Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, booking a hire car while overseas gives you the freedom to move about as and when you please. But if you’re not careful, the costs can mount up - and many of them are avoidable.
Here are ten tips on how to get the cheapest car rental, making your holiday car hire cheaper and easier to arrange:
1. Use comparison sites to find the cheapest car hire option
Using a comparison website to find a hire car is the easiest way to reduce costs. However, take the time to read the terms and conditions since they can vary; a cheaper option may not best suit your needs. Key things to look out for include damage excess fees and insurance overcharging. Additionally, some cheaper firms may have older models, or less choice.
Try using a few comparison sites, as certain ones are better for particular destinations.
Once you've selected and booked a car, the site will send you a code to give to the hire firm.
You can also consider utilising the internet to search for car rental discount codes to make the final cost cheaper.
2. Book ahead
As with most things, booking a hire car in advance can save you a substantial amount of money.
Depending on what time of year you need a hire car may influence the price. The costliest periods are Easter, the summer holidays and Christmas, but you can still make savings during these times by organising your hire car weeks or months before your departure date.
3. Fuel stealth charges
Some hire firms give you a full tank of petrol and charge you for it. This is fine if you use it all up, but for shorter trips you could be seriously out of pocket. In addition, hire companies often charge more for this fuel than you would be charged at local petrol stations.
When it comes to economy booking car hire, it's best to go for 'return as you found it' policies, or at the very least choose a car with a smaller fuel tank.
4. Watch out for excess insurance scare tactics
In most cases basic insurance will be included with your car. However, many hire firms will tell you – rightly – that you'll be liable for the excess, and offer you costly excess insurance (around £15/day depending on the model, firm and location).
You can avoid being scared into purchasing excess cover by buying standalone excess insurance. By doing so you can usually get excess cover for a much lower price than you'll get at the hire desk.
Some unscrupulous car hire firms say they don’t accept third-party standalone cover – but stand your ground, because such a policy functions independently of the car hire company.
Avoiding a hire firm’s costly excess cover is one of the keys to economy booking car hire.
5. Beware large credit card deposits when opting for standalone excess cover
While excess cover can help you cut costs, car hire firms will often require a credit card deposit in case you damage the car. Debit cards are usually not accepted for this.
You'll need between £500-£1500 capacity on any card used for a deposit when you book a hire car.
Aside from worrying about losing this large amount (which could happen if your car suffers even a small scratch), you could lose out on currency fluctuations. This is because some firms take the deposit off your card, then return it when you bring the car back in one piece. While the money is gone, you could lose or make money, depending which way the currency moves.
6. Inspect your car and take pictures and videos if possible
By having photos and videos at the ready when you return the vehicle, you will have recourse if there is any disagreement. The vast majority of car hire branches do not take photos - chiefly because of the cost of camera equipment and storage - plus the time and admin it would take.
Thankfully, most of us have high resolution smartphone cameras that can be used for collecting this evidence.
Additionally, the process of photographing your hire car may help you identify any pre-existing damage/scratches/missing kit before you drive off.
7. Sort out your DVLA check code up to 21 days in advance
Some car hire companies may ask to see your driving licence information when you pick up your hire vehicle. You can do this by requesting a DVLA check code up to 21 days before you pick up a car overseas. Each code can only be used once, so if you have requested one before, you will need to request a new one.
Some hire firms don't ask for this, but it's best to be prepared, just in case. The code enables firms to check your driving licence information, such as points on your license.
Visit the DVLA website or call 0300 083 0013.
8. Use your phone as a satnav
Satnav can cost up to £50 per week to rent from hire firms – another cost that many of us might find unnecessary.
Most phones now have GPS, so use a map service like Google Maps or Apple Maps – and give the rental firm's satnav the heave-ho.
You should ensure your smartphone is well fixed to the dashboard or windscreen so you don’t need to hold or interact with it, making sure that the phone does not obstruct your view or provide a distraction.
9. Cut costs by using overseas websites via a VPN
It may be cheaper to book a hire car from an overseas version of a big brand's website - by using a VPN (virtual private network). For example, carhirefirmx.fr may be cheaper than carhirefirmx.co.uk.
While there is a cost to using a VPN, you could easily cover this with the savings you make by using an overseas website.
While this technique doesn’t usually work with flights and hotels, it can be very effective when booking car hire.
10. Get unlimited mileage for big trips
If you're planning a big trip, make sure the terms and conditions don't outline any mileage limits.
Mileage limits that do exist are sufficient for most renters.
Some rental firms offer unlimited mileage (usually except for large or specialty vehicles), generally on the proviso that they are not driven into another country.
Are you covered for your next trip overseas?
Aside from standalone car excess insurance, it's important to protect yourself with a good travel insurance policy while overseas.
Not sure if a hire car is for you?
If you are unsure as to whether or not you would like to hire a car on your next overseas excursion, have you considered taking your own car instead? By taking your own car you can cut down costs by not needing to pay for an array of add-ons and extras on top of the initial cost of hiring the car itself. If you do decide to use your own car, it is worth considering getting reliable and trustworthy European breakdown cover for that added peace of mind. With cover in over 40 countries, whether you are travelling by car or motorcycle* we have got you covered!
As a Which? Recommended Provider for Breakdown Services since 2019, we offer annual breakdown cover policies for the UK, UK and Europe and Short Term European Breakdown Cover, enabling you to find a policy to suit your needs and offer you peace of mind that a breakdown won't ruin your break.
Check out our European Breakdown cover and see how much you could save
*Car or motorcycle must be under 10 years of age.
