Save Money on Your Holiday Car Hire

Every summer millions of us jet off somewhere and get behind the wheel of a car hire car, but are we always getting a good deal?

WHEN TO BOOK

The first thing to point out is that you will always be better off booking your hire car well in advance, never leave it until you get out there.

As an example, if you are booking a cheap car now for Tenerife or Malaga for example, then you are probably paying £12-15 a day, leave it until you get there and this is likely to soar to anywhere between £40-50 a day.

So if you are going away in the next week or two or your holiday is months away … BOOK NOW!

We would get on a price comparison site like Kayak.co.uk or a popular car rental company and book.

FUEL SCAMS

Here’s a quick tip if you are looking for a fairly short hire (just a few days) whilst away.

Many car hire companies where they let you take away a car with a full tank and return it empty.

The problem is that you are going to pay £100+ for the tank of fuel for a medium sized car and if you only use half of it, it wasted money. So look at the hire fuel options so that you pay for just what you use. This can be a big hidden cost that care hire firms use abroad.

INSURANCE SCAMS

The other big scan with car hire overseas is the insurance.

We all feel that nothing bad is going to happen when driving abroad and you might want just the basic insurance; but when you collect your vehicle at the desk you are often put under pressure to up the insurance with scare stories about how much you might need to pay if you return it with mechanical problems or scratches etc. and this would mean you having to pay a large excess.

We have had car hire companies wanting £12+ a day insurance, where companies like moneymaxim.co.uk can often provide a whole trips insurance for the same price or less.

In addition, it’s always worth spending a few £’s on excess insurance just in case you need to pay some.

INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE

You will need to pay for an international driving license, but if you're driving in Europe on holiday then you don't need one as the UK Driving Licence is sufficient (and probably will be after Brexit).

However, if you're going beyond Europe an international driving licence recommended in most countries and required in some (including the USA). Cheapest place to get it is at the post office where it's only £5.50. There is also a good check on https://www.postoffice.co.uk/international-driving-permit#IDP-Checker to see if you do actually need one for where you are going.

DRIVING TO FRANCE?

If you are planning to drive to France in your own car, then you might need a 'clean air' windscreen stickers as it is now a legal requirement in some French cities (including Paris, and Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg and Marseille etc.).

This little certificates (called Crit'Air vignettes) are part of a new sticker system that identify what emissions your vehicle produces, and they are a legal requirement in French cities with the poorest air quality.

Not displaying one of these stickers could lead to a £60 fine.

You apply for them via the official Crit’Air website.



FROM OUR PARTNERS

OUR BEST HINTS AND TIPS TO SAVE MONEY:

Book Cheap Overseas Holidays:
We tend to use lastminute.com, they constantly return some of the cheapest holidays abroad and they don't have to be made at the last minute either!

Book Cheap UK Holidays:
We use TravelSupermarket and Easyjet - maybe not known for their UK breaks, but they have some really cheap deals for hotels and B&B's around the country.

Travel insurance:
Holiday Extras can be difficult to beat, you can also book your airport parking from them too. Never leave home without your travel insurance to protect yourself from illness, injury, theft, and cancellations.

If you are looking for other areas to save money when booking holidays check out our Discounts and Deals page. We list all the ones we use to save money when we travel – and that will save you time and money too!

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