The Car Hire Security Deposit, Explained

Why there is a deposit

A hire car is a valuable thing to hand to someone. The deposit covers costs you might owe under the rental agreement, such as fuel, a fine that arrives later, or damage up to the most you pay. It is held, not spent: if nothing is owed, all of it comes back.

How much it is

The deposit is the higher of two numbers:

• 10% of your rental before VAT (the daily rate times the days, plus delivery and the cleaning and service fee).
• The minimum for the car's class.

• Economy cars: KES 20,000
• Mid-size cars and compact SUVs: KES 30,000
• Prado, Land Cruiser V8 and other large 4x4s: KES 50,000
• Porsche Cayenne and other luxury cars: KES 75,000

For a short hire, the minimum is usually the higher number. For a long hire of a dear car, 10% can be higher.

Worked examples

These use today's published daily rates, delivery and collection in Nairobi (KES 1,000 each way) and the cleaning and service fee (KES 1,000).

• Toyota Axio, 7 days at KES 4,500 a day: 10% of KES 34,500 is KES 3,450, and the class minimum is KES 20,000, so the deposit is KES 20,000.
• Toyota Prado, 7 days at KES 14,000 a day: 10% of KES 101,000 is KES 10,100, and the class minimum is KES 50,000, so the deposit is KES 50,000.
• Land Cruiser V8, 30 days at KES 25,000 a day: 10% of KES 753,000 is KES 75,300, and the class minimum is KES 50,000, so the deposit is KES 75,300.

Every car's minimum deposit is in the table on our prices page, and your booking shows the exact figure before you confirm.

When you pay it

You pay the security deposit at handover, with any balance of the rental, by M-Pesa, bank transfer or cash. It is shown on its own line in your booking, separate from the price.

When it comes back

You see the exact security deposit for your car in your quote before you book, and again on your booking page. It is fully refundable and due with your remaining balance by handover. It is not an extra charge: it is returned when the car is returned. Your security deposit is refunded immediately after the return handover inspection. It comes back the same way you paid it: by M-Pesa to the number it came from, to the bank account you paid from, back to your card, or in cash. We check the car together and film it, just as we did at handover, and you get a written return receipt. If nothing is owed, you get it all back.

Only these can be taken off:

• fuel below the level you received, at the pump price
• traffic and speed camera fines, parking and tolls, at cost
• a late return, after the 1-hour grace period
• new damage shown on the handover and return videos, up to your Excess Fee for Damage

Anything taken off is on a written list, with the video or a receipt to show it, and there are no admin or processing fees.

At return we walk round the car with you, film it, and compare it with the handover video. You leave with a written return receipt. If something is owed, we take off only that, with a written list of what was taken and why, and return the rest.

What can be taken off

• Fuel, if the car comes back with less than it left with, at the pump price with no service fee.
• Traffic fines, speed camera fines, parking and tolls, at cost, with no admin fee.
• Late return charges, after the 1-hour grace period.
• Damage, up to the Excess Fee for Damage, the most you pay. Our guide to the excess, explained covers it.

With a chauffeur

When our chauffeur drives, there is no security deposit and no Excess Fee for Damage. You only pay for damage you or your passengers cause, for example to the inside of the car.

How to make sure you get it all back

• Film your own walk-round video at handover and upload it to your booking.
• Return the car with the same fuel level.
• Tell us your route if you are leaving Nairobi and the nearby counties.
• Return on time, or ask for an extension on your booking page before your return time.
• Keep to paved roads. Damage from breaking the agreement's rules is not limited by the excess.

Choosing a car

If a lower deposit matters, an everyday car such as the Toyota Axio or Mazda Demio has the lowest minimum. Read our fair damage promise and the rental terms in plain words, see every rate on our prices page, and when you are ready, how to book.