How you can save money on car hire

In today's economic climate, travel is one area that people really want to save money on. To aid you in your quest to save money on car hire, here are some top tips.

Using A Car Hire Broker
Why would I not go direct to the company that owns the
rental cars?

Car rental companies can never cover all destinations all of the time. No matter how big none of the car rental companies could guarantee to be the cheapest in all locations.

Because a car hire broker usually has contracts with all or most of the major suppliers, plus local and national ones too, they have access to more cars. This gives them an enormous choice of vehicles to rent to you.e. benefit of cars without the need to maintain them or staff offices. Saves the broker overheads and enables those savings to be passed on to you.

Timing
Beware of booking odd hours, the car hire companies charge in increments of 24
hours or part thereof, so going over a 24 hour period will cost an extra days rental.
If possible, make sure your drop off time is the same (or slightly earlier than) your pick up time. This way you will avoid being charged extra for “running over” for what may be only a few hours.

Duration of Hire
Most car hire companies charge the same for 5,6 or 7 days – they treat these periods as a week. Even if you only want 5 or 6 days it can be better to book the week. However, some companies (notably in the US and Canada) charge a penalty for returning a car early – so check at the time of booking.

Choosing Your Car
If you are a large party please make sure the vehicle you choose is large enough – remember all that luggage! Depending on how many of you there are in the party and what everyone is taking baggage wise - it can pay you to rent a smaller car for the trips to and from the airport.

Car Hire Insurance
Be clear on what is covered and what's not, especially check coverage for windshield, underside of car and tires as these very often are not covered - even with 'fully inclusive' insurance. You can often 'top up' your insurances locally at reasonable rates. (it's well worth it for the peace of mind).

Taking a car off road will negate these insurances - even if it's an all terrain vehicle.