We are all accustomed to looking for the lowest possible price for everything these days, and why not indeed, but it is not always the best policy when looking for car hire because it is very difficult to find out exactly what you are getting for your money. Not only do you have to contend with different engine sizes, interior trims, extras such as air conditioning, automatic gearboxes, sunroofs etc but there is also a host of sometimes hidden extras, particularly when you are hiring abroad. The most notorious of these of course is insurance. When you hire in the UK and you ask for a full insurance that is usually what you get but when you book a car abroad and you think you have booked a full insurance package you may well get a shock on arrival to find that it is nothing like the fully comprehensive insurance that we are used to in the UK, and you may have to pay extra for collision damage waiver, or damage to tyres or windscreens. Another common dodge is to charge you for a full tank of petrol when you set off, with a request that you bring the car back with an empty tank. This way you pay for a full tank of petrol whether you need it or not, and it certainly will not be at the low price per gallon that you can pay at the local supermarket either!

Another way in which money is wasted is when people book a car for the full duration of a holiday, but only use it for several days. Particularly if you are holidaying in a city it can be far more convenient as well as cheaper to hire the occasional taxi or even walk a couple of hundred yards, rather than have a car sat in a garage at your hotel, costing you not only rental but also garage charges.

Happy motoring!