and competes in the same market.

Regional players

• Drive South Africa: South African-based 4x4 rental specialist focused on adventure and safari travel. Competes with Hertz Southern Africa for adventure-tourist and self-drive safari customers, particularly in Namibia and Botswana.
• First Car Rental: South African-based car rental company with nationwide airport and downtown network. Directly competes with Hertz Southern Africa for local leisure and corporate customers.
• Bidvest Car Rental: South African car rental division of Bidvest Group, operating at major airports and urban centers. Competes head-to-head with Hertz across both leisure and corporate segments in South Africa.
• Tempest Car Hire: South African car rental company with airport and city locations. Directly competes with Hertz Southern Africa on leisure and business rental pricing and fleet composition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HertzRentACarSA
• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/playlist/6Gic2QmXG02vODdNvIlIjW
• Facebookfacebook.com/HertzRentaCar
• Instagraminstagram.com/HertzRentACarSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hertz-south-africa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hertz Rent a Car