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Five ways to save as hiring a car abroad hits new highs
Anyone who has tried to hire a car for a mid-term or Easter getaway knows that the costs are significantly higher than before the Covid pandemic. But there are ways to cuts the costs, according to one consumer group.
New research by Which? Travel has noted that finding a hire car for Easter getaway could cost 72% more than it did for Easter 2019.
Thinking of Cyprus? A weeklong rental in 2019 was £117 in 2019. Plan to shell out 112% more this holiday: £248, according to Zest Car Rental, based on advance bookings made by 23 January 2023.
Similar Easter-time rentals in Portugal or Greece have doubled. But the US remains the most expensive location for hiring a car: while it was £298 for a week over Easter 2019, the average is now £537, an increase of 80%.
Other examples of price hikes include: Madeira, at £340, up 64%; in Italy it’s £362, up 49%; and in France £364, a rise of 25%.
Which? found similar increases for this month’s half-term school holiday and for early-August holidays with a typical seven-day rental soaring 69% for half-term and 71% for August compared with pre-Covid prices.
Why the increase?
The hikes are blamed in part on rental companies having sold off some of their vehicles to shrink overhead during the pandemic. Carmakers slowed production during lockdown and semi-conductor chips also been in short supply.
And when companies are able to source cars to replenish their fleets, they are being asked to pay thousands of pounds more for each one.
Five ways to save on car hire
So what can a traveller do to cut costs? Which? Travel made the following suggestions.
- Book early
Lock in a price as soon as possible. Expect to pay hundreds of pounds more if you book less than a month in advance for some locations.
- Pay early
You can usually save up to £50 if you pay when you book online. An added bonus is that this makes it harder for companies to jack up the price later on. And keep in mind whether you need a second driver: it’s normally less expensive if you mention this when booking rather than on pick-up day.
- Don’t buy the insurance
Which? Travel says the policies from car hire companies are overpriced and of lower quality than those policies offered by third parties. It recommended excess reimbursement insurance from ChewInsurance for £22.54 to cover a week’s hire in Spain. (It found Europcar offering a £205.28 “protection package” in June.)
- Forget the extras
Instead of paying fees for sat nav, download a free app, such as Navmii, that can show you maps offline without spending your data. If your airline lets you bring a child car seat for free, do so because rentals are pricey and the condition may be questionable.
- Book with a reliable company
Which? Travel said it recommended AutoReisen, Alamo and Enterprise, because of transparent pricing and efforts to offset rising prices and vehicle shortages.
