Ready For A Road Trip?

Renting a car on holiday is a great way to see more of a destination, get off the tourist trail and get to know an area in the same way as the locals.

With one in five holidaymakers predicted to hire a car in Europe this summer, where are the most expensive places on the continent for car rental?

Travel car rental - new research

The Post Office's annual Car Rental Report has revealed that Portugal is the most expensive European country for car hire, with the cost of renting a vehicle for a week in Faro coming in at £553 (including satnav hire, additional driver and 40 litres of unleaded petrol).

Coming in close second is Croatia, where a week's car rental will set you back £547, followed by France, where hiring a car for the week costs £447.

Holidaymakers may be surprised to learn that Denmark ‒ often said to be one of the most expensive cities to visit in Europe ‒ comes in as the cheapest European destination for car hire, with a week's rental costing just £248. Other affordable European countries include Germany at £264 and the Netherlands at £277.

Holiday car insurance - be cautious abroad

Of the 2,000 adults who took part in the survey, 50% of drivers admitted to cutting corners when it came to car rental costs by failing to take out optional excess waiver insurance (EWI). This insurance reduces your excess to zero in the event of an accident or the theft of your vehicle. With countries such as Switzerland charging an average excess of £1,270, holidaymakers would be foolish to opt not to pay extra for EWI, the Post Office warns.

These same people may also be tempted to jet off abroad without cheap single trip travel insurance, for which there is really no excuse. Single trip cover starts from just a few pounds and will protect you if the worst happens on your holiday.

The benefits of car rental

Shop around for the best car rental deals; for example, your hotel may be able to negotiate a discount with its preferred rental company for you. Watch out for fuel costs abroad too ‒ only hire as big a vehicle as you need and remember that newer vehicles are often more economical when it comes to fuel.

Holiday car rental is one of the best ways to get off the beaten track and explore your destination, so where will you be hiring a car this summer?