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Car Hire and Rental in the UK and Europe
Everything you need to know about Car Hire or Rental in the UK and Europe.
If you are used to driving a car every day, it is second nature. Remember when you first started driving and were so nervous about changing gears? Now you are not even aware of changing gears. So after a couple of hours of being 'conscious' of using the other hand to change gears, you will soon get into the rhythm of it.
Just go slowly until you are confident. Funnily enough, the fact that you are driving on the 'wrong' side of the road is made easier by having the steering wheel on the left. Think about it, thousands of British cross the channel each year and drive in Europe and vice versa. Think positively!! If they can do it, so can you!
Of course, if you're still really nervous, you could rent an automatic car. In Europe, the majority of cars are manual and if you do decide on an automatic, the cost will be higher than the equivalent size manual vehicle. In the USA, the opposite happens. Most cars are automatic and you will be hard pressed to find a manual or 'stick shift' as they call it.
When you're thinking of renting a car, you are often presented with a choice of 3 or more companies. Sometimes what appears to be the lowest priced often turns out to be the most expensive.
Some of the things you should consider and compare before choosing a car rental company would be:
- Should you be renting or leasing?
- What extras do you have to pay?
- Can you take the car into Eastern Europe?
- Which companies allow drivers under 25 or over 75 without a surcharge?
- Is the airport fee included or do you have to pay extra?
- Can you have 2 extra drivers?
- Are there road taxes or vehicle licensing fees to be paid?
A "DID YOU KNOW" about Car Hire or Rental......because we sure do!
- In Germany, the fee for collecting your car at the airport is 19% of your total hire charge - but that there are companies that include this so choose one of them.
- If you hire a car from France with Europcar - 8 out of 10 car groups can not be driven in Italy.
If you want to start your rental from Austria and want to travel to Eastern Europe - Avis will charge you EUR 56 plus it is compulsory to take out Super CDW And Theft Protection which wacks on another EUR13 PER DAY !!
However, if you rent with Europcar, you just pay a flat fee of EUR40. On a 14 day rental that is a whopping Euro 148 difference !
- The country that has the lowest priced car rental is France.
You're probably thinking that this sounds really complicated and wondering if there is a quicker and easier way to ensure you get best value.
Sure there is - complete our quote form - tell us a bit about your plans and we will be happy to provide free advice and a best value quote taking all the above into account. We love the challenge of finding someone the very best car hire/rental deal.
Why not read through our FAQs or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter, where over the next few months we will be covering the following items:
- Positives of driving by car
- Negatives of driving by car
- The 'lingo' explained
- Car rental or car lease?
- Money saving tips
- Watchpoints when renting
Click here for our Car Hire Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
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