Generator hire price list
Last updated
Generator hire prices for 2026
Day rates per size, machine only: no operator, no diesel. All prices exclude VAT, and transport both ways is its own line on your quote. Prices updated: November 2026.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Portable generator (up to 10 kVA) | Per day, machine only | R320–R520 |
| 15–30 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R680–R1,600 |
| 40–60 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R2,300–R3,050 * |
| 80–150 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R2,400–R4,600 * |
| 200–300 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R8,500–R9,750 * |
| 500–750 kVA generator | Per day, machine only | R14,000–R18,000 * |
| 1,000 kVA+ generator | Per day, machine only | R24,000–R27,500 * |
* Few price points for this one, so treat it as a guide; the exact price comes back on WhatsApp.
Weekly and monthly rates, and sizes in between, come back on WhatsApp in writing. Most hires above 10 kVA have only a few price points, so treat those as a guide.
Get a generator price on WhatsAppGenerator hire cost per day, with diesel
Diesel is often the bigger cost. We work it out from the manufacturers' fuel figures and the official diesel price: 3,195.49 cents a litre (about R32) for 0.05% sulphur diesel in Gauteng from 7 October 2026, the wholesale list price set under the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Coastal diesel is 3,108.29 cents a litre. The pump price is higher than this list price, and the official price changes every month.
| Generator (or similar) | Load | Litres an hour | Litres in 8 hours | Diesel for 8 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 14) | Full | 3.7 | 30 | R946 |
| 25 kVA (Cummins C28 D5) | 75% | 4.8 | 38 | R1,227 |
| 25 kVA (Cummins C28 D5) | Full | 6.0 | 48 | R1,534 |
| 43.5 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 45) | Full | 10.1 | 81 | R2,582 |
| 60 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 60) | Full | 13.4 | 107 | R3,425 |
| 100 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 100) | Full | 24.0 | 192 | R6,134 |
| 150 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 150) | Full | 31.9 | 255 | R8,154 |
| 200 kVA (Atlas Copco QAS 200) | Full | 39.2 | 314 | R10,020 |
| 250 kVA (Cummins C275 D5) | 75% | 38.3 | 306 | R9,789 |
| 250 kVA (Cummins C275 D5) | Full | 52.5 | 420 | R13,419 |
| 500 kVA (Cummins C550 D5e) | 75% | 80.6 | 645 | R20,601 |
| 500 kVA (Cummins C550 D5e) | Full | 104.2 | 834 | R26,634 |
Two things stand out. First, from about 60 kVA up, a full-load 8-hour day of diesel costs more than the day's hire: a 60 kVA burns about R3,425 against R2,300–R3,050 hire, and a 500 kVA about R26,634 against R14,000–R18,000. Second, part load saves a lot: the 250 kVA set uses 38.3 litres an hour at 75% load against 52.5 flat out.
Running 24 hours? Multiply the 8-hour figures by three: a 60 kVA flat out for a full day and night burns about 322 litres, roughly R10,275.
Example generator hire quote
A 40–60 kVA generator for 3 days on a site in Johannesburg:
| Example quote (for illustration only) | Amount |
|---|---|
| 40–60 kVA generator, 3 days at R2,300–R3,050 a day machine only | R6,900–R9,150 |
| Transport both ways to Johannesburg | R1,300–R3,840 |
| Example total, excl. VAT | R8,200–R12,990 |
Add diesel on top: at full load for 8 hours a day, 3 days comes to about 322 litres, roughly R10,275 at October 2026's official Gauteng list price. Most sites don't run flat out all day, so the real figure is usually lower. Your quote comes back in writing on WhatsApp before the generator moves.
What changes the price of generator hire
- Size (kVA). Each step up costs more to hire and burns more diesel. Size it close to what you'll really run; see how to size a generator on generator hire.
- Days, weeks or months. The table shows day rates. Long-term generator hire by the week or month is priced on WhatsApp.
- Diesel and running hours. A day rate covers the generator on site for the day; running it longer costs diesel, not more hire.
- Transport both ways. Generators come on a trailer or truck. Inside a main centre that is usually R1,300–R3,840 both ways; further out it depends on the distance.
- Cables and connection. Feeding a building needs your registered electrician and a changeover switch; that work is billed by the electrician, not in the hire.
- Wet or dry? In plant hire, “dry” usually means the operator is included and you pay the diesel; “wet” includes the diesel. Generators need no operator, so our generator prices are simply machine only, and you buy the diesel.
Hire or buy a generator?
Hire when the need has an end date: a building job, an event, a few weeks of outages, a site office until the municipal connection is in, or a bigger set than you own for a one-off load. You get the size you need for exactly the days you need it, and the generator goes back afterwards.
Buy when a generator will run most days for years, at one site, and someone on site will look after it: services, filters, a battery and clean diesel. A bought set also stands idle, and loses value, between the days you need it.
The diesel is the same either way, and for big sets it is the larger cost. Compare the hire against the diesel table above before you decide. Questions about a long hire? WhatsApp us the size and the months.
WhatsApp us for a long-hire generator priceQuestions people ask
How much does it cost to hire a generator per day?
From R320–R520 a day for a portable up to 10 kVA to R24,000–R27,500 a day for 1,000 kVA and up, machine only and excluding VAT. Add diesel and transport both ways. A 40–60 kVA site generator, the size most building sites use, is R2,300–R3,050 a day.
How much does it cost to hire a small generator?
A portable generator up to 10 kVA is R320–R520 a day, machine only. It runs a house's essentials or a few hand tools and burns a few litres of fuel an hour.
What does it cost to hire a 30 kVA, 50 kVA or 60 kVA generator?
A 15–30 kVA generator is R680–R1,600 a day, and a 40–60 kVA generator is R2,300–R3,050 a day, machine only. A 60 kVA burns about 13.4 litres of diesel an hour at full load (manufacturer data).
What is the price of 100 kVA generator hire?
An 80–150 kVA generator is R2,400–R4,600 a day, machine only. A 100 kVA set burns about 24 litres an hour at full load, about 192 litres in an 8-hour day, roughly R6,134 of diesel at October 2026's official price.
How much is 3 phase generator hire?
Three-phase starts at the 15–30 kVA class, R680–R1,600 a day. Every size above that is three-phase too; the price depends on the kVA you need.
Are generator hire prices with VAT and diesel?
No. Our prices exclude VAT and diesel, and there's no operator: generators run on their own. Transport both ways is a separate line on your quote.
Related
Sources we checked
- Minister Gwede Mantashe announces adjustment of fuel prices effective from 7 October 2026 (Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources)
- Fuels Industry Association of South Africa: 2026 petroleum product prices in cents per litre (Gauteng and coastal, diesel wholesale list price)
- Atlas Copco QAS range brochure (EU, 50 Hz): fuel consumption at 100% prime load for QAS 14 to QAS 200
- Cummins Power Generation data sheets, 50 Hz: C28 D5, C275 D5, C550 D5e: fuel consumption at 1/2, 3/4 and full load
Need a generator?
WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.
WhatsApp us now