We rent cars for a living, so you might expect us to say yes. The honest answer is: it depends on what you're planning. If you're staying in the City Bowl or at the V&A Waterfront for a long weekend of restaurants and museums, ride-hailing will do. But Cape Town's best experiences — Chapman's Peak, Cape Point, the penguins, the Winelands, Hermanus — are spread across a big, beautiful region with limited public transport. Here's how to decide, trip type by trip type, and how to rent only for the days you actually need a car.
City-only stays
If your trip is mostly the City Bowl, V&A Waterfront, Sea Point, Green Point and Camps Bay, you can manage without a car.
- Ride-hailing (Uber and Bolt) is widely available across the city and Atlantic Seaboard, usually with short waits. It's the default for locals heading out for dinner.
- Walking works well within the V&A Waterfront, along the Sea Point promenade and in parts of the CBD by day.
- MyCiTi buses run on dedicated lanes between the city, the Atlantic Seaboard, Table View and other suburbs. Service levels vary by route; the airport route has been subject to suspensions, so check the current status before relying on it.
- Hop-on, hop-off sightseeing buses cover the main city sights, Table Mountain, Camps Bay and Constantia.
Where it gets harder: Table Mountain and Lion's Head at sunrise, Kirstenbosch, Constantia wine farms and the southern beaches add up quickly in ride-hail fares, and parking a car is often easy at all of them.
Day trips: Peninsula, Winelands, Hermanus
This is where a car pays for itself. The great day trips from Cape Town are long, multi-stop drives:
| Trip | Distance | Without a car |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Peninsula: Chapman's Peak, Cape Point, Boulders, Kalk Bay | ≈ 160 km | Group tour or a private driver; ride-hailing is impractical for the full loop |
| Winelands: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek | ≈ 160 km | Group wine tour, Wine Tram (once you're in Franschhoek) or a chauffeur |
| Hermanus whale-watching via Clarence Drive | ≈ 240 km | Group tour |
| West Coast National Park (flower season) | ≈ 250 km | Limited tour options |
Tours are a good fit if you'd rather not drive at all. A car wins on flexibility: you choose when to leave (and beat the crowds at Cape Point), how long to stay at each stop, and where to have lunch. Our itineraries for the Cape Peninsula and the Winelands show what a self-drive day looks like.
Cost comparison
Ride-hail and tour prices change with demand, distance and operator, so we haven't invented figures for them. Our own prices are shown as at October 2026, VAT included.
| Option | Typical cost basis | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ride-hailing (Uber, Bolt) | Per trip; surge pricing at peak times | Short city trips, nights out | Long trips and waiting time add up; patchy outside the metro |
| MyCiTi bus | Low per-trip fares on a myconnect card | Budget city and Atlantic Seaboard travel | Limited routes; check service status |
| Group day tour | Per person, set by the operator | Solo travellers; no driving | Fixed schedule; time on the bus |
| Mylz compact car (VW Polo) | From R649 a day, R579/day weekly, plus fuel | Couples and families doing day trips | Parking in busy spots; you drive |
| Mylz SUV or people carrier | From R1,599 a day (Fortuner), R1,899 (Quantum) | Groups and families with luggage | Bigger to park |
| Mylz chauffeur | R2,800 a day (up to 10 hours) plus the car | Winelands days, events, business | Highest cost for small groups |
Rule of thumb: for two or more people doing two or more day trips, a hire car is usually cheaper than tours for the same days — and far more flexible. For full price details, see how much car hire costs in Cape Town.
Getting to and from the airport
Cape Town International is about 20 km from the city centre — roughly 20–30 minutes on the N2 outside rush hour, and considerably longer in the weekday morning and evening peaks. Without a car, your options are ride-hailing (pick-up points are signposted at the terminal), metered taxis from the official rank, hotel shuttles and pre-booked private transfers.
If you're renting for the whole trip anyway, collecting at the airport saves you the transfer cost and gets your holiday moving straight away. With meet & greet, your host is waiting in the arrivals hall, tracks your flight if it's delayed, and walks you to the car — no rental-desk queue and no shuttle bus. On the way home you hand the car back to your host at the airport.
Safety
Both options are safe with sensible precautions. With ride-hailing, check the plate and driver name before you get in, and share your trip with someone. With a car, keep valuables out of sight, keep doors locked in traffic and stick to main roads at night.
Driving in Cape Town is easier than many visitors expect — read is it safe to drive in Cape Town? for an honest local view, and driving in Cape Town: rules & tips for the rules of the road.
Delivery: the middle ground
You don't have to choose between a car for the whole trip and no car at all. With delivery, you can spend your first days in the city on foot and ride-hailing, then have a car brought to your hotel for the day trips.
- 01
Arrive car-free
Take a transfer or ride-hail from the airport and settle in.
- 02
Book the day-trip days
Choose the days you'll do the Peninsula, Winelands or Hermanus.
- 03
We deliver
Your host brings the car to your hotel, home or office and does the handover in about ten minutes.
- 04
We collect
At the end, we collect it from you. No airport return, no fuel-and-rush to the terminal.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Rental: 3 days × R649 | R1,947.00 |
| Delivery + collection (City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard, R350 each) | R700.00 |
| Contract fee | R99.00 |
| Tourism levy (1%) | R19.47 |
| Total (VAT incl.) | R2,765.47 |
Delivery is available across the City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard, the Southern and Northern Suburbs and the Winelands. See car hire delivered in Cape Town, or if you'd rather have the car from the moment you land, Cape Town airport car hire with meet & greet in arrivals.
Our verdict
- City break of 2–3 days, no day trips: skip the car.
- 4–7 days with the Peninsula and Winelands: rent for at least the day-trip days — delivery makes this easy.
- A week or more, families, or the Garden Route: rent for the whole trip from the airport. See car hire in Cape Town.
- Wine-focused trip: a car for sightseeing days plus a chauffeur for the tasting day.
Mylz Rentals
Plan your trip
Meet & greet at Cape Town International, or delivery and collection across Cape Town and the Winelands. No rental desk, no queue.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to rent a car in Cape Town?
Not for a short city-only stay — ride-hailing and walking cover the City Bowl, V&A Waterfront and Atlantic Seaboard. For day trips to Cape Point, the Winelands or Hermanus, a car is the most flexible and, for two or more people, usually the most economical option.
Is Uber safe and available in Cape Town?
Uber and Bolt are widely used across Cape Town. Check the car's plate and the driver's name before getting in, and share your trip. Availability drops in rural areas and late at night outside the metro.
Is it better to rent a car or use Uber in Cape Town?
For short city trips, ride-hailing is simpler. For multi-stop day trips and longer stays, renting is more flexible and often cheaper. Many visitors combine both, renting only on day-trip days with hotel delivery.
