Top tips for cheaper car hire
Hiring a car is a great, inexpensive way to make the most of a holiday. This summer, make renting a car even better value for money by following these tops tips from Holiday Autos.1 – Shop around for the best available deals – Use a car hire broker like Holiday Autos as these source low cost car hire from a wide range of suppliers and are more likely to get good value vehicles.
2 – Book your car as early as possible when there is still plenty of availability and prices are low. Booking your car hire at the last minute during the summer holidays or peak winter ski season can prove up to 40% more expensive.
3 – Compare prices between downtown and airport pick up locations as collecting cars at the airport can be more expensive vs. a small taxi charge to and from the downtown location.
4 – Use sites such as petrolprices.com to find out where the cheapest petrol is in the UK.
5 – Some countries are renowned for their cheap petrol. Venezuela is the cheapest with a litre costing less than 2p. The US is 47p per litre and Dubai 20p, whilst in Europe one of the cheapest countries to get petrol is Spain at 96p per litre. In the UK, the average price for a litre is £1.19.
6 – Make sure you read the terms and conditions thoroughly for your car hire and note how much petrol should be in your tank when returning a vehicle. Some companies ask for empty or full tanks and some just ask to have the same amount in as when the car was picked up.
7 - Take advantage of Excess Waiver cover and Cancellation protection schemes as they offer cover in the event you have an accident or if you need to cancel your booking at short notice. Holiday Autos offers a Total Damage Excess Waiver product which includes cover for items such as windscreen, interiors, punctured tyres and undercarriage for as little as £4.50 a day.
8 – Make sure that you are fully aware of what is included in the price that you pay up front and make a note at the time of booking of what remains to be paid locally to avoid any bad surprises when arriving at your destination. Many fees such as ski racks and child seats are chargeable extras at the destination even though you may request and be quoted the cost at the time of booking.
9 - Some car hire firms, such as Holiday Autos, offer a price match service providing you are comparing a like for like car hire offer – use these services to get the car you want at the price you want.
10 - If you hire cars regularly - become a subscriber to any newsletters or loyalty schemes to get access to exclusive offers and to find out about the latest offers.
11 – Book your car hire before you travel as it can cost 20-50% higher if you wait to book in resort.
12 – Eco-friendly hybrid cars may be slightly more expensive to hire but for long distances a fuel tank will take you twice as far. Holiday Autos is one of the major car hire brokers to offer hybrid cars in several destinations.