Posts Tagged ‘Budget car hire’

• Hire Website Carrentals.co.uk Serves Up Hints and Tips for Keeping Rental Costs Lower

  Submitted by asap_press on 28.06.2010 09:23:40

  travel / tourism

  Online comparator website recommends more transparency in car hire and offers tips and advice for car hire value

  15 June 2010 – With car rental prices rising for the summer season, award-winning car hire price comparator Carrentals.co.uk is handing out tips to help people find the best value on car hire.

  Carrentals.co.uk recently surveyed 1,500 people about car hire and discovered that more than a quarter has had to pay unexpected high fees for car hire, and many of them attributed this to a lack of transparency on the part of hire providers.

  Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “The poll we carried out shows that there is a need for increased clarity in car hire, with many respondents saying that they felt they paid expensive charges on top of the rental fee. We want everyone to be able to relax when renting a car without worrying about how to keep charges like insurance and fuel surcharges down.”

  Carrentals.co.uk has handed out some advice on car hire to help people keep costs down:

  •    Credit Card Requirement – Always have a credit card with the driver’s name on it to pay for the vehicle hire, that of a passenger in the car will not be sufficient.
  
  •    Excess Insurance – Keep an eye out for expensive excess charges on the policy. Buying an excess charge insurance policy in advance from a third party is an excellent way to save money. Keep a copy of your Collision Damage Excess Waiver insurance with you. Carrentals.co.uk offers Collision Damage Excess Waiver policies from Questor Insurance for only £3.99 a day.

  •    Border Charges – Check with your hire company to see whether you have to pay a charge for driving the rental car into another country.

  •    One Way Rentals – Anybody who wants to hire a car one way should remember that suppliers often charges as much as £300 for this, so check in advance what the costs are before booking your hire car.

  •    Out of Hours – Some rental companies in smaller destinations will charge the hirer for picking up a car ‘out of hours’. If they have to open their office at unusual hours then they can charge a fee.

  •    Fuel Policies – These typically vary by the company that hires the car, and there are three types – returning the car with a full tank, paying for that fuel you have used and picking it up with a full tank and taking it back empty. This last policy can be expensive because car hire firms charge up to 40% more than pump prices to refill themselves.

  •    Child Seats – Simple enough to hire but prices and availability can vary. Can be charged out at up to £60 a week for rental, so if your baggage restrictions allow it, you might want to take one with you from home.

  Carrentals.co.uk’s car hire tips and hints form part of its ‘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