Car Hire Customers Pay More Than Double during the School Holidays

According to the most recent consumer Watchdog report…

If you’re a parent and looking to hire a car overseas, during the school holidays, the chances are that you will have to pay double the amount than if you were to hire a car during term-time.

The huge hike in car hire prices is a similar situation to the holiday price hikes during the school holidays.

Paying for both a holiday and car hire once arrived at your chosen destination will be very expensive; too expensive for most in our current economic climate.

Car Hire Price Break Down

Car hire prices both in the US and Europe can rise by as much as 176% between the months of June and August.

Moreover, research suggests that package holiday prices increased by as much as 30% from the final weeks of school term time and the start of the school holiday period.

Barcelona

The largest increase in car hire costs occur when consumers hire a small car from Barcelona’s airport. To hire a car for a week in June, the average price for a 50-year-old driver was £50. However, during August the price increased on average by 176%, which works out as £138, not including the additional costs/charges.

Malaga

To hire a car at Malaga airport, average prices would increase by 152%; from £49 for a week in June, up to £123 in August.

Faro Airport – Portugal

On average, hiring a car at the Faro airport in Portugal, the cost rose by 109%, from £64 in June to £134 in August.

United States

Strangely, the average cost for hiring a small car in the United States during school holiday periods, does not rise anywhere near as much as they do in Europe. During August, the average price was just 14% higher than in term time for a small car and 16% for a large car.

Blog written by Karen Redman