Bank Holiday Travellers Warned to Book Car Hire Early

Bank Holiday travellers looking for car hire could face high prices or no availability according to leading car hire comparison site Carrentals.co.uk, which is already reporting shortages in key locations such as Alicante and Malaga this August.

With recession fears leading many rental companies to cut stock levels as they predicted falling demand in 2009, customers are now suffering the impact with hefty price rises and lack of availability over the peak summer months.
  
Gareth Robinson, managing director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: "Lack of car hire availability is proving to be a big problem for many travellers this summer. The car hire companies have scaled back in light of the credit crunch, but visitor numbers during peak periods have held up. It's customers who are being let down, with some paying hundreds of pounds more for their car than they did a year ago.

"Travellers need to book early and look beyond the big brand names. We compare up to 50 rental companies on our site, meaning that if one supplier has sold out one of the smaller suppliers may still have some availability. It's all about shopping around and booking in advance to avoid getting caught out."
 
A week's Bank Holiday car hire in Orlando currently starts from just £15* a day, with prices from £18* a day in Crete, from £17* a day in Newquay and from £23* a day in Malaga.
 
Gareth adds: "The popular Bank Holiday locations such as key resorts in Spain are already busy, so travellers may well find that any cars they can book are charged at a premium. If you're desperate for a car, do try looking a little further afield - for example at a downtown location, rather than the airport – it may be less convenient for pick up, but the price could be significantly less."
 
Carrentals.co.uk compares car hire deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Budget, EasyCar, Holiday Autos and Sixt in over 9,000 locations worldwide.

To compare the latest car hire deals visit www.carrentals.co.uk. *Prices based on a one week rental from 29 August and are subject to change.

About Carrentals.co.uk
Carrentals.co.uk was launched in February 2003 and grew to become one of the UK's leading online car hire companies by 2006.
In 2007 the company re-launched its site to create the first major online price comparator in the travel industry. Using the latest technology the Carrentals.co.uk site now searches up to 35 different car hire websites, providing an impartial comparison of the best prices available in over 9,000 locations.

Websites searched include Alamo, Budget, EasyCar, Ebookers, Hertz, Holiday Autos, Opodo, Sixt and Thrifty, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type.
The Carrentals.co.uk site also features over 5,000 pages of travel information in a mini-guide format.
In 2008 Carrentals.co.uk was voted Best Car Hire Website in the Travolution Awards. To book or for further information visit www.carrentals.co.uk

Media Contact
Rachel Builder & Debbie Williams
Context
T: 01625 511966
F: 01625 511967
carrentals@contextpr.co.uk
www.contextpr.co.uk