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Car Hire in Europe
There's no doubt that hiring a car during your holiday makes getting around a lot easier. Before you choose your car, keep these points in mind:
- Book early, the closer to your departure date, the more expensive the car is likely to be. Aim to book at least three weeks early.
- Look for special deals. Special deals may include an extra days car hire or discounts for travel on certain days.
or for booking a certain number of days, upgrades to a larger model. Avis, for example, once offered a deal that charged more for two days’ rental for small cars than 3 days. If you rented five days, you got two for free. Some of these deals may be irrelevant. Others will work to your advantage.
- Find out if membership with a particular airline will entitle you to a discount or an upgrade.
- If you're hiring a car after a flight, consider renting your vehicle from a non-airport location, as many airport offices levy an extra charge.
- Ask about special offers or other deals.
- Watch out for the extras added to the total cost.
- Check that the price includes insurance. In the UK, all major car hire firms include insurance in the price, but some smaller firms may not.
- Make sure that the cost of the car hire includes whatever you may need for the journey, for example GPS, a ski rack or child seats.
- Before you hire, ask about the fuel charges. Do you need to return the car with a full tank of petrol?
- Always ask if the car hire comes with restricted mileage. Do you need unlimited mileage? Some of the small firms will allow the first 100 miles free, but levy a charge after that.
When the keys are handed over, it's easy to run out of the agency, get in the car and drive off. Before you drive off, keep these points in mind:
- Always check the insurance excess on your policy. Many car hire firms will apply a large excess, sometimes of £500 or more. You may want to buy this down.
- Be aware of late return charges. You may incur extra charges even if you are only an hour late when returning the vehicle.
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