Choosing Cheap Car Hire Services in UK
January 2, 2008
Like any other country, congested roads and crowded public transport systems are characteristics of the United Kingdom, especially in the metros. No wonder that residents as well as travellers prefer to hire vehicles to move to places rapidly and conveniently. It is not difficult to find out a car rental operator in any part of the country, but it is prudent that you should find out the rates, terms and conditions under which the vehicle is hired. There are possibilities of hidden charges and exaggerated rates being imposed on the customer.
BOOK IN ADVANCE: The first and foremost thing is to book a rental vehicle in advance, as much as possible. Online booking is convenient and cheaper. Deal directly with a reliable and reputable car rental company without depending on middlemen. Individuals as well as small establishments operate as brokers to major companies, and booking a car through a middleman will attract hidden charges. Booking online directly with an established operator will enable you to save up to forty percent of the expenses. Advance booking will help to get the exact vehicle that you asked for. Similarly additional facilities like luggage racks, baby seats or mobile phones will be provided positively, if early booking is done. Online booking will help you to locate the most economical deal as you have the facility to compare the rates and other conditions.
PACKAGES: Many rental operators offer attractive packages to the customer, in a highly competitive business environment, operators offer discounts and concessions in their endeavour to attract more customers. Therefore verify and seek clarifications to understand the details of package in order to make the deal cheaper or economical. Many factors are to be considered. For example weekend travel rates are lower than those applicable on weekdays. Rather than hiring a vehicle for two or three days and extending further, it is better to hire for a whole week at a very economical rate. Similarly it is very important that you return the vehicle in time as stipulated in the contract. As rental companies adopt 24 hours billing mode, even a few hours delay will cause imposition of penal charges equivalent to a day’s rent.
OTHER FACTORS: Airport surcharges, insurance and fuel charges are few factors that contribute to inflate the bills. Choose a company that does not levy airport surcharges as a component of their package. Hiring a vehicle from a downtown service provider will also help you to avoid airport surcharges. Insurance charges are payable, but if you are making the payments through credit cards which carry insurance coverage, the payment of insurance premium can be avoided. Fuel charges, another important item of the package is to be taken into account seriously. Make sure to hire a vehicle with full tank fuel and to return the same similarly, filling up the tank. This will help you to avoid hassles while returning the vehicle. Size of the vehicle is also very important. Prefer smaller models which offer better fuel efficiency, in case you contemplate a long journey with few passengers and less luggage. Apart from all the above suggestions or guidelines, there are special privileges available to members of certain organizations. Members of Automobile Associations and some professional bodies are entitled for concessions while hiring cars. You can also locate websites which offer discount coupons as a part of business promotion. There is yet another option to avail cheaper car hire rates, by planning the travel during off seasons.
