With half term approaching, it’s time to get your car hire booked if you haven’t already done so. But where do you start? At this time of year, car hire deals are readily available. But how do you know if the deal you’re getting is good or not and are all those extras worthwhile?
Photo by: Comugnero Silvana/Fotolia
Prices
Let’s run a quick comparison to highlight things to be aware of. We’ll pretend we’re looking to hire an economy car from Alicante Airport between May 28th and June 4th. We want 2 drivers, no excess, and full insurance cover (if you’re not sure what this covers, check out our guide to car hire insurance). We compare some prices and come up with the following deals:
| Economy Car Hire | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | |
| Headline price | £67 | £35.58 | £26.93 |
Well, that was easy wasn’t it! We obviously go with competitor number 2. But then you dig a little deeper and discover that £26 gets you, well, not a lot.
| Economy Car Hire | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | |
| Headline price | £67 | £35.58 | £26.93 |
| Extra driver | Included | £30.04 (€5.37 per day – max €70.25) |
£25.17 (€4.50 per day – max €50) |
| No Insurance Excess / ERI | Included | £36.33 (£5.19 per day) |
£37.73 (£5.39 per day) |
| Excess amount | N/A | €950 | €950 |
| Top-up insurance | £17.50 (£2.50 per day) |
£50.96 (£7.28 per day) |
£307.68 (€55 per day) |
| Total | £84.50 | £101.95 | £397.51 |
Remember, the price you see is only the base price and won’t include the things you actually need. So that great deal of £26.93 a week isn’t looking so good now is it? Unless you don’t want an extra driver, any insurance protection, and are happy to pay €950 for a scuffed bumper.
Always dig a little deeper and make sure you’re getting a quote for what you need. ALWAYS check to see what the excess is and ALWAYS ensure you’re comparing like for like.
When to book and where
99% of the time you’ll get a better deal booking well in advance. Suppliers will have a full complement of vehicles and want to ensure they’re booked out. This also means you’ll have a wide selection of cars to choose from so you can book what you need rather than what you can get.
If there’s a shortage of vehicles near the rental date, prices are likely to rocket.
If possible, collect from a city location rather than the airport as prices tend to be lower at downtown locations.
What car do you need?
Be sensible when choosing the vehicle type. If an economy vehicle will do, don’t book an SUV. On the other hand, don’t book something small and think “I’ll upgrade if it’s not big enough” as this could incur a hefty price tag.
Take what you can
Photo by: Jenny Thompson/Fotolia
If you need child seats or GPS, take them with you instead of renting. Many airlines such as BA will allow you to check in a child or booster seat for free whilst a Satnav can cost well over £100 for a week and you’ll also have to leave a £2-300 deposit! Just ensure it has a European map installed.
Insurance
Yay! Insurance! Everyone’s favourite topic. If you book through us, you’ll have either Excess Reimbursement Insurance or No Insurance Excess included in your booking for free. They have different names but have the same effect: in the event of a collision, you won’t be out of pocket (unless you were negligent).
We also offer Top-up insurance for £2.50 per day to cover pretty much everything else. Whether you buy insurance through us or a 3rd party, it’s ALWAYS cheaper than buying the rental car provider’s insurance upon collection. They (hopefully not the guys we work with) may try and scare you by saying the UK bought insurance isn’t valid but it is. They’re salesmen working on commission and some will try anything.
Car hire deals
Keep an eye on our newsletters for any offers or other tips on car hire. But you don’t need coupons to get regular car hire deals. If you’re sensible and read the small print so you know what’s included and what isn’t, you’re half way there. Plan ahead and never turn up at the collection desk and think “oh, I need to add X to my booking”.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be amazed at how much you can save.
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