Winter Tyres – Must Be Booked In Addition To Car Hire, Warns Carrentals.co.uk

Released on: December 16, 2010, 3:48 pm
Author: Helen Young
Industry: Travel

Price comparison website informs skiers that winter tyres and snow chains should be booked in advance to avoid lack of supply.

16 December 2010 – Skiers are being advised by leading price comparison website Carrentals.co.uk to ensure that winter tyres and snow chains are booked as part of their car hire in order to guarantee availability and avoid incurring extra charges.

Winter tyres and snow chains usually incur an extra charge by the majority of car hire companies. However, because many skiers expect that these will be included in the price of their vehicle hire, they fail to request them at the time of booking. This causes problems with supplier and extra charges for last minute requests.

Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “many winter holiday makers can find the varying laws on winter tyres to be confusing. They expect that winter tyres will be included with their car hire, but many car hire companies class this as an additional extra. If requested winter tyres come as part of a ‘snow pack’ and costs vary depending on the company. “

The laws and recommendations regarding winter tyres are as follows:

Country - Winter Tyres Requirement
Austria - Compulsory between 1st November and 15th April
Canada - Recommended for mountain driving or snowy conditions, but not mandatory
France - Recommended for mountain driving or snowy conditions, but not mandatory
Italy - Recommended during the winter months as weather conditions cannot be predicted
Sweden - Compulsory for Swedish registered vehicles between 1st December and 31st March
Switzerland - Not mandatory, but drivers may be fined for not having winter tyres fitted if involved in an accident
Germany - Not mandatory, but drivers may be fined for not having winter tyres fitted if involved in an accident
USA - Recommended for mountain driving or snowy conditions, but not mandatory

“When travelling to countries like Geneva or Milan, customers may not require car hire to drive in the mountains and so companies do not assume that winter tyres are needed, which is why they ask that skiers request them at the time of booking. Winter tyres should be booked well in advance to guarantee availability and avoid any hidden charges.

Drivers are advised to carry snow chains at all times just in case conditions require them.

Gareth adds that, “Although customers may rent snow chains from their car hire company of choice, these come at a cost and may not be used. It is recommended that these are purchased from a local supermarket and then they can be returned if they are unused.

Current deals on car hire in ski destinations include, rental from £15 per day at Milan Malpensa Airport; Calgary Airport from £26 per day; from £24 per day at Geneva Airport; and Salzburg Airport from £21 per day.

Carrentals.co.uk is the leading comparator for brands such as Alamo, Budget, Holiday Autos, Auto Europe, and Sixt. Visit www.carrentals.co.uk to compare deals on ski destinations.

*All prices are based on 7 day rentals from 10 January 2011 and are subject to change
/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 10,000 locations.

Websites searched include Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, 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, and in 2010 it was Highly Commended in the Best Meta-search/Price Comparison category. To book or for further information visit www.carrentals.co.uk

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

Contact Details: Helen Young
press@asapventures.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk
www.carrentals.co.uk
0845 871 2069

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