European Car Rental

When you travel, a car is sometimes absolutely necessary and even though many European cities have adequate public transport, a car can make your trip so much more enjoyable. The reality however is that car rental is expensive and its getting more expensive. If you need a car, but want to save every possible penny, then these 3 tips can help you save a lot.

Airport Rentals

In most cases, renting a car from an airport is cheaper. City center locations are more expensive because of the proximity and the popularity and if you are flying into a city, picking up a car at the airport can be cheaper and more convenient. Its important that you book well in advance though because just turning up at the airport to collect a car can be as expensive if not more expensive than city center locations. Its also good practice to pick up the phone and talk to 3 different operators at the same airport to see if you can get a better deal.

]]>

Car Choice

Although we’d all like to travel around in ultra luxury, the reality is that the type of car can have a massive impact on the price you pay for car rentals. As a rule of thumb, the bigger the car the more expensive it will be. on top of that there is also the fuel consumption that you need to look at.

Insurance

Although its a real pain to pay for insurance, its absolutely vital that you do. Murphy’s Law often visits upon you when you least expect it and even a little bump can cost you. if you have comprehensive travel insurance it might even cover you for car rental which can be a huge saving. Taking out insurance directly with Avis or Hertz is expensive and if you can get adequate cover elsewhere then you can make some massive savings.

For more great car rental tips, see my blog and learn more about my top London travel tips.

Originally published here.