Renting - how to cut the best deals

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Wednesday, March 26, 2003

The idea is simple enough: Pay money and borrow a car. So many people rent cars every year it's turned into one of the biggest money-spinners of the tourist industry, but if you want to do it properly you should give the task plenty of time and do some research. It's amazing how much money people hand over needlessly each year. There are ways to save without having to slum it.

Always shop around. The difference between prices can vary massively, depending on where you shop. In the US, renting a car is relatively cheap because over there, cars are so heavily discounted to rental companies they're practically gift-wrapped. Insurance is also dirt cheap, so when an American tourist goes to rent a car for his holiday in Ireland, it can cost him a fraction of what you would pay if you tried to rent the same car from the same rental office. In the past, we'd no choice but to pay, but thanks to the miracle of the Internet, you can avail of these low prices. You simply have to have a little patience.

I spent a few hours browsing around recently and came up with the following examples. I must stress that the prices I was quoted were only what was offered to me at that time and are not meant to act as an exact representation of the prices charged by individual companies. You might visit the same sites later tonight and find that the prices are different. I'm just illustrating the variation in prices that can occur and how much you can save by doing a little online research.

My search was based on the following criteria: I wanted a Mondeo-sized car, fully insured, for two weeks in the summer, from July 26 to August 9 (peak time). Wherever possible, I chose to pick the cars up at airports and return them to the same location. I logged onto 10 rental company websites and priced cars in five cities for the two weeks mentioned above. Four were big-name rental company websites and the other six were online rental specialists (who often use cars from the big companies) and the five cities I looked at were Cork, Dublin, New York, Rome and Sydney. Finally, I got some over the counter prices for renting the same cars from Cork and Dublin airports.

The official rental company websites were those of Europcar, Avis, Thrifty and Hertz. Europcar don't rent cars in the US or Australia but did have cars at Cork and Dublin for €1,294 all-inclusive. Unfortunately, that was just for Ford Focus 1.4 because a mid-sized car on their website was a VW Caravelle Minibus. Compare that price to the Thrifty, who offered a Primera (or similar) for €1,262 and Hertz who charged €1,250. Avis bettered all of them, though, at €984 for a Vectra, although bizarrely they wanted €1,352 for a Toyota Avensis. Didn't realise they were luxury items!

A simple search of some of the main sites saved me around €300- not bad for 20 minutes work.

If I was heading to Rome, the prices varied even more wildly. This time Thrifty wanted €1,816 for an unspecified Primera-sized car which looked like it might have been a Daewoo Laganza, while Europcar were expensive, too, at €1,297 for a Vectra 2.2 diesel. Hertz only wanted €979 for a Primera, but Avis were streets ahead of the others on the Italian trips, charging just €778 for (get this) an Alfa Romeo 156. That's around a €1,000 cheaper than Thrifty and €200 better than its nearest rival, while at the same time offering a nicer car.

Europcar were no use to me on my US adventure, and Thrifty don't rent cars at JFK airport, so it was left to the other two to fight it out. Avis wanted $904 for a mid-sized sedan, while Hertz asked for $876 (for a Mustang, strangely). Not much of a difference there.

And now to Sydney, where prices were mostly quoted in Australian dollars. Avis asked for $2001 for a Hyundai Sonata, Hertz wanted $2,134 for a Ford Falcon while Thrifty eclipsed them all by asking just $1,339 for a larger and more luxurious Mitsubishi Sigma. (That's roughly €1,200-€1,300 for Avis and Hertz and €800 for Thrifty)

Finally, the over-the-counter prices for renting a Passat-sized vehicle at peak time next summer from Europcar and Budget worked out at about €1,100 meaning that for renting cars here in Ireland, you wouldn't save a massive amount. Still, €130 is as good to me as it is to them. When it comes to renting from the big rental companies, then my advice is simple: Know exactly what you want and allow yourself a free evening to browse all the sites you can think of. A quick Google search will turn up hundreds of links in less than a second.

From my Google search I picked six websites entirely at random to see if they could deliver on the 'low-prices' they promised. Payless Car Rental had no cars anywhere I searched, while Celtic Car Rentals offered me a Primera for €1000 in Cork or Dublin. 1-2-1 Car Rentals were another washout, and e-car-rentals also had cars in Cork and Dublin for €1,100. Frustration was setting in until I logged onto auto-europ.co.uk and netted a VW Passat in Cork or Dublin for €701, a nice saving, a Vectra in Rome for €1,012 (or a seven-seater Zafira for €810) while in Australia no mid-sized cars were available so I had the choice of a Previa MPV for €938 or a Nissan Pulsar (Almera) for just €519. Apart from the Roman Vectra, all those prices were better than anything else I'd come across. Finally, to flyaow.com who quoted me $444 for a mid-sized car in Cork or Dublin (from Malone Car Rental), $440 from Sixt in Rome, $444 from Budget in Sydney and $600 from National in New York. I couldn't explore those prices further because the site demanded a credit card number before allowing me delve further into things, and not knowing who this company was I was reluctant to do so.

So there you have it. A Passat in Dublin airport for you for €700 or a Focus 1.4 for €1,300. The prices speak for themselves, so just be prepared to take some time to search.

When searching online, try not to do your searching at the last minute. The more time you leave, the better deal you'll find. If you don't recognise the company or website, but their prices are deeply tempting, look for an address and a phone number and call and write to enquire about something or other (local laws is a good one, and handy to know anyways). At least then you'll know if there's an office somewhere.

Don't fib on your quote application because any false information could render your quote void and invalidate your insurance cover if you are involved in an accident. Look closely at the terms and conditions, too. Make sure you're fully eligible to drive in that country and that your licence applies to the category of vehicle you desire. In Switzerland a car licence is sufficient to drive a minibus, but not in the EU. Make absolutely sure that unlimited mileage, a crash or damage waiver and theft waiver is included and double check at the desk when you pick the car up that all those insurances are in place. It's also worth paying a little extra for an excess waiver because sometimes the excess can be exorbitant. The excess on Passat rented from Europcar in Cork, for example, is €1,350. That means if you crash the car or it's vandalised, you're liable for the first €1,350 worth of repairs. An excess waiver can be expensive, though, (around €20 a day in some cases) so make sure you factor that into your expenses. While I'm on the subject of insurance, don't let anyone who isn't a named driver drive the car because if anything happens you, as the renter, are fully liable for any damage or injury that may be caused, which could prove catastrophic if a bad accident were to occur.

Pick the right car for you and don't try to scrimp. As my research above shows, there are ways to save money but picking a supermini to cart five people around is false economy. You'll want the space to enjoy the trip, but if you're overloading a smaller car then perhaps a driving holiday is out of your budget. Driving is a lovely way to see a country, but it's NEVER a cheap alternative. While I'm at it, I'd also recommend you book a car with air-con wherever possible, because open windows at high speeds are wearing and obtrusive, while driving in a muggy city makes everyone cranky and adds to driver fatigue. Most rental companies will fit child seats as well, so there's no need to bring yours, but you will have to book them in advance and they'll cost a wee bit extra. Given how long and how far you will potentially travel in the car, it's worth it.

When you go to pick the car up, make sure you have your licence and credit card with you. Double check the insurance on the car to make sure it's just the kind of cover you want and get an exact figure of the cost of the rental before you leave the desk. You'll be handed a sheet detailing any damage to the car, so inspect the car when you eventually find it buried in the car park to make sure the sheet corresponds to the car you've been given. If you spot any extra damage, let them know before you leave.

Also find out from them what you should do or what numbers you should call if you get a puncture, are involved in an accident or have the car broken into or stolen. Find out if they'll supply another car in the event of such an incident. Also make sure you know what fuel it uses.

If you're on the continent or further afield, find out exactly which countries, states or regions you're allowed drive in and don't venture outside those. I once booked a car for a trip to France only to find out you can't take most Irish rental cars abroad.

If you've booked a large car and are given something smaller, don't stand for it. You're entitled to an upgrade or a significant reduction. Don't pay full whack for something you haven't got. Inspect the interior for unpleasant odours or significant damage. You can reject the car for something like a damaged radio, mirror, tyre, light or seat. Also check that the spare wheel is in good nick and that the instruction manual is in place because it's very handy for sorting out small problems. Make sure the tank is full and equally, make sure you fill it before you bring it back or they'll have to fill it afterwards and they'll charge you a fortune to do so.

Know the local rules of the road and stay within the law. Local police will come down hard on tourists who think they can drive as they please and remember too, that no country is as loosely-policed as Ireland, so don't expect to hare around for two weeks and not get nabbed.

When you first get the car, take some time to get familiar with it and its controls, especially if you're driving on the right-hand side of the road. If you've never driven a LHD car before, don't worry. Everything is the same as a RHD car from a driver's perspective, although you might end up banging the door a few times when you intend to change gears. Because even the best drivers take time to adjust, always be on high alert at junctions and roundabouts, pulling out of garages and exiting parking spaces. Otherwise, it's not too daunting. All the signs are aimed at the 'other' side of the road and as the steering wheel of your car is on the 'other' side as well, you'll soon feel at home.

Call the numbers you were instructed to call in the event of an accident. Rental companies offer additional accident insurance but you should have travel insurance as part of your travel package anyways. Never leave the scene of an accident because you will almost always be traced and never try to repair anything on the car yourself. If you've paid for the waivers, they'll sort it out, and if you can't afford the waivers, you should think twice about renting in the first place.

Finally, just because it isn't yours there's no need to abuse it. Hard driving could cause something to fail and leave you stranded mid-vacation, so take it easy on the clutch and brakes and don't nail the accelerator to the floor at all times. When you're returning the car, check it thoroughly for damage and if there is any, tell them at the desk what happened and know before you leave what you'll have to pay. Happy hunting and if you hear of any cracking website, please email us here at Motornet and let us know. We'll pass on the good news.