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Hiring a car can be a cost-effective way of accessing private transport, but there are always ways to minimise the fees. With an eye for bargains and some savvy negotiating skills, it’s easy to the cost of your car hire. To learn more, take a look at these top 5 ways to reduce the cost of car hire now…
- Book early
Pre-booking your car hire can save you a significant amount in fees. With discounts of up to 75%, booking early can drastically minimise the cost of leasing a vehicle, either for a short-term hire or a longer-term arrangement.
The vast majority of car hire firms welcome early bookings, so don’t miss the chance to slash your bill. If you’re unsure of the exact dates you’ll need the vehicle, it’s worth enquiring whether your chosen car hire firm offers flexi-rentals or imposes an early returns fee. In some cases, it can be cheaper to book early and hire the car for longer, than waiting until the last minute to arrange vehicle hire.
- Take car seats with you
Children of all ages require car seats until they reach a certain height and/or weight, so you’ll need to ensure you have appropriate safety accessories installed in any rental vehicle. Although many car hire companies will provide you with car seats, these can come at a significant cost. Instead of hiring them along with the car, take your own instead.
- Don’t get charged for sat nav
There can be additional charges for using the vehicle’s sat nav system when you’re hiring a car, and it can be much cheaper to simply use your own. Check whether your car hire firm permits you to use your own sat nav or rely on traditional paper maps instead. You may even find that your smartphone or tablet can be used to plan routes from one destination to another, which will enable you to avoid unnecessary sat nav charges.
- Choose the right vehicle
When you hire a car, you’ll have the choice of leasing an economical vehicle or a more luxury ride. Whilst it may be tempting to splash out on a sporty car or a luxury motor, it won’t just cost you more in car hire fees. When you’re selecting which vehicle you want to hire, bear in mind that the size of the engine will determine how much fuel the car uses. Check how many miles per gallon the vehicle offers, and make sure you won’t end up spending a fortune on petrol or diesel.
- Take out excess insurance
Even with the best insurance policies, you could end up with a hefty bill if you need to make a claim and there’s a large excess to be paid. Excess liability insurance can be obtained relatively cheaply, and you can ensure that any excesses will be covered if you need to make a claim on your insurance when you’re using a hire car.
