Rhizobia, known for their nitrogen-fixing abilities, have been explored for their potential plant growth-promoting (PGP) mechanisms beyond nitrogen fixation. This study aimed to identify efficient rhizobia isolates exhibiting multiple PGP traits. A total of 72 groundnut nodulating rhizobia isolates were screened in vitro for various PGP traits, including phosphate solubilization, production of indoleacetic acid (IAA), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), different hydrolytic enzyme production, and antifungal activity. Results revealed that 72% of the isolates produced IAA, ranging from 7.4 to 78.8 μg.ml−1, while 23.6% of the isolates demonstrated tri-calcium phosphate solubilization capabilities. Although all isolates produced ammonia, two isolates exhibited particularly strong production. Only two isolates demonstrated the ability to produce hydrogen cyanide. Enzymatic production analysis indicated that 50% and 48% of the tested isolates displayed protease and cellulase activities, respectively, while chitin hydrolysis was not observed. Furthermore, only 13.8% of the isolates exhibited inhibitory effects against the test pathogen F. oxysporum, with GNR-07 displaying the highest inhibition potential (42.3%), followed by GNR-03 (28%) and GNR-28 (25.8%). Remarkably, all isolates (100%) exhibited multiple PGP properties, ranging from 3 to 7 out of 8 traits (37.5% - 87.5%). Isolates GNR-37 and GNR-28 demonstrated superior performance, exhibiting the highest number of PGP properties (87.5%), including antifungal activity. Additionally, isolates GNR-43, GNR-19, GNR-03, and GNR-07 displayed 75% of the tested PGP characters. These findings suggest that these isolates hold promising potential as plant growth-promoting rhizobial (PGPR) inoculants. However, further evaluation of their performance under greenhouse and field conditions is necessary.