Holiday car hire rip offs that can triple the cost of a car

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young cheerful woman sitting in ...
young cheerful woman sitting in ...



You might think you've got a brilliant deal on car hire for your holiday. You may be congratulating yourself on booking early, when prices were lower, and finding a bargain. However, you could still fall prey to the five common car hire tricks that firms employ at the desk - and in the process you could see the cost of your 'bargain' triple.

Research from iCarhireinsurance.com looked at the cost of hiring a car in five popular spring destinations (Tenerife, Nice, Barcelona, Milan and Larnaca) - from five popular companies (Avis, Budget, Sixt, Europcar and Hertz), and the cost of common extras.

It found that Budget in Larnaca, Cyprus, was charging just £120 for the hire of a car in a sample week. However, it also charged £168 for excess waiver insurance, £27 for an extra driver, £55 for a sat nav and £27 for a child's car seat. These extras at the rental desk add up to £277 - tripling the original hire cost.

Excess waiver insurance

By far the most expensive extra that companies will try to add is the "excess waiver insurance". This is meant to protect you from the enormous excess charges imposed by the car hire firm if you were to have an accident. If you are travelling somewhere where you know driving is something of a contact sport, you may be tempted, but the study found that it can easily double the cost of your car hire.

The average cost for a week in the study was £111, while Hertz and Europcar charge almost £200 in pricey Milan. Clearly icarinsurance.com has a vested interest in pointing out that you can pick up a stand-alone policy to cover the same thing for £31.92 for a week. However, the experts agree that if you want this sort of cover, stand-alone insurance is a far cheaper way of getting it.

An Extra Driver

When you're tired after your flight, the idea of being able to hand over at least part of the driving to someone else is particularly appealing. However, it comes at a cost. The study found that the most expensive place to add an extra driver was in Milan, costing £63 with Hertz. The average price was £46 across the five destinations. A young driver, generally under 25 years, could cost over £200 in Nice, with Hertz charging £203 and Europcar charging £205.

It's therefore worth thinking through how much value you will get from having an extra driver. It may be something you are willing to pay for, but it shouldn't be a decision you make out of tiredness on your arrival.

A Sat Nav

The rental of sat nav can be astronomical. The most expensive place to rent a sat nav was in Milan and Nice with Avis charging £98 in both destinations. The most reasonable charge was in Tenerife, where Avis charged £30. The average price across the study was £68.

For this sort of money, you can easily pick up a second-hand sat nav for the country of your choice, or buy an app or a package for your existing sat nav that works overseas.

A Child's Car Seat

The most expensive place to rent a child's seat is in Milan, with Budget charging £137 for the week's hire, while in Larnaca, Sixt only charged £24. Expect to pay between £43 to £70 for the week, with an average price of £52 across the study.

Clearly it's far cheaper to take one of your own. Most airlines will allow you to pack a baby seat as part of your luggage allowance. If you are after a booster seat, you can pack a cheap seat, and leave it behind to make space for souvenirs. You can also buy booster seats that double as hand luggage for children. It'll cost more to buy these than to hire a car seat, but you can get them second hand, or sell them on after your holiday.

A bigger car

This wasn't included in the study, but is always a risk. When you initially choose a car, make an informed decision. Think carefully about how many passengers you have, how much luggage you have, and how big those suitcases are. Then pick something you can all fit into.

On your arrival, the person on the desk will look concerned and tell you that you won't fit in. They will then offer you a larger car at a higher price. If you have thought carefully about your initial choice, you can immediately reject their offer, and save your money.

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