Hire Expert Carrentals.co.uk Offers Tips on Avoiding High Car Rental Costs

Released on: July 01, 2010, 5:23 am
Author: Carrentals.co.uk
Industry: Travel

Award-winning price comparison website gives out advice to help consumers save money and address lack of transparency

01 July 2010 – As car hire prices remain high for the summer, award-winning online car hire specialist Carrentals.co.uk has handed out advice for helping people save money on a wide range of car hire.

Carrentals.co.uk carried out a survey of more 1,500 people which revealed that over one quarter admitted to having been subject to additional expensive charges on car rental, something they put down to a lack of clarity on the part of hire provider companies.

Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, comments: “Our survey showed that many people clearly want increased transparency from companies when renting a car. Lots of people admitted to having been subject to high costs on top of the initial rental fee. So our goal is to help people be as informed as possible to about additional high charges on things like insurance and fuel surcharges so that they can relax and enjoy their trip.”

Carrentals.co.uk has put together the below hints and advice on keeping car hire excess costs down:

Credit Card Requirement – Most car hire companies will insist on a credit card being supplied with the main, named driver’s name on it. Some people assume that they can use any traveller’s car, but it usually has to be the main driver – a passenger’s card will rarely suffice.

Excess Insurance – Numerous charges on car hire policies and agreements exist such as excess insurance fees, so it can be an idea to have excess charge insurance from a third party provider to help avoid expensive charges. If you do already have Collision Damage Excess Waiver insurance, always carry a copy of the policy with you. Carrentals.co.uk offers Collision Damage Excess Waiver policies from Questor Insurance from just £3.99 a day.

Border Charges – Taking a rental car over a border into another country typically carries a charge with it, so to avoid paying a high extra fee for this it is best to check with the provider about how much it costs to take a rental into another nation.

One Way Rentals – Anyone who wants to book a rental car for a one way journey should be aware that companies charge more for this – sometimes up to £300 per hire. So it is worth getting in touch with your provider in advance to check that they don’t charge the earth for a one way rental.

Out of Hours – If collecting a car in a smaller location where the pick up office might not be based in an airport and open at all hours then there can be a charge for getting an office opened up to collect a vehicle. If travelling to a smaller destination check that there isn’t an additional charge for picking up your car at odd hours.

Fuel Policies – There are a variety of policies on fuel and the most common of them include: taking the car back having filled the tank again, paying specifically for the fuel used, and picking up the car with a full tank and returning it empty. This last one can be costly though as many rental providers charge up to 40% over the pump price to refill the vehicle themselves.

Child Seats – Child seats are bookable if available but they can be expensive – more than £60 a week in some cases. So to save money, if baggage limitations allow, you might want to consider taking your own child seat with you from home.

The Carrentals.co.uk car hire tips are included in the company’s ‘Raising the Standard’ campaign, in which the company calls for more fairness and transparency in the travel sector. For further information on Raising the Standard or to use the forum, read the blog or to get travel advice papers, visit Raising the Standard.

Carrentals.co.uk compares car hire deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, easyCar, Holiday Autos and Sixt, in over 9,000 locations worldwide.

To compare the latest car hire deals visit www.carrentals.co.uk.

/ends.

About Carrentals.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk was launched in February 2003 and grew to become one of the UK's leading online car hire companies by 2006. In 2007 the company re-launched its site to create the first major online price comparator in the travel industry. Using the latest technology the Carrentals.co.uk site now searches up to 50 different car hire websites, providing an impartial comparison of the best prices available in over 9,000 locations. Websites searched include Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, easyCar, Ebookers, Hertz, Holiday Autos, Opodo, Sixt and Thrifty, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type. The Carrentals.co.uk site also features over 5,000 pages of travel information in a mini-guide format.

In 2008 Carrentals.co.uk was voted Best Car Hire Website in the Travolution Awards. To book or for further information visit www.carrentals.co.uk

Media Contact:
Debbie Williams and Jenny White
Context
T: 01625 511966
F: 01625 511967
carrentals@contextpr.co.uk
www.contextpr.co.uk

Contact Details: Helen Y.
press@asapventures.co.uk
www.carrentals.co.uk

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