Hiring a car can make a holiday so much more enjoyable – but be careful when you get to the renta desk. Photograph: Juice Images/Getty Images/Cultura RF
Holidaymakers heading overseas for Easter who have yet to book their car have already missed the cheapest deals – but they could still save money by avoiding being ripped off by unscrupulous vehicle hire outlets.
Figures from Travelsupermarket.com reveal that someone who booked a compact car for an eight-day rental in Malaga over Easter would have paid just £69 back in January. Now the cost for the same car is £117.
But getting the best deal on car hire is about more than the upfront price. Headline deals can often double in price once you get to the rental desk thanks to unnecessary extras, sneaky charges and costly insurance.
Rip-off 1. Being made to pay over the odds for petrol
One of the trickiest areas of car hire is fuel, especially if you opt for a “collect full, return empty” policy – something which is particularly prevalent in Spain and Portugal.
