De Villiers began his career in circuit racing on South African tarmac, winning the domestic South African touring car championship four consecutive times from 1997 to 2000 driving a dealer-backed Nissan Primera. That sustained run of domestic success established him as one of South Africa's leading drivers before he made the switch to the grueling world of off-road rallying.
De Villiers made his Dakar Rally debut in 2003 with the works Nissan team, finishing a remarkable fifth overall on his first attempt alongside navigator Pascal Maimon. He continued to develop his craft through the following editions: seventh overall in 2004 alongside navigator Francois Jordaan, collecting his first stage victory along the way, and fourth overall in 2005 alongside Jean-Marie Lurquin, with two stage wins to his credit.
When Nissan withdrew their factory team after 2005, de Villiers switched allegiance to Volkswagen. In 2006, with navigator Tina Thorner, he claimed the runner-up position overall — just fifteen minutes behind Mitsubishi's Luc Alphand — and added another stage win to his tally. The 2007 edition proved frustrating; despite winning four stages with new navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz, engine trouble restricted them to eleventh overall.
De Villiers and von Zitzewitz took the overall victory at the 2009 Dakar Rally, the first edition held in South America following the event's relocation from Africa for security reasons. Their win came in significant part due to the retirement of teammate Carlos Sainz, who had held a commanding lead. Engine trouble again intervened in 2010, limiting them to seventh, but they recovered strongly in 2011 to finish runner-up to teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Following Volkswagen's withdrawal from the Dakar, de Villiers and von Zitzewitz joined the South African Imperial Toyota team for the 2012 and 2013 events. They finished third in 2012 and second overall in 2013 despite taking no stage wins, demonstrating remarkable consistency under a new manufacturer. In 2014 they were the best non-Mini crew, winning the final stage to seal fourth place overall — de Villiers' eighth top-five result in eleven Dakar starts.
De Villiers later competed with Toyota Gazoo Racing SA in the Hilux, using events such as the Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1,000 Desert Race to build seat time in preparation for subsequent Dakar campaigns.
De Villiers participated in the 2009 Race of Champions, forming a team alongside David Coulthard. The pair did not advance from the group stages of the Nations Cup, and de Villiers finished at the foot of his group in the individual competition, underscoring that his exceptional talent was most at home on the open desert rather than a dedicated motorsport arena.
Giniel de Villiers stands as one of South Africa's most accomplished motorsport exports and one of the great Dakar specialists of his generation. His career arc — from touring car champion to Dakar winner to multi-decade podium contender — reflects unusual versatility combined with the physical and mental endurance the Dakar demands above all else. His partnership with navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz became one of the most celebrated driver-navigator combinations in rally-raid history, built on shared experience across multiple manufacturers and countless competitive kilometres.