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Hiring any product or services is, for many people, a process fraught angst and worry. So once we find a company and system we like, then we tend to stick with it. This applies to car hire more than other rental services. But what if, just for the sake of convenience, we are missing out on a whole bunch of savings?
“There are significant price differences even between the leading brands” – Ernesto Suarez, iCarhireinsurance.com
Following a study from Opinium research, commissioned by iCarhireinsurance.com. which dug into the car habits of 2000 UK car renters this summer, it was revealed that 74% of participants book directly with car hire companies, and 71% book only with a well-known brand that they ‘trust’, but they could be missing out on savings of around £170* on average, for a week’s car hire this summer, by not shopping around.
| Location | Company | Lowest Quote | Company | Highest Quote | Difference |
| Barcelona | Sixt | £294 | Avis | £460 | £166 |
| Crete | Hertz | £377 | Europcar | £588 | £211 |
| Faro | Enterprise | £314 | Avis | £434 | £120 |
| Milan | Europcar | £297 | Enterprise | £450 | £153 |
| Nice | Budget | £276 | Enterprise | £469 | £193 |
| Average | £169 |
The study also found that 41% know they could benefit doing more research, they admit they often do not have time to do so. 59% opt for the cheapest hire price and 35%, more than a third, just looking at the basic costs and not extras, such as sat-nav, child seats or an extra driver.
Ernesto Suarez, founder and CEO of iCarhireinsurance.com, said: “Booking with a well-known brand you can trust does make sense, but this research proves that there are significant price differences even between the leading brands, so it’s worth shopping around. However if you do need any extras such as car seats, sat-nav and extra drivers, it’s a good idea to check these before booking, as the headline price may not be as good as it first seems.”
