Going away for the summer? How you can drive a bargain at the airport as car-rental prices plummet
The good news is car hire prices are beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels following a period immediately after lockdown when they shot up.
This was because many rental companies sold off vehicles, causing a worldwide shortage.
As travel got up and running again demand outstripped supply, but now costs are stabilising. Rental prices have fallen by as much as 47 per cent this year compared to last, according to the consumer experts at Which?
Follow these tips to secure the best deals around – and potentially save a small fortune when returning the car.
Go for a broker
This is key to getting the best deal, says Which? – though, watch out for the difference between ‘broker’ and ‘car hire comparison’ sites. The latter, such as kayak.co.uk and skyscanner.net, simply list prices by comparing websites, whereas brokers vet and hand-pick each company, often negotiating better rates while offering a point of contact if a problem occurs.
The top broker from Which? is zestcarrental.com. When we checked, this easy-to-follow website had a week from Malaga airport from £59.88 in August for an economy car. A similar vehicle from Hertz was £157.05.
It's good news for car-renters as prices are beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels following a prolonged pricey period
Any others worth a try?
Try autoeurope.co.uk, doyouspain.com (as the name suggests, a Spanish specialist, promising to be ‘always cheaper, guaranteed’) and holidayautos.com, holidayextras.com and discovercars.com also have strong Trustpilot ratings.
Time it right
Book four months in advance for the cheapest deals. This is the ‘hotspot’ for savings, according to a survey conducted by travel
supermarket.com which compares car hire offers from more than 20 leading hire car operators including Sixt, Avis and Europcar.
Location is key
Before booking, see whether the car hire company’s office is in the terminal or requires a shuttle bus. It’s much better if it’s only a walk away within the terminal. A quick internet check should establish the exact location.
Insurance lowdown
In Europe, car hire insurance is usually included in prices, with one caveat: ‘excess charges’ are excluded. Excess charges are the amount you must pay regardless of who is to blame for damage to a car, which could be as much as £2,500.
Rental car desk employees may try to sell you ‘excess cover’ but this will be higher than if you book independently before your holiday with cover4rentals.com, worldwideinsure.com or reducemyexcess.co.uk. For example, the price for a week in Spain is from £16 with cover4rentals.com.
Take photos and videos of the vehicle when you collect it and email these to yourself so they are time stamped as people are often charged for damage they did not cause
The power of photos
Take photos and videos of the car when you collect it and email these to yourself immediately so they are time-stamped.
People are regularly charged for damage they were not responsible for. Photographic evidence will settle the matter and mean no hefty repair bill. Also, take a photo of the mileage on pick-up and email it to yourself.
Check cancellation rule
Most companies allow cancellations without charge up to 48 hours before collection. This lets savvy customers book ahead, search for cheaper car hire closer to the time of departure and cancel, if need be, pocketing the difference.
For peace of mind, autoeurope.co.uk also offers a Fully Flexible Cancellation, allowing you to cancel right up until pick‑up time, for an extra 9 per cent. If you need to do so, you will be fully reimbursed.
Avoid 'extra day' fees
When hiring a car, a ‘day’ counts as 24 hours from your pick-up time. It’s worth factoring that in when booking flights. For example, if you arrive at 11am and get your hire car at noon, if will be cheaper to return on a flight allowing you to return the car before noon.
Allow plenty of time for getting off the plane and collecting bags before your official pickup so that another customer can't take the car if you are late
Perfect pick-up
Allow plenty of time for getting off the plane and collecting bags before your official pick-up: i.e., don’t set it for your plane’s landing time. This is not just because you may pay more – there’s also a danger the rental company will give your car to someone else if you are ‘late’.
Most firms only guarantee they’ll hold your car for 30 to 60 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time; sometimes up to two hours.
What if the flight is delayed?
Try to let the renter know as soon as you can, via phone (ideally) or email. However, be aware they still may not hold the vehicle for you, which could mean paying for a more expensive car.
Remember a credit card
Debit cards are not enough to ‘guarantee’ a booking on arrival. A credit card will be required as these have higher limits. It must be the main driver’s card.
Just say 'no'
SAY no to all add-ons – not just for ‘excess cover’ – when you collect the vehicle.
Use your own GPS (available on your smartphone) and bring a child seat from home (most airlines allow you take a child car seat for free). Failing that, book a seat through your broker in advance.
Make sure to fuel up
Go for the ‘full-to-full’ petrol option – if you don’t you’ll be paying far more than you would at a local station. Make sure you bring your fuel receipt with you in case its challenged.
Driving age limits
There are no maximum age limits, usually, although there may be surcharges for those aged over 75. sixt.co.uk says: ‘Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom all have car rental over 80 years old. In parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia there are restrictions or surcharges for senior drivers. It is worth checking in advance the rental information.’
There are plenty of rules regarding your age when it comes to renting cars, both for the young and the elderly
Rules for young
The minimum age for hiring a car varies between countries; it’s 21 in Greece, Italy, Spain and the USA, and 23 here in the UK.
If you’re under 25, there’s almost always a Young Driver Surcharge to cover the perceived higher risk of such rentals.
Rental companies will limit what cars young people can rent; at Hertz you need to be 30 to hire a Jaguar F-Type and 35 for a Ford Transit.
Sixt.co.uk offers a 15 per cent student discount to those who can verify their status.
'Drop-off' fees in the US
When hiring cars in America it’s commonplace to pick up vehicles from one point and return them to another.
When you do so, there can be a ‘drop-off fee’ – and they can be astronomical.
The Avis drop-off fee for a two-week journey from Chicago to San Francisco in September was £932 (avis.co.uk), while for Budget (budget.com) it was none. So the advice is shop around.
Additional reporting by Gabriel Whitwam
