If you’re planning a trip, it’s easy to forget that the cost of transportation can be one of the most expensive parts of your journey. In addition to airfare and lodging, many people rent a car when they go on vacation in order to get around town or explore further away from their hotel. While there are ways to save money on this expense (such as using public transportation or staying in an Airbnb), sometimes it’s necessary to hire a vehicle—especially if you have other people traveling with you or if your destination isn’t easily accessible by foot or public transit. However, if you don’t know where to start your search for deals on vehicle hire, this guide will help steer you in the right direction!
Pre-book the type of car you need.
If you’re not sure what kind of car to book, a good rule of thumb is to go for the smallest vehicle available. This will help reduce the cost and make sure that there is enough room for all passengers.
If you do know what type of car you need, consider booking it in advance so that there are no surprises when it comes time to rent your vehicle.
Book from a reputable company.
- Check the company’s reputation online. The internet is a great place to find reviews of any service or product you’re considering, and it’s an especially good place to check out your potential car hire provider.
- Read the terms and conditions carefully before booking anything with a car rental company, as some can be quite restrictive (for example, they may not allow you to take the car off-road).
- Check the insurance policy carefully too; if they don’t cover certain things that might happen during your rental period, then this could end up costing you more money in the long run than if you’d chosen another provider who did offer such protection against damage or injury caused by driving errors on your part – or even theft!
Avoid peak season and special events.
- Avoid school holidays, public holidays and peak seasons.
- Avoid special events and festivals.
- Avoid peak times, such as the rush hour or lunch time.
- Avoid the last week of the month (and first week of following month). It’s often cheaper to hire a car for a longer period than shorter ones as this can reduce costs per day significantly.
Compare offers from different car hire companies.
Compare offers from different car hire companies.
You can save money by comparing prices and offers, so it’s worth taking the time to shop around. Also, ask about additional fees that might be added onto your bill at a later date–for instance, insurance costs and fuel costs are often not included in quoted prices but will be added if you don’t pay for them when booking the vehicle. If you’re planning on cancelling your rental agreement before it begins or after it ends (because of illness or other reasons), look into whether there are any cancellation fees involved with doing so.
Be flexible with your pick up and return times.
If you are flexible with your pick up and return times, you can save money. If you need to be at a certain place at a certain time, then it’s worth paying extra for the convenience of having the car when you want it and knowing that it meets all your requirements.
Pick an airport location that’s close to where you want to go and give yourself plenty of time to get there.
The first thing to consider is the location of your airport. If you’re flying into a major city, such as London or Paris, then it’s likely that there will be several options for vehicle hire companies within easy reach. However, if your flight lands at a smaller airport–or even if it doesn’t land at all–you may need to travel further before reaching your chosen location.
In addition to choosing an airport that’s close by, give yourself plenty of time so that any delays don’t cause problems later on in the day (or evening). This can be especially important if traffic around rush hour is likely to create delays for drivers traveling into town from outlying areas like yours!
You can save money by being strategic when renting a vehicle
- Book in advance. If you’re planning to rent a car, the best time to book is at least two weeks ahead of your trip.
- Choose a reputable company that offers competitive rates and good customer service. You can also save money by checking out reviews online before making your final decision on which car hire company to use for your trip!
- Avoid peak season and special events like holidays or sporting events–these tend to be more expensive due to increased demand for vehicles and higher prices from companies trying to make up for lost revenue from other customers not able to book during these times because they’re already booked up!
- Compare offers from different car hire companies before choosing which one suits your needs best! This way there won’t be any surprises when picking up/dropping off the vehicle at their depot location(s).
Conclusion
There are a lot of factors that can affect the price of your rental car. The good news is that there are also plenty of ways to save money on vehicle hire. We’ve outlined some tips above, but we encourage you to do your own research and find out what works best for your situation!
