A 16-country study of worldwide car hire costs by iCarhireinsurance.com found travellers pay an average of £317 to rent a compact family car for a week in the summer. However, once ‘extras’ are added at the rental desk, the typical price nearly doubles to £706.

Extras include super damage waiver (average price £112), super theft waiver (£18), tyre and windscreen cover (£31), an extra driver (£50), a sat-nav (£75), a child’s seat (£54), and 40 litres of petrol (£49).

Italy is the most expensive destination for car hire, according to the research, with drivers paying an average of £906 to hire a compact family car with the extras outlined above.

The price is made up of £364 for the week’s rental, £132 for super damage waiver, £61 super theft waiver, £36 tyre and windscreen cover, £56 for an extra driver, £108 to borrow a sat-nav, £91 for a child’s car seat, and £58 for 40 litres of petrol.

iCarhireinsurance.com compared prices across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, The Netherlands, UK, and the USA from six rental companies (Sixt, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise and Europcar).

Paying the price at the pumps

It found petrol costs varied widely between destinations. The cheapest place to fill up is the USA where a full tank of petrol typically costs £26, half the price of European petrol prices, which range from £48 in Spain, to £58 in the UK, Greece and Italy, and £65 in the Netherlands.

The US is the cheapest place to hire a car overall with a week’s rental typically costing £231 and the listed extras, including 40 litres of petrol, £215. Turkey was second cheapest with a week’s rental £292 and extras £229.

The study found the basic car rental rate varied from an average £183 in London, to £289 in Croatia, and £318 in New Zealand. The figure stood at more than £400 in Greece (£459), Portugal (£428), Canada (£419), and France (£417).

Among the most expensive extras were £151 for a child’s car seat with Budget in Milan, £112 for an extra driver in Barcelona with Hertz, and £154 for a sat-nav with Budget in Geneva.

Costly excess waiver insurance

iCarhireinsurance.com found excess waiver insurance is the most expensive extra cost at the rental desk. These policies protect drivers from the excess cost if their hire car is stolen or damaged. Excesses are typically more than £1,000 but are as high as £2,768 with Europcar in Sydney.

Ernesto Suarez, founder and CEO of iCarhireinsurance.com, said: “Our annual study highlights the importance of shopping around when booking your hire car, as the cost of the basic rental, let alone any extras, such as child car seats and sat navs, can vary by hundreds of pounds. It might even affect the choice of country you decide to visit.

“With excess liability now more than £2,500 in some countries, it is important that drivers have excess insurance. However the policies bought from the rental desk are often very expensive, and can be confusing, with damage waiver, theft waiver, and tyre and windscreen cover. Drivers should do their research in advance and buy a car hire excess insurance policy from a specialist insurance company, like iCarhireinsurance.com, before they leave, and if possible take their sat nav, and child car seats with them.”