Car hire tips - compare and book

Find the best price on car hire by comparing rental car firms. Change or cancel your reserveration for free. Insurance included.

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Find cheap rental cars

Renting a car on your holiday is a very good way of seeing and experiencing more. It is also a cheap and convenient way of getting around. On carhiretips.co.uk you’ll find the cheapest rental cars from the biggest and most well-known companies.

Tips and tricks on car rental in different countries

Our aim is to give our visitors all the information they need to get the best available car hire in different places all over the world.  On carhiretips.co.uk you’ll find brief yet comprehensive guides with useful tips on what to keep in mind when hiring a car. We hope that these guides will make our visitors the most enlightened customers!

A red car in Spain

Car hire in Spain

Spain is an extremely popular holiday destination especially for British tourists. Read our tips on what to keep in mind when renting a car in Spain. Pay attention to the fuel policy and read about what driving in Spain is like.

Alicante car hire >
Canary islands car hire >
Málaga car hire >

Beautiful beach in Italy

Car hire in Italy

Italy has many spectacular coastlines where the sun always seems to be shining. Getting a rental car for your Italy holiday can be a very good option since it allows you to see and do more. Read about insurances, rules and other tips on car rental and driving in Italy.

Milan car hire >
Pisa car hire >
Rome car hire >

Vineyard in France

Car hire in France

There is lots to explore in France – beautiful coastlines, wineries, cozy little towns, the Alps and, of course, the wonderful food culture. In other words, something for everyone!
Paris car hire >
Nice car hire >
Marseille car hire >

Rental car in USA

Car hire in USA

Discover USA on your own and decide exactly what you’d like to see! The US is a perfect country for renting a car and doing a road trip. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind when booking!
Los Angeles car hire >
San Francisco car hire >
Miami car hire >

Generel car hire tips

There are a few general car hire tips that are useful regardless of where in the world you are thinking about renting a car.

  • Book your rental car in advance and add any additional insurance when booking. We strongly recommend that you do not buy any extra insurance on arrival.
  • Compare prices of different companies using our search engine. This will get you the best possible price.
  • Read our tips on insurance and what to keep in mind when renting a car in different (specific) countries!
  • Bring (at least) one credit card registered in the driver’s name so that the deposit can be held on that account. Also make sure to have enough credit!
  • If possible, choose a rental car with a full-to-full fuel policy, meaning that the tank should be full both at pick-up and drop-off. This will save you from unnecessary fees.
  • Consider that renting a car for a full week sometimes is cheaper than renting it for five or six days.
  • Booking your car in the evening might save you from having to pay for an extra day. Many car hire companies will note the time of your booking and ask that you return it at the same time or earlier on the last day of the rental period. If you return the car later than that, you will be charged for an extra day.
  • The age limit span for drivers is usually 25 – 70 years. If the driver is under 25 years old, make sure to check the terms and conditions for extra fees.
  • Remember to check for and note any damage on the rental car before you leave the pick-up point. We usually walk around the car and take pictures with a mobile phone. In many countries (but not in the US), the staff at the car rental office will log the damages on a piece of paper and give you a copy of the paper.
  • Safety check: Check the tyres, especially the tread, and the headlights and rear lights before you leave the pick-up point. Also make sure that the air bag is not disabled on the passenger seat (a child might have been using the seat previously), and don’t forget to test the brakes. Full safety check.

Insurance

In case of an accident, it’s important to know what the insurance covers. The rental cars you book through carhiretips.co.uk all include sufficient insurance. The most important insurance is CDW (collision damage waiver). There will also often be an excess held on the account linked to the driver’s credit card.

If you want excess insurance, make sure to add “full cover” to your booking. We do not recommend that you add excess insurance after arrival as this is usually very expensive. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to check if excess insurance is included in your home insurance or through your credit card. A number of different debit cards and credit cards provide excess insurance.

Full cover or third party cover

When you book your rental car through carhiretips.co.uk, you can choose either full cover or only third party cover. If you choose full cover, damages to windows, mirrors and tyres, administrations fees and excess is covered. A breakdown cover is also included. Our recommendation is that you choose only third party insurance, but that you pay for the car with a credit card that has excess insurance. If you do not have a credit card with excess insurance and you don’t want to lose sleep worrying about extra costs during your trip, you might want to choose full cover.

Terms and conditions of the car rental

In the terms and conditions, you’ll find information on what amount will be held on your account (the excess). Check under “Deposits, excess and cover”. We recommend that you avoid excesses and deposits over 930 pounds, at least if it’s not a premium car. You’ll also find information on extra fees for young drivers and possible charges for refueling if there isn’t a full-to-full fuel policy.

Choosing your rental car

Usually, our cheapest rental cars work just fine, especially if you don’t have much luggage. However, bear in mind that the size of the smallest rental car isn’t necessarily the same in every country. For example, the cheapest rental cars in North America are usually quite spacious, whereas the smallest rental cars in Europe are quite small. If you are travelling with checked-in luggage in Europe, it might be worth getting a slightly more expensive car. When you use our search engine, you’ll clearly be able to see what fits in the car as both the number of passengers and the amount of luggage will be displayed in the list of results.