Monday, December 14th, 2009
Leading
car hire comparator warns of sell outs and increased rental prices for 2010
Award-winning
price comparator website Carrentals.co.uk
is warning that the lack of car hire availability seen this year across some of
Europe’s most popular holiday destinations is set to continue into 2010, with
the recession restricting funds available to car rental companies for fleet expansion.
The
peak seasons of 2009 saw destinations such as Malaga, Alicante and Valencia all
selling out completely, forcing travellers to find alternative means of transport
for their holidays. Lack of availability is not the only effect of the shortage
in cars though, with Carrentals.co.uk revealing that some of the car hire companies
featured on its website increased prices by up to 96% for car rental in the 12
month period between summer 2008 and summer 2009.
Destinations
with the biggest price increases in 2009 include Gibraltar Airport, which saw
an increase of £8.16* a day (up 65%); Alicante Airport, which saw prices rise
by £11.23* a day (up 87%); and Toulouse Airport, which saw an increase of £23.07*
a day (up 96%).
Gareth
Robinson, managing director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “The recession has heavily
impacted upon fleet sizes this year, with car hire companies having been unable
to increase the number of vehicles due to lack of funding from banks. Without
the banks’ investments, companies have been forced to cope with a limited supply
of vehicles, which has restricted availability in many locations and in turn seen
prices increase across the board - a trend that is set to continue into 2010.”.
With
the effects of the credit crunch, fewer car hire bookings were expected throughout
2009, with car rental companies hoping restricted fleet sizes would suffice, but
despite the tough economic climate, bookings have remained high during peak seasons
- leading to complete sell outs on numerous occasions.
Commenting
on the situation Owen Coles of easyCar says: “General expectations are that the
economy will improve in 2010 and as a result we are expecting an increase in the
number of transactions. However, with the instability of the financial climate,
it is not yet clear as to how easy it will be to obtain funding for fleet expansion.
“We
are likely to see further examples of restricted vehicle availability as fleet
sizes in 2010 will generally be the same as this year, so we are anticipating
shortages, some of them acute, in the peak periods. Car rental companies will
therefore be forced to focus on a shift from growth to margin protection and service
improvement.”
Customers
are being advised to book car hire early to guarantee a good deal, with Carrentals.co.uk
currently offering car hire for February half term at Faro Airport from just £14**
a day, from £13** a day at Athens Airport, from £14** a day in Tenerife South
Airport and from £12** a day at Palma Airport.
Gareth
Robinson adds: “We would advise travellers to book as far in advance as possible
in order to get the best deals and vehicle choice. Using a comparator site customers
can gain an overview of the different options available, making sure they are
securing the best available price.”
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.
History
of 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, when they also booked their 100,000th customer. In
2007 they re-launched the site to create the first major online price comparator
in the travel industry.
Using
the latest technology the new Carrentals.co.uk site now searches
over 40 different car hire websites, providing an impartial comparison of the
best prices available.
In
2008 they won the Traveloution Award for the best car hire website beating off
competition from established rivals. Websites searched include Alamo, Thrifty,
Sixt, Holiday
Autos, Opodo, EBookers,
Carrentals.co.uk and EasyCar, with the Carrentals.co.uk site quickly comparing
prices and allowing customers to refine their search by car type or provider.
carrentals.co.uk
Car Hire Excess Insurance provided by Questor Insurance Limited
Source:
Carrentals.co.uk
Back
to index on Carrentals main page
See
also:
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