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Enquiries and bookings:
cars@carhirekenya.com

Postal Address:
P.O. Box 49439
00100
Nairobi, Kenya.

Telephone:
+254 - 20 - 2222888
+254 - 20 - 313494

Company history

We are a family run car rental company based in Nairobi, Kenya. We began operations in 1980 on the first floor of the old Woolworths Building, starting with a a single Suzuki LJ80 jeep and one Daihatsu Sharmant saloon. Since then, we have grown in leaps and bounds and our offices have moved to the ground floor of the 680 Hotel building, on Muindi Mbingu Street in central Nairobi. Our current fleet constitutes of about 40 vehicles.

WHY central?

• We deal ONLY in car hire and have done so professionally for 44 years. The family run nature of the business ensures personalised service, well maintained vehicles and honest dealings.

• Our insurance conditions are also the most attractive in the market. In case of accident or theft, the customer is only responsible for the first KSHs 2000/= ( US$ 25) of damage. No need for extra insurance waivers. No holiday ending excess liability in case of an unfortunate incident. Only Tyres and Windscreens are excluded from this insurance. Please see our terms and conditions here for details.

• We source our cars NEW from official vehicle manufacturer dealers in Nairobi. This is extremely rare as most (80%+) cars on Kenyan roads are 2nd hand grey imports from Japan and Singapore. These cars are generally 6-8 years old on import and have come to the end of their reliable lifespan by the time they reach Africa.  You will receive a guarantee of the year of manufacture of a vehicle from us, not the year of registration in Kenya! (6-8 years after year of manufacture) 

• We own all our rental cars and are responsible for their quality and maintenence. We do not sub-hire vehicles from other companies or individuals.

• We have no extra charge for payment by credit card. No contract fee. No charge for extra drivers.

• We are fully licensed by the Ministry of Tourism.

• We are also fully licenced by the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO).

• All our vehicles are appropriately and legally licensed for car rental. This includes PSV (Public Service Vehicle) inspection and insurance (displayed on windscreen as opposed to insurance sticker that reads "PRIVATE"). In case of an accident, you are fully legally licensed and insured to be driving the vehicle. 

• We won the 2005 East African Road Safety Award for "Car Hire and Rental Services". This was awarded by the National Road Safety Agency in conjuction with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). Click to see a scan of the certificate to see the award.

Highly recommended

• We deal ONLY in car hire and have done so professionally for 44 years. The family run nature of the business ensures personalised service, well maintained vehicles and honest dealings.

• Our insurance conditions are also the most attractive in the market. In case of accident or theft, the customer is only responsible for the first KSHs 2000/= ( US$ 20) of damage. No need for extra insurance waivers. No holiday ending excess liability in case of an unfortunate incident. Only Tyres and Windscreens are excluded from this insurance. Please see our terms and conditions here for details.

• We source our cars NEW from official vehicle manufacturer dealers in Nairobi. This is extremely rare as most (80%+) cars on Kenyan roads are 2nd hand grey imports from Japan and Singapore. These cars are generally 6-8 years old on import and have come to the end of their reliable lifespan by the time they reach Africa.  You will receive a guarantee of the year of manufacture of a vehicle from us, not the year of registration in Kenya! (6-8 years after year of manufacture) 

• We own all our rental cars and are responsible for their quality and maintenance. We do not sub-hire vehicles from other companies or individuals.

• We have no extra charge for payment by credit card. No contract fee. No charge for extra drivers.

• We are fully licensed by the Ministry of Tourism.

• We are also fully licenced by the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO).

• All our vehicles are appropriately and legally licensed for car rental. This includes PSV (Public Service Vehicle) inspection and insurance (displayed on windscreen as opposed to insurance sticker that reads "PRIVATE"). In case of an accident, you are fully legally licensed and insured to be driving the vehicle. 

• We've been nominated as Kenya's Leading Car Rental Company for 8 years from 2013 to 2020 by the World Travel Awards . Click to see our nominations on the WTA site

  

  The East Africa version has even more praise

  

  • The Lonely Planet guide book on Kenya says "Central Rent - a - Car is certainly the best"

  • Recommended by Kenya Advisor. See here (last paragraph).

  • We are also recommended in Rough Guide (Kenya), Petitfute, Dorling Kindersley and other guide books on Kenya and East Africa.

  • Click here to see our Facebook Group, with real reviews! is full of praise. :)