Cheap Car Hire Tips

The car rental market can be a nightmare for consumers with so many different rates and rental charges that finding a bargain can be much harder than you think. So what do you need to know to get your car hire at the cheapest possible price?

1. Choosing the Right Supplier.
Car rental companies sell direct, through 3rd party brokers and through travel aggregators so there's potentially 3 different places to go to get a quote for exactly the same vehicle. The lowest cost option depends on where each is in the market at the point of need so it really does pay to shop around.

2. Airports.
Car rental companies have to pay a concession to the airport for selling car hire on the airport itself and of course that cost is passed on to the customer by way of higher rental rates. So if there's an alternative rental station nearby, weigh up the cost and convenience of picking up the rental car there instead

3. When to Start and End your Rental.
Sometimes the rental companies have special rate deals that kick in at certain times, weekend packages that start from noon on a Thursday for example, so when getting a quote if you can be flexible with your collection and drop off times see if it makes a difference. In some cases returning a car half an hour earlier can save you a full day's rental charge!

4. Choosing the Right Car.
The most popular groups of car hired by rental companies are the economy and compact groups so they will usually offer the best prices. However, this also means that they will occasionally have excessive stock of larger, less popular cars so look out for special deals on cars you wouldn't think you could afford. You might get a pleasant surprise.

5. When to Book Car Hire.
Unlike the airline industry the car rental market doesn't really yield manage their fleets effectively so there's no real optimal time to buy. What they do from time to time though to combat this is to offer special rates for booking early during their peak periods, including Christmas, Easter and other public holidays. Take advantage of these where possible as trying to hire a car on arrival at Christmas for example, could find you walking out disappointed.

So, you can see that the car rental market isn't an exact science and you need to do a little shopping around to get the best deals. Remember to look well in advance of your journey if possible, try and be flexible on your collection and drop off times and look in unexpected places for special deals. Hopefully you'll run into one of the many bargains out there.

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