Used almost only by rental‑car customers heading to Terminals A–E
Car Rental Returns Parking at O. R. Tambo sits in the same general parking‑complex zone as the big multi‑storey garages, a short walk from the InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo hotel and not right at the terminal doors. This area feeds into Terminals A–E, but it functions as a dedicated return bay for Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Bidvest and the other airport rental brands rather than as public parking.
This is rental parking only, not a spot to leave your own car for 3–5 days before a flight. You drive in via the signed rental‑car access roads, hand back the keys, and from there staff direct you across to the terminal side. Expect roughly a 5–10 minute walk to the main check‑in halls for international departures in Terminal A, depending on which level or lane your provider uses.
The layout is geared around fast hand‑backs, fuel checks and damage inspections, not hanging around. There are marked lanes and numbered bays for each company, and some lots use handheld scanners to log returns by time down to the minute. No payment machines or long‑stay tariffs here: charges are rolled into your rental agreement, and gate staff log your return time against the booking, which matters if you’re cutting it close to the 24‑hour or weekly rate bands.
If you’re arriving from Pretoria on the R21 or from Johannesburg on the R24, follow the blue airport signs and then peel off for “Car Rental Returns” before you reach the main public parking structures. One practical tip: add at least 20 extra minutes before check‑in cut‑off to cover refuelling, inspection, the walk from the rental bays to Terminals A–E, and an elevator ride if your provider sits on an upper parking level.