To avoid paying over the odds for a rental car on your holidays this summer, follow these simple tips

Recent statistics revealed that the cost of car hire in a number of popular European holiday destinations has tripled in the space of just three years. In order to keep the cost of car hire low during your summer trip, you’ll need to be savvy to bag a bargain.

Booking in advance is the biggest tips for keeping car hire costs down. Sorting out your car hire 6 months before your holiday will save you a considerable amount, although there are still decent savings to be had by booking just 4 weeks prior to your break.

Car hire during July and August will be more expensive than any other time of the year and as these months draw closer, the prices shoot up further as availability becomes tighter.

Surprisingly, hiring a bigger car could also work out cheaper as smaller vehicles are more popular and tend to book out quicker. Because less people opt for a larger car, there tends to be more availability and they are more reasonably priced as demand is lower for these types.

Check the excess insurance waiver before signing on the dotted line for car hire. Some companies have a large excess on their hire vehicles so if you have a bump, you may have pay out more than you’d expect. Clarify the excess waiver before committing yourself to a car hire contract.

Beware of the added extras which may not be included in your policy. Some car hire companies will let you add an additional driver to the policy at no extras cost, whereas some charge for this. Also things like the hire of a child’s bumper seat could push up the cost of car rental.

Limo Broker introduces ultra low rates on limo hire for the new year

One of the leading limo hire providers in the UK, Limo Broker, have announced all time low prices to kick start 2010. The limo giant have slashed rates across their whole range of vehicles so there’s never been a better time to pick up a bargain limo ride for your special occasion this year.

With a massive selection of chauffeur driven limousines to choose from you’re bound to find something to suit your occasion perfectly. From top of the range Hummer limos with the capacity to carry 18 passengers, to exquisite wedding cars like the open-top Beauford, and exclusive vehicles such as the Ferrari limo, you won’t find a more comprehensive and exciting fleet anywhere else in the country.

As a nationwide operator, Limo Broker can provide you with a limo hire regardless of where you are based in the UK. From London to Edinburgh, Cardiff to Belfast and Swindon to Birmingham, no destination is out of bound when you make a booking with Limo Broker.

These ultra low limo hire rates won’t hang around for long so if you need a wedding car for you big day this summer, or a novelty limo to surprise your best mate on her birthday, or a party bus to celebrate your stag do in style, now is the time to bag a bargain. Call now and receive a rock bottom price for your limo trip courtesy of Limo Broker’s exclusive January sale.

For more details, please visit www.limobroker.co.uk

Europcar named World's Leading Car Rental Company

The World Travel Awards are held in great esteem and are regarded as the highest accolade within the travel industry. The award is also voted for by Europcar’s peers making it an extra special achievement.

Europcar are particularly pleased to have picked up the prize given the current economic climate. The award is based on the company’s performance over the last 12 months, the period when the credit crunch was at its height.

The car rental giant is now well on its way to achieving its goal of becoming the biggest car hire provider in the world. The Global Marketing Director, Jehan de The, who was in London to collect the award, said Europcar is flying high at the moment after picking up similar accolades in the Middle East, Africa and Central America.

After introducing a number of new initiatives and Europcar’s continued to commitment to customer service, the company have further strengthened their position within the industry, which this latest award is testament to.

Hertz launch legal action

Car Hire company Hertz are taking legal action against Audit Integrity Inc for defamation after they released a report naming Hertz in the top 20 companies who were likely to declare bankruptcy in the next 12 months. The complaint was filed at the Superior Court in New Jersey against Audit Integrity, an independent research organisation which evaluates a range of businesses providing quarterly accounting and governance reports.

The press release in question was issued in September. It is alleged that the information stated that Hertz had “potential for fraudulent reporting of financial statements.” The CEO of Audit Integrity, Jack Zwingli, added fuel to the fire by appearing on TV network CNBC to promote his companies new findings. He is accused of saying that Hertz “lacks integrity and lies to shareholders.”

Car hire firm Hertz hit back at the remarks saying the accusations are completely without substance. Instead of showing signs of floundering, Hertz shares have actually risen at the New York Stock Exchange in recent days.

Hertz are angry that Audit Integrity issued the press release “knowing how defamatory and disruptive such charges can be to a publically traded company.” Hertz added that they have substantial assets in the form of their fleets of hire cars and these would provide sufficient funds should they find themselves in financial difficulties.

The car hire firm is calling for a retraction of the press release and is seeking damages for defamation and trade libel.

Porsche Panamera joins car hire fleet

The beauty of the Porsche Panamera is that it’s big enough to accommodate 4 passengers, unlike the majority of sports cars. Instead it features 4 doors, luxury leather seating for 4 people, and a boot at the rear of the vehicle to carry luggage. As for the technical mechanics, according to the Porsche specification the new model has standard direct injection, PDK, start stop technology and optional aerodynamics.

It’s a recent addition to the Porsche family having only been revealed at the Shanghai Automobile Show last April. Avis is the first car hire company to pick up the Porsche Panamera. It joins an already impressive line-up of sports cars including the new Jaguar XKR 5.0 Cabriolet, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster and the Ferrari F430 F1 Spider which are already available to hire through Avis.

The starting hire price for the Porsche is €189 for a day or €567 for a weekend. According to the car hire firm, the Porsche Panamera isn’t too expensive to run as it features brand new technology which aids fuel efficiency.

Car hire firm Dollar Thrifty make cut backs

So far Dollar Thrifty has closed a staggering 115 stores across its network. This represents 4% of the company’s revenue in 2008 and equates to 5,500 cars. A leading analyst commended Dollar Thrifty’s strategy saying the cut backs probably saved the car hire company from going bankrupt last year.

The Chief Executive of Dollar Thrifty conceded that the actions taken by his company were somewhat aggressive and extreme, however he believed they had been vital to their survival. He added that he doesn’t expect to have to make any more cuts within the company following the 10 announced losses. Although they have suffered as a result of recession in the same way as other car hire companies have, their ruthless approach to restructuring as enabled them to ride out the storm.

The forthcoming closures have been designed to coincide with the expiry date of the each of the stores’ rental contracts. Despite the massive cut backs, Dollar Thrifty still retains a considerable proportion of business assets with outlets in 700 locations and 6,800 employees.

The two organisations have been working in conjunction since 2003. The pair have put their heads together and come up with a joint website which aims to streamline the car hire booking process and make customers aware of the advantages of booking through this system. The new site offers services through a range of different languages including English, German, Italian and French.

Airline renews contract with car hire firm

The people who will benefit most from this extended venture will be the customers. Passengers from the airline will be treated to generous discounts on car hire amongst other benefits. Europcar is currently running an offer until the 15^th October whereby Swiss Airline passengers receive a free upgrade on their hire car when they making a booking online at the new website.

Another great service these customers will be offered is free valet parking at the airport, plus reserved parking spaces at terminals including Basel, Geneva and Zurich. Europcar is seeking to take the strain out of the car hire procedure by making as many allowances for these customers as possible.

One of the chefs at Europcar spoke of his enthusiasm for the continued partnership. He explained that the deal will enable them to offer “even more value to travellers” which is major priority for both organisations.

New car hire price comparison site revealed

Covering 6,000 locations throughout 160 countries which include Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian Ocean, Canada, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean and Asia-Pacific, this determined new price comparison site certainly has ambition.

A spokesman from elephantcarhire.com commented on their reason for launching the new price comparison website. The poor economic climate was cited as a factor on the plus side as the company they believe that more and more people are determined to shop around to get a cheaper deal, and that’s where they fit it.

Elephantcarhire.com works by partnering up with the 450 car hire companies on their books which include some big names such as Hertz, Avis and National Car. The system works by comparing the cost of car hire in the customer’s chosen country in order to guarantee the lowest quote and to also save the customer valuable time.

After taking 11 months to develop, elephantcarhire.com finally went live on September 1^st. By their own admission they have “huge plans” and believe they can breathe new life into a car hire market which they describe as being “stagnant”.

Car hire company strikes deal with Renault

The two companies will sign the agreement at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. Europcar’s decision to stock Renault’s electric car and provide re-charging services will add another form of revenue to the company. Other car hire companies have attempted to do the same thing with regular cars as they allow customers to return their vehicle empty and charge for the cost of the fuel, this allows them to squeeze more money out of the one transaction.

Another company to spot the earning potential of providing an electric re-charge service for these green cars is McDonalds. The North Carolina restaurant of the fast food chain opened up an electric charging service in July of this year.

With more and more emphasis being out upon reducing our carbon footprint and with the increase in the range of car manufacturers making these green vehicles, Europcar’s move to offer a re-fuelling service is particularly shrewd. It also offers perfect opportunity for cross selling products to its car hire customers meaning they should be able to profit from the venture easy.

Renault plans to put the car into production in 2011 with the first vehicle being available to buy from 2012.

ex-car hire vehicles sold as having"one owner"

One of the most common complaints highlighted by the duped car buyers was the fact that they had paid over the odds for a vehicle which had been sold to them as having “one owner.”The accusation of misleading sales techniques will be looked at thoroughly in the investigation, the focus will be upon second hand car dealerships and not private vendors. Other gripes included problems with the vehicle including some serious defects and complications with regard to servicing.

The intention to cover-up the car’s past seems to have been deliberate. Certain car hire firms have used an abbreviation of their trading name in the place of the previous owner’s details in order to conceal the fact it was a hire car.

However some car experts have pointed out the merits of buying an ex-rental car as the advantage of buying such a vehicle is that it will have been serviced regularly and undergone routine check-ups. Although they did stress that the consumer should have the right to know the car’s history before making the decision to buy the hire car and not be tricked into making the purchase.

The second hand car business was estimated to have been worth £35 billion in 2008. However it appears that a handful of unscrupulous car salespeople are attempting to further increase their profits by inflating the prices of ex- rental vehicles by concealing their history.

Due to the barrage of complaints which had been received, the OFT felt a thorough investigation was required in order to establish whether new stricter regulations are needed to safeguard second hand car buyers.