Our rental terms, in plain words

The agreement

You sign our car hire agreement online when you book. Your booking record on our website is part of it: the car, the drivers, the handover videos, payments, messages and any changes. Kenyan law applies.

Who can drive

• Every driver must be at least 25 years old, with no upper age limit.
• Every driver must have held a full, valid driving licence for at least 2 years (we can agree to waive this for a driver).
• Every driver shows us their licence and their national ID or passport before driving, and is named in the booking. Only named drivers may drive.
• Rules for foreign licences and International Driving Permits are being confirmed with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). Ask us before you fly.

Price and paying

• The minimum hire is 3 days. A day is 24 hours from the handover time, with a 1-hour grace period.
• Your price is shown line by line before you book: the rental, delivery and collection, any chauffeur, the Returned Vehicle Cleaning and Service Fee of KES 1,000 ($8 USD / £6 GBP / €7 EUR) plus VAT, and VAT at 16%, added on top of our rates.
• Your booking is confirmed straight away. Within 2 hours of booking, you pay a refundable reservation deposit of 30% of the total to secure the car. Paying by credit card? We send you a payment link. Paying by M-Pesa or bank transfer? We share our M-Pesa and bank details with you directly after you book, from our own email or phone numbers. Only the reservation deposit is paid to hold the vehicle when you book. You pay the remaining balance when you see the car, or receive a full refund if you aren't satisfied with the vehicle at the delivery inspection. You pay the balance in full when you see the car, by M-Pesa, bank transfer, credit card or cash.
• Bringing the car back early? The unused days are not refunded.

Deposits, and when they come back

On self-drive hire you also pay a refundable security deposit, due with your remaining balance by handover. It is not an extra charge: it is returned when the vehicle is returned. The security deposit is 10% of the rental total before VAT, or the minimum below if that is higher:

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.

With one of our chauffeurs driving there is no security deposit and no Excess Fee for Damage. We are also happy to waive the security deposit for example for returning customers upon your request.

Handover and return

• At handover we check the car together (outside, inside, engine and boot, fuel and mileage) and film a walk-round video. Please film your own too.
• At return we do the same check and film it again, and give you a written return receipt. Damage not on the handover record is treated as happening during your hire. Read our fair damage promise.
• Return the car to the agreed place at the agreed time, unless we agree a change in writing (a WhatsApp message counts).

Late returns and extensions

• You have a 1-hour grace period. After that, each hour late costs 10% of the car's daily rate.
• More than 5 hours late, we also charge a full extra day.
• Need longer? Ask for an extension on the website before your return time. You see the price straight away, and it is confirmed once we approve it and you pay.
• Keeping the car without an accepted extension is a serious breach: the car is not insured after the agreed return time.

Fuel

You pay for fuel. We record the fuel level at handover; return the car with the same level. If it is lower, we charge the cost of topping it up at the current pump price. Use only the fuel type we tell you at handover.

Fines, tolls and charges after your hire

Traffic, speed camera and parking fines, tolls, fuel and late-return charges are yours to pay. If one reaches us after you return the car, we add it to your booking record and send you an invoice. Pay invoices within 48 hours. If you disagree with a charge, message us within 48 hours of the invoice.

• Speed camera and traffic fines are sent to us, as the car's owner, sometimes weeks after your hire.
• We send you the official notice with your booking reference.
• You pay only the fine, at cost. There is no admin or handling fee.
• Fines are paid only through official channels (eCitizen, a bank or our official payment details), never in cash at the roadside.

Staying safe

Most trips in Nairobi are uneventful, and a few calm, simple habits keep them that way.

• Keep the doors locked and the windows up in slow traffic.
• Keep phones and bags out of sight, and never leave them in a parked car.
• Plan long drives to arrive before dark, and avoid driving between towns at night.
• Use main roads after dark, and secure parking at malls, hotels and offices.
• At night, do not stop for strangers waving you down.
• If you think someone is following you, drive to a petrol station, mall or police station and call us.
• Every car has GPS tracking, and our 24/7 line can see where you are.

Where you can go

• Nairobi and the surrounding counties (Kiambu, Kajiado and Machakos), and further only with our approval. Tell us your route when you book and we confirm it.
• Cars stay in Kenya, and on tarmac. Murram (dirt) roads to family homes are allowed with our approval, as part of your area of use. Game drives are only allowed in our Land Cruiser Safari, the one car allowed on them.
• Every car has GPS tracking and an anti-theft system. We use them only to protect the car, check the area of use and settle disputes.
• Never: drive after drinking or taking drugs, carry paying passengers, use the car as a taxi, race or tow, carry more people than seats, lend or sub-hire the car.

The Excess Fee for Damage

On self-drive hire, the Excess Fee for Damage is the most you pay for any one incident of loss or damage, including theft, fire, vandalism and lost keys: 10% of the car's agreed value, written into your agreement before you drive. It is included at no extra cost. If the repair costs less, you pay only the repair cost. Every car's amount is on our prices page. The car's comprehensive insurance separately covers injury to other people and damage to their property.

The limit does not apply, and you pay the full cost up to the car's agreed value, if the loss or damage comes from:

• Driving off tarmac without our approval, except game drives in our Land Cruiser Safari
• Crossing the border into another country
• A driver who is not listed on the rental agreement, or who is under 25
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Deliberate or reckless damage
• Keys that are lost, or left in the car
• Damage to the inside of the car
• Filling the car with the wrong fuel
• Damage not reported to us within 24 hours
• Breaking any other rule in the agreement.

If something goes wrong

Make sure everyone is safe, then call or WhatsApp our 24/7 line. For an accident involving anyone else, or a theft, get a police abstract within 24 hours. If the car breaks down through no fault of yours, we repair it, replace it or refund the unused days. Do not have it repaired without our written OK.

Your information

We keep your details, documents, photos, videos and messages only to run your hire, under Kenya's Data Protection Act, 2019.