Countries outside of the Eurozone suffer badly as low vehicle availability affects car hire prices

4 August 2010 – The average price for a rental car is far steeper this August compared to last according to a study completed by Carrentals.co.uk.

The price of France car hire along with Spain has gone up significantly and the study also looked at UK, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Portugal and Madeira, Greece, USA and Ireland. The figure came from a study that looked at the price of car rentals booked between March and May for the August period of both years.

Turkey has been the worst hit by the price increases as the country suffers a massive 76% increase. The USA were second worst as the country puts its prices for car rental up by 48% while Croatia prices went up by 46%.

Gareth Robinson is the Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk and he said the following about the increase in prices for hire cars: “Over the last year, prices have gone up massively and many companies are suffering in the wake of the recession. Fleets have been somewhat depleted meaning that the price of car hire has gone up and this is happening throughout all the major holiday destinations around the world.”

The UK prices only went up by a marginal 8% but the country remains a costly place to rent a car out as it was so expensive last year. France and Spain ranked fourth and fifth in the rankings for steepest price hikes and although Spain witnessed an increase of 40% and France 37%; France is still a more expensive option.

Talking about the best ways to save money when renting a car this year, Gareth went on to offer some advice on how to ensure you don’t pay over the odds: “We looked at the amount that people saved when booking in advance and the difference is huge. Some people saved £150 just by booking in March rather than May for their summer rental and these people also get to choose from a wider choice of cars.”

Greece car rentals are still expensive even though the country is the only place to report a decrease in prices. Madeira proves to show its worth as a popular holiday destination as it boasts the best value for money for car rental options at just over £27 per day.

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.
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*All figures are based on average daily rental prices for bookings made between March and May for August 2009 and 2010, respectively. The bookings analysed account for a 30% sample of all bookings made via Carrentals.co.uk during these periods.

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

Tags: car hire, Car rental, Cheap, compare, Europe, Prices, UK, USA, Worldwide

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