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General Car Rental Information
You can book from three sources - the large multi-nationals, local companies at your destination or brokers sometimes called consolidators.
1/ Multi-nationals. Realise that most do not run all their car rental services themselves, they often franchise out to local companies. Also many do not have a central UK emergency helpline number to contact, so in many countries if you have a problem you will be forced to deal with the office where you collected the car. They do have advantages if you are driving long distances because in case of trouble you can usually obtain a replacement car from a different office.
2/ Local Car Hire. Can be cheaper but cars may not be as reliable and you are on your own if you hit problems. Can be good for just local driving and if you only need a car for only a few days.
3/ Consolidators. These brokers use their bulk purchasing power to negotiate deals with the market place. They do not own any cars themselves nor do they have local offices - for instance at airports. A good place to start when you are shopping around. Holiday Autos or Leisurecars often offer good value - see links below.

Information on car hire :

Before you leave the car rental premises make sure you find out:

Any phone numbers you will require incase of accident or breakdown

What documentation you must keep in the rental car - this will probably include the rental contract, as it may be used as the car registration. Its also useful to prove your right to drive the car if you're pulled over.
You may want to blot out your credit card numbers from any documents you may leave in the car.
Obviously if you need the car for 7 days or more - you take the weekly rate.

If you are renting the car for 5 or more days, its worth working out if the weekly rate is cheaper for you. Often the 6th and 7th days are free in a weekly rental.

If you booked on the more expensive daily rate and need to extend your rental, its likely that you will continue to be charged on a daily basis.

Also be aware that some companies will charge you for an early return of their car!

On The Road

Check which side of the road you should use - the direction of the lanes may be different to in your own country.

The road signs may not be the colours and shapes you are used to - they may also be in a foreign language - so make sure you research all the common ones before you begin to drive around!

Road signs and gauges inside your car may well only be given in the metric form. Remeber 100 kilometers = 60 miles.

Be aware that the roads may be in a poorer condition than you are used to.

Fuel prices are quite variable, but will generally cost less than in the UK but more than in the USA. It is likely to be sold by the litre - don't forget the conversion: 3.78 litres = 1 gallon.

The Rental

There are maximum as well as minimum age limits for driving in some countries.

An International Driver's License may be necessary to supplement the permit you use in your home country.

In some countries you will be required to purchase a special permit to allow you to drive on their roads.

It may be necessary to buy extra insurance, if your personal or credit card cover are not sufficient for the rental company's satisfaction.
There is often quite a high tax to pay on rental cars, so make sure your cards can cover it!

If you are presented with a rental contract that is not in English, request to be given a translated copy or at least have an English speaking employee explain the various points to you.

You should expect most of the fleets to be made up of fairly small cars, most of which will have manual transmission. Also, air conditioning is generally considered an added feature that you will be charged extra for.

Car Hire UK makes a regular survey of the main car hire company sites in UK to see which ones offer the cheapest price and gives you most of the sites you might want to visit for budget car hire company .