10 tips for finding cheap car hire

10 tips for finding cheap car hire

If you are looking to rent a car, you will quickly discover that there are large price
differences in the market. Car rental prices vary depending on which company you
choose, but other factors such as country, location, time, car type and season also play
their part in pricing. Below are 10 tips on how to obtain the cheapest possible car ­
whether you want to rent a car in Norway or abroad.
1.Book your car rental online
It always pays to book a car over the Internet, because you don’t have to pay
administration charges to the hire company. If you are on holiday and go to a local
rental office, you will almost always find that you have to pay a higher price than on
found on­line. In addition, a local company nay not have the most reasonable cars
available and, at worst, you may have to settle for a far more expensive car, with much
higher standard, than you really need.
2.Book your car early
Many people do not realise that it pays to be early when booking your car rental. Most
car hire companies have a graduated price level, in which it gets more expensive the
closer you get to the actual rental date. As mentioned, the selection of affordable cars
may also be wider if you book early.
3.Compare car rental rates
It is advisable to compare car hire prices from the various companies. Then you will be
able to take advantage of the latest and best deals, thus renting a car at the lowest
possible price. However, calling round to check car hire rates from the different
companies can be a time­consuming affair. A good tip is to use a free price comparison
site on the Internet, such as Rentalcars24.co.uk instead. It is possible to save up to 70%
by booking cheap car hire via a web site offering price comparison.
4.It’s more expensive to rent a car at an airport
It’s often more expensive to rent a car from an airport. The reason for this is that the
rental companies must pay a fee to the airport, increasing rental rates. It is therefore
makes much more sense financially to pick up the hire car somewhere else, if this is
practicable. You could, for example, choose to pick up the rental car in the centre of the
city you are visiting. This must of course be weighed against the transportation costs
from the airport to the city centre.
5.Cheaper at weekends
It is usually cheaper to rent a car at the weekend than during the week. This is primarily
due to the corporate market being concentrated on weekdays. The lower demand for
cars at the weekend, helps the rental companies to lower their prices to compensate.
Some rental companies are quite flexible in how they define a weekend so that you can,
for example, also get cheap car hire from Thursday to Saturday or from Saturday to
Monday.
6.Weekly rental can be favourable
If you plan to rent a car for a period of 4­5 days, you may want to find out how much it
costs to rent a car for a week. Often, it will actually be less expensive. You can’t
automatically take that for granted, but the daily price is normally lower the longer you
rent the car. Weekly rental can, therefore, quite simply pay off.
7.Select the cheapest car type
There are many different types of cars to choose from, and the price level increases
with the standard of the car. So it is make sense to order a small car in the economy
class. Remember that it costs much more to upgrade to a larger car at the local rental
office than to place your order on­line. So it is important to think through in advance
whether you can manage with a small economy car or whether you actually need a
slightly larger model.
8.Avoid one­way rentals
Are you picking up a rental car at one location and dropping it off in another city? Most
car rental companies charge a high fee for this service. In addition, some car hire
companies have only a limited number of cars that can be used for one­way rentals.
9.Remember to fill up with petrol before returning the rental car
When booking a rental car, it is important to read the contract carefully. In many cases,
you are obliged to fill up your petrol tank before returning the car after the rental period
expires. If you forget to, you must pay a relatively high charge to the car rental
company. In some cases the charge can be twice the price of filling up the tank itself.
10.Avoid late fees
It is important to return the hire car at the agreed time. If you come late, you will be
required to pay a penalty. The size of the charge depends on which company you rent
the car from. If you discover during the rental period that you need to return the car later
than agreed, it always pays to contact the company as soon as possible. This can
reduce the late fee.