Car hire and driving in Cape Town
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In South Africa traffic drives on the left. Picking up at CPT means 18 km (11 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.
Drives from Cape Town
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town to Somerset West | South Africa | 41 km (25 mi) | about 37 min |
| Cape Town to Paarl | South Africa | 55 km (34 mi) | about 51 min |
| Cape Town to Worcester | South Africa | 100 km (62 mi) | about 1 h 31 min |
| Cape Town to George | South Africa | 373 km (231 mi) | about 5 h 41 min |
| Cape Town to Kariega | South Africa | 645 km (401 mi) | about 9 h 50 min |
| Cape Town to Gqeberha | South Africa | 663 km (412 mi) | about 10 h 7 min |
| Cape Town to Queenstown | South Africa | 820 km (510 mi) | about 12 h 31 min |
| Cape Town to Kimberley | South Africa | 834 km (518 mi) | about 12 h 43 min |
| Cape Town to Bhisho | South Africa | 846 km (525 mi) | about 12 h 54 min |
| Cape Town to Mdantsane | South Africa | 875 km (543 mi) | about 13 h 20 min |
| Cape Town to East London | South Africa | 886 km (550 mi) | about 13 h 30 min |
| Cape Town to Bloemfontein | South Africa | 911 km (566 mi) | about 13 h 54 min |
| Cape Town to Johannesburg | South Africa | 1,262 km (784 mi) | about 19 h 14 min |
| Cape Town to Durban | South Africa | 1,272 km (790 mi) | about 19 h 24 min |
| Cape Town to Pretoria | South Africa | 1,308 km (813 mi) | about 19 h 57 min |
| Cape Town to Soweto | South Africa | 1,243 km (773 mi) | about 18 h 58 min |
| Cape Town to Soshanguve | South Africa | 1,324 km (823 mi) | about 20 h 12 min |
| Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg | South Africa | 1,228 km (763 mi) | about 18 h 43 min |
| Cape Town to Evaton | South Africa | 1,222 km (759 mi) | about 18 h 38 min |
| Cape Town to Benoni | South Africa | 1,282 km (797 mi) | about 19 h 33 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Cape Town?
The left, as everywhere in South Africa.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.