European car hire advice
This is a guest post from Matthew Coughlan who works on the car hire team at travelsupermarket.com
Experts at travelsupermarket.com have revealed that car hire prices in popular European resorts have spiked wildly this summer. In line with supply and demand, many of the price spikes are counter-intuitive so read on for an insider view of the market.
The research was based on data taken from the travelsupermarket.com car hire website since February 2010, paying particular attention to the popular European destinations of England, France and Spain. Comparing over 20 of the biggest brands has given us a concise picture of the market, and the message is clear – book early. This summer prices have risen by more than 80%, with popular family cars being the worst affected.
Since research began the prices in France and Spain have increased significantly, and when we checked the prices again towards the middle of the summer this is what was found:
- A Large family car in Palma, Majorca is up 89 percent (an extra £207.15)
- A Large family car in Nice, France is up 74.3 percent (an extra £146.79)
The prices for a large family car in London, UK remained fairly consistent, and actually dropped in price slightly mid July, but then in 6 days the prices shot up by over 90%. This is a clear indicator of a sudden rise in demand, and a great example of how booking early could save you a small fortune.
However, those looking to cut costs further by downsizing can still be caught out:
- A mini economy in Nice, France is up 42 per cent (an extra £71.90)
Whilst conventional thinking suggests that you can cut costs by going for a smaller car, it is in fact worth being as flexible as possible when it comes to choosing your category of car. As an example, the lack of demand for people carriers means the prices have remained largely unaffected. For example, a people carrier in Palma, Majorca costs as little as £175, whilst the smaller Large family car category costs £384. That’s a saving of well over £200.
Top tips for getting a cheap car hire deal:
- Book as early as possible to secure the lowest rates
- Be flexible and consider all car groups as popular budget and family models are often more expensive than less popular larger models at peak times.
- Use a price comparison website to quickly get a range of prices covering all car groups
| Destination | Car type | Price 1 Feb | Price 26 Jul | Difference |
| London, LHR | People Carrier | £207.79 | £291.87 | £84.08 or 40.5% |
| London, LHR | Large family | £171.00 | £247.27 | £103.27 or 44.6% |
| Palma, PMI | People Carrier | £247.99 | £604.90 | £356.91 or 143.9% |
| Palma, PMI | Large Family | £233.75 | £440.90 | £207.15 or 88.6% |
| Nice, NCE | Large Family | £197.49 | £344.28 | £146.79 or 74.3% |
| Nice, NCE | Economy | £172.99 | £244.89 | £71.90 or 41.6% |
| Murcia, MJV | Large family | £281.18 | £282.60 | £1.42 or 0.5% |
| Murcia, MJV | People Carrier | £344.03 | £248.90 | -£93.15 or -27.7% |