How to save money when renting a hired car or van in the UK
Renting a car or van in the UK doesn’t have to be as expensive as you’d imagine and sometimes you can a great deal, especially online. Follow these simple tips and use as many of them as you can while still getting the rental you need and you should be able to save money on your next car or van rental:
Book the most popular car or van group
Car rental companies operate complex fleet management systems to ensure they have the right vehicles in the right places at the right time. The more popular the vehicle group, the more difficult it is for them to guarantee its availability. Usually, if they do not have the car or van you booked they will give you a free upgrade. This is because the larger, more expensive vehicles don’t get booked as much as the smaller cheaper ones. If you book the smallest vehicle that is acceptable to you, there is always a good chance of getting a free upgrade if you’re picking it up at a busy time.
Book well in advance
Since it is much easier to forecast how many cars they need if they’ve got all their bookings in advance, the car rental companies will very often have their cheapest rates loaded for rates well in advance, so book your vehicle as soon as you know your travel dates and save more.
Watch your collection and return times
Another trick to watch out for is that most car rental companies have daily charge rates. This means if you pick up a vehicle at 10am and take it back at 11am the next day you’ll get charged for 2 days rental. Wherever possible try to ensure that your return time is always the same, or preferably just before your collection time. This way you’ll never get charged the extra day.
Book when they have got too many vehicles
If your travel plans are reasonably open and where possible, try to book when they’ve got too many cars and you could land yourself an absolute bargain. Renting just after the Christmas period will probably be very cheap. In car rental terms, a car sat in their car park is a huge cost and they would rather let you have it very cheaply than just have it sitting there.
Always get a discount code
Apart from during peak periods (Christmas, Easter and the height of Summer), you should be always able to get some kind of discount code, although you might have to hunt around a little to find it. Always check the terms of the offers as often, even though an offer might say it’s for a weekend rental, you could still use the offer for other times. It’s worth searching a little to find one.
Book online for discounts
Car rental companies are able to reduce their overheads when customers book online. These discounts can range from 5% to 20%, so where possible, always book online.
