8% of the enquiries we receive on the car-subscription.co.uk are people looking to subscribe to a car in the UK for a holiday, but is this the best way, or should you look at traditional daily rental companies instead, here are our 3 top tips:
Top Tips for Holiday Car Rentals
We’ve covered three of the major points on holiday car hire below, these are the most asked questions we receive via our enquiry form.
- Can I subscribe to a car for 1 month?
The answer is yes, there are quite a few providers in the UK that offer a 1 month car subscription, but also depends on whether you want insurance or not. Cocoon Vehicles and Flexigo offer a 1 month subscription, but insurance must be provided by yourself. If you need inclusive insurance then Sixt+ or Flexed maybe your best option. - Do any of the providers offer unlimited mileage?
With regards to car subscriptions, many of the providers in the UK and listed on our site have a mileage allowance, this is quite strict and if you go over this you may be charged an excess mileage charge. If you need unlimited mileage, your best bet is to stick to traditional car hire firms. - I’m arriving in the UK but want to tour Europe, is this possible with a Car Subscription?
Yes, many of the providers will allow you to take your vehicle abroad, but you will need to apply for some paperwork from the supplier, usually a VE103B. You may also have to pay additional insurance and breakdown assistance.
1 Month Plus Top Tips
If you are looking at taking a car for 1-month plus and you’re mileage won’t be too high, a car subscription is an excellent and cost-efficient way of having a car for your UK holiday. Many of the providers offer truly flexible car subscriptions, these include Cocoon Vehicles, Flexed, Flexigo, Drive Car Flex and Sixt+ and they should work out cheaper than using a traditional car rental service such as Hertz, Europcar or Avis.
Less Than 1 Month
At this point, it would be a recommendation to stick to traditional daily rental companies such as Avis, Europcar or Avis, but here are some top tips to get the best deals:
Package Holidays
If you are booking through a travel agent, it might be beneficial to bolt-on a car hire. Travel agents can tap into worldwide discounts and you can save a lot of money based on booking direct.
Credit Card Deals
If you have a major credit card provider such as American Express or Barclaycard, it might be beneficial to have a look at the member benefits. Many of the providers such as AMEX offer travel portals to get quotes on car rentals across a range of providers.
Book via an Airline
If you have booked everything separately, it is still a good idea to look at the airline’s car hire options. Booking a car hire via an airline like British Airways can save you more money than booking direct, even if it is a few pounds. On top of this, if you are a loyalty card with the airline, you might receive additional benefits such as additional drivers or points.
Use a Car Rental Portal
Similar to the likes of your credit card member benefits, portals such as Rentalcars UK search many of the different providers to find you the best deal on your holiday car hire. Click the link above to find out more.
Cashback Sites
Use Cashback websites to find additional deals and discounts when booking car hire, these are companies like Quidco and TopCashback, they occasionally have discount codes
Things to look out for
If you are renting a car, these are our top tips to prevent additional charges:
Inspect Your Car
Before you drive away, go around the car and inspect the car for any damage. Take plenty of photos of the exterior of the car, not forgetting the front and rear valance (under the bumpers). Take a photo of the mileage and the fuel level. If you have any issues at the end of your rental, send them the images.
Restriction on Miles
Many of the car hire firms now, may restrict your mileage and charge you extra if you go over. Its difficult to know how many miles you will be doing on your vacation, but try and estimate this the best you can. If you know your hotel is 50 miles away from the airport, 100 miles will be allocated straight away.
Avoid the upsell
Many of the staff at the larger rental companies such as Budget and Sixt are incentivised to upsell you to a larger or higher specification car. In particular Sixt may offer you a choice of transmission that will have a cost implication and it may charge you for “guaranteeing” a particular car. Always ask what the total costs are, many customers are quoted a figure and then realise at a later date that this is daily rate and not the total amount. Always check everything that you are signing.
Extra Insurances
Id you are happy with your excess amount, then there is no need to purchase the extra insurances offered unless you feel that the country you are visiting in, will make you feel more comfortable. The extra insurances can prove very expensive and it might be something already covered by your credit card provider. You may also find companies offering policies that cover your excess for very little money. When declining the insurances, the hire car firm may ask you to sign an additional piece of paper. Sign this and add the line “insurance refused” and take a snap with your smartphone.
Return with a full tank
Many car rental companies will want you to return the car with a full tank of petrol or diesel. If you don’t you will get charged to top the tank up and at a higher rate. Some offer a full tank of fuel as an added extra at the beginning of the hire, this isn’t the best deal usually and its very hard to use up a full tank.
Compare Car Subscriptions
For those who are thinking of using a car subscription as a holiday rental, use our website to find the best providers including those that offer a car for 1 month and those that offer fully inclusive insurance.
Other Articles of Interest
Here are a few articles that may help with your search for a vehicle subscription:
- Does a Subscription work out cheaper than a long-term car rental?
- How flexible is a flexible car subscription?
- Can I take my Car Subscription abroad?
- Car Subscriptions with Insurance
Disclaimer
We are not responsible for any external websites that this page may link out to. We may also receive a commission for click-outs to some of the websites, should you go ahead with any of their products and/or services.
