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The end of January is almost here and you may still be feeling the deflation of the Christmas festivities. What better way to give yourself a boost than by booking a holiday? Perhaps you already have one that you’re counting down the days to. When it comes to planning, there are generally two types of people- those who prepare in advance, and those who leave it to the last minute. When it comes to booking a hire car for your holiday, it pays to be from the camp that gets prepared in advance. Here’s why booking car hire early can benefit you.

Why booking car hire early can benefit youPhoto by: Minerva Studio/Adobe Stock

Cost

Booking a car in advance will be cheaper than if you request a car from a rental supplier’s desk on the day of your arrival. The closer you get to your holiday, the less cars there are likely to be available so demand will be higher. This will influence the cost and prices will be higher. The money you save by booking in advance will give you a bit more to spend throughout your holiday.

Availability

Certain vehicle categories such as compact vehicles and family cars will be the highest in demand. Specialist vehicles such as those with an automatic transmission will also be limited. The suppliers are likely to book these vehicles out quickest. The closer you get to your rental dates, the less cars there will be available. Book in advance before you travel to guarantee you get the type of vehicle you want.

Extras

Booking in advance gives you the time to request any additional equipment such as child seats or Sat Navs. Requesting this in advance gives you the assurance that it will be available for you on collection of the vehicle. The supplier will only have a certain number of these so booking nearer the day increases the risk that the equipment will already be out with other bookings.

Booking confirmation

Zest works on a request basis which ensures the supplier confirms they have the vehicle category available and any extra equipment before payment is taken. To allow the supplier appropriate time to respond to the request, we advise you book as early as possible. This way, should the supplier have to decline the booking for whatever reason, there’s enough time to arrange a suitable alternative. You also need to consider time zones. The supplier working in your destination country may not have office opening hours during the same time as those in the UK, particularly New Zealand and Australia.

Top tip: Booking over the weekend can sometimes prolong the confirmation process so bear this in mind when booking.

Get booking car hire early!

Booking early ensures you pay a good price to get the vehicle category that best suits you. Leaving it too late means you’ll pay an increased price as demand inflates the cost and there’ll be less choice of vehicles available to hire.

You can book car hire in over 1200 locations across 65 countries with Zest. Get a quote today for your next holiday.

Written by Jessica Juby.

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  • When it comes to planning a trip and you are looking for hiring a car. You must need to book it in advance Because you have to pay more when you are going to book on the spot. I must follow these points and will prefer to book a car in advance. Great stuff, thanks for sharing.

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