Winter sunseekers hiring a car need to be wary as the price of car hire extras can quadruple the car rental costs. The average price to hire a car in Barcelona this November is £129, but once extras such as excess insurance, sat nav, child car seat and extra drivers are added, this rockets to £569, an increase of £440*.
The survey carried out by iCarhireinsurance.com, a leading provider of car hire excess insurance, compared the cost of renting a hire car in popular winter sun destinations, Barcelona, Faro, Larnaca and Tenerife for a week from the 23 - 30 November 2019, from six rental companies, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Enterprise and Sixt.
The average price to rent a car across all four destinations is £141, but when the extras are added this rises to £496, an increase of £355, three and a half times the original price. This is because the average price for Super Damage Waiver is £113, Super Theft Waiver £16, Tyre and windscreen cover £37, Extra Driver £56, Sat Nav £75, and child car seat £58.
The same is true across all four destinations. In Faro, the average price to hire a car is £157, but when extras are added this becomes £567, an increase of £410. In Tenerife, the average price to hire a car is £146, but when extras are added, this becomes £476, an increase of £330. In Larnaca, the average price to hire a car is £131, but when extras are added becomes £372, an increase of £241, nearly three times the original rental quote.
It pays to shop around. Whilst the average price to hire a car is £141, it is £248 with Hertz in Faro, but only £77 with Sixt in Faro. Super Damage waiver is £113 on average, but £195 with Hertz in Barcelona, and £31 with Sixt in Larnaca. An extra driver costs on average £56, but Budget in Faro charge £114. A sat nav costs on average £75, but Budget in Faro charge £115.
If a hire car is damaged or stolen the driver is liable for the excess, which is on average over £1000 for damage and theft. Excess waiver insurance is one of the most expensive extras, costing on average £166* a week from rental companies. It can be bought from specialist insurance companies, like iCarhireinsurance.com, to avoid buying it from the rental companies, and costs from only £2.99** a day, or £42.99 for an annual policy for European cover.
Ernesto Suarez, founder and Chief Executive of iCarhireinsurance.com said: Car hire costs can be confusing, but getting a good price on your rental car doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s normally the price of the extras which come as a surprise. Once you’ve found a good deal, make sure you check the prices of the extras you need. Simple things like taking your own sat nav and child car seats, as well as buying car hire excess insurance from an independent provider in advance can give huge savings, and mean that the original car hire deal really is as good as it seemed.
* £113 Super Damage Waiver, £16 Super Theft Waiver and £37 Tyre and Windscreen Cover.
** Based on UK customer buying a 10-day Excess Europe policy.
