Cheap Car Hire
A great way to see a country is with a car, however just jumping in a car when you arrive in a foreign country can be a worrying experience if you haven’t done it before. However with our tips you can have a stress free car hire experience and most importantly save some money. A lot of car hire companies will try lots of tricks to get more money out of your pocket but by sticking to your guns you can save big time!
Book Cheap Car Hire Early
By booking early you can make the biggest savings and get cheap car hire in 2023, car hire companies rely on you thinking about it last minute and either booking a few days before or when you arrive at the airport. If you book when you arrive at the airport you could be paying quadruple compared to the person standing next to you in the queue so always book early. The best way to book is online using a range of comparison sites, there are alot of new companies out there now offering car hire but most of these are re-brand of main companies our independent franchises who sub let their cars from the main hire companies. If you are going with a smaller brand you haven’t heard of before do some googling and check their review rating on such sites as trustpilot.
Check What’s Included
When searching all the comparison sites and booking your car there’s a few must haves to make sure you don’t get stung upon returning the car. Without these you could be paying a hefty bill when your drop the car back.
- Unlimited Mileage
Car hire companies offer cheaper prices for limited mileage then a very expensive rate for every mile after, unless you are 100% sure you won’t go past that mileage limit then get a package that includes Unlimited Mileage - Full to Full Policy (Not full to empty)
If you have a full to empty policy you will essentially pay the car company the price to fill the tank and they won’t be saving you any money, furthermore you might not use the full tank where they make even more money off your back. Also if they offer to provide a service where they refill the tank for you no matter how high or low you return it do not accept it. - Includes Insurance & Tax
Check that the policy includes a basic insurance cover as standard, they will more than likely try to upsell you with all these other levels of cover but a basic insurance policy is usually included in the price. However the deposit you pay acts as the excess and this can be very very expensive which brings us onto excess coverage.
Get Excess Coverage
If hiring a car more than once a year a good investment can be getting excess cover insurance, this means if something does happen the excess insurance company will re-imburse you for the hefty excess you’ve paid. Try and get a policy with the following features.
- Multi Named Drivers
So you can add on your partner to drive the vehicle or travel friends. Check the policy wording finely though as usually the booking will always have to be made through the main named driver and they will have to be present. - Roof, Window, Under Car Coverage
This is something car hire companies love to try and charge you a cheeky fine for so if you can get cover then even better.
Pay on a Travel Credit Card!
To stay protected make your purchase using a credit card that won’t charge you any fee when paying in a foreign currency, the cheap hire car hire booking site will usually only take a small brokerage fee and you will have to pay the remaining balance when you arrive there on a credit or debit card. Always pay with a credit card as this gives you more protection and ensure it doesn’t have foreign transaction fees.
Remember you will usually always pay a large deposit so using the credit card means this doesn’t come out of your normal day to day account.
