Cutting Car Rental Costs
When on holiday although not always necessary to have a car, it can make it much easier to get
around and enjoy your time while you’re there. No need to hassle with public transport this way,
and you’re not tied to a timetable either. The cost however can be a bit of an issue, so here are
a few steps to help you cut the costs.
Do you need to rent a car?
First thing to decide is if you really need to rent a car at all, if you’re holidaying in Europe, you could opt to travel with your own car rather than rent one while you’re away.
Alternatively, if everything you wish to do and see is within close range of your hotel then
why not try hiring a bike or two instead?
What do you really need?
Having established that renting a car is the best thing for you, establish what you actually need. Do you need air conditioning? Which of you will be driving, do you need to put all of you on the insurance, or would one driver be cheaper? You may have a large family estate at home, but would a smaller car be ok for just a week or two? The smaller the vehicle, generally, the cheaper it is to rent. How far do you plan to drive? If you are only going to do short distances, going for a limited mileage option may be cheaper than an unlimited
mileage one. If extras such as child car seats or sat nav are included and you don’t need them, then ask if removing them will reduce the cost.
Comparison sites
Once you’ve established what you need, use a comparison site or two such as Expedia or Priceline to help you find the cheapest options. Try looking at fly-drive options as well, as sometimes these can be cheaper too. Remember to check out your airline’s website as well, as sometimes these have special offers on.
Once you’ve found the best deal possible, if it’s online, then think about going to the comparison
site or car hire site through a cashback site. You could get up to 5% back this way.
Car Insurance
Make sure you understand all the different types of car insurance and choose the one which is actually relevant to you. Find out what if anything is already covered on your travel insurance before you make your decision. Look at the excess level, and if you travel regularly several times a year, find out whether annual car hire insurance is something which might be beneficial to you.
Inspect Your Car
Before you get in and drive away, inspect your car, if there are dents or scratches make sure that a note is made that these already exist before you take the car, otherwise when you return it, you may find yourself paying for damage someone else incurred. Whenyou drop the car off after using it, stay while the inspection is done, this way again you can avoid bumps and scratches being assigned to you that weren’t yours.