Electric Car Hire in Cape Town

The iX is a large, very quiet all-wheel-drive SUV with a panoramic glass roof, and the better choice for families and longer trips. The EX30 is compact and quick, easy to park in the City Bowl and ideal for a couple staying in town. Rated range is a laboratory figure: on the highway at 120 km/h, with the air-conditioning on or into a strong south-easter, plan on noticeably less.

Cape Town's public charging network has grown steadily, but chargers are spread across several networks. What to know:

• Overnight charging is easiest. Every car comes with a charging cable for a standard wall socket, and many hotels, guesthouses and wine estates now offer AC charging for guests. Ask your accommodation before you arrive.
• AC chargers (slow) are common at shopping centres, hotels and some wine estates. Use them to top up while you eat or shop.
• DC fast chargers are found at selected malls and fuel stations in the metro and at intervals along the N1 and N2. Expect roughly 30–45 minutes to add a useful amount of range, depending on the charger and the car.
• Use an app. GridCars is the most widely used map of public chargers in South Africa and shows live status for many of them. Some networks need their own app or card, so check before you depend on a charger.
• Cost: public charging is paid by you at the charger's tariff, which varies by network and speed. Home or hotel charging is usually the cheapest.

Before your rental we send a charging plan for the routes you tell us about, with primary and back-up chargers marked.

Load-shedding (scheduled power cuts) has been rare recently, but it can return at short notice. When it does, chargers without battery or solar back-up stop working in the affected area for that slot. Some newer sites are built with solar and storage and keep running.

• Install the EskomSePush app (or check the City of Cape Town's schedule) and charge outside scheduled outages.
• Keep a buffer: aim to arrive with at least 20% charge rather than running the battery low.
• If a slot interrupts overnight charging, charging usually resumes when the power returns; check in the morning.

Mountain passes such as Sir Lowry's and Franschhoek use extra energy going up, and the car recovers some of it on the way down through regenerative braking. For long trips, start full, check your chargers in the app the night before, and keep a back-up charger in mind for each stop. Ending your trip on the Garden Route? Ask about one-way car hire.

• Included: unlimited kilometres, Essential Cover, 24/7 roadside assistance, a charging cable and a route plan.
• Not included: public charging costs, which you pay at the charger.
• Return charge: please return the car with at least 70% charge. There's no fuel to worry about.
• Deposit: R7,500 with Essential Cover, or less with Signature or Black Cover.

Staying a month or more? The iX on monthly terms works out at about R74,970 for 30 days; see long-term car rental. For a more traditional luxury choice, see luxury car hire.