2024 Car Hire Study: How Much Money do Brits Waste on Car Hire?

Europe remains a popular destination for many British holiday makers, seeing roughly 56 million trips each year. This is no surprise as Europe boasts many beautiful beaches and sightseeing spots awaiting the avid explorer. However, it is becoming increasingly expensive to visit, especially when hiring a car.

With many feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis, every little bit saved can make a huge difference, be it a contribution to the monthly food bill, back to school supplies, or even another holiday during the year. With this in mind, we conducted a study to gain insight into the extent British holidaymakers might be overpaying for car hire.

How much do Brits waste on car hire

We uncovered that British consumers are spending on average £450 more than they need to on holiday during a typical 7-day trip, when hiring a car through six of the leading rental companies.

This wasted spend falls into seven key areas where hire companies are able to charge excessive prices for things. Luckily, with a little pre-planning Brits can avoid these extra costs and pocket the cash instead.

Where can Brits save money on car hire

British holiday makers can save money on car hire across the following areas:

Area	Saving
Excess Waiver	£186
Glass, undercarriage & tyre protection	£17
Child booster or car seats	£87
Personal possession cover	£16
Satnav	£74
Roadside Assistance cover	£55
Pay on the day fee	£18
Total	£453

Here’s how you save:

Refuse the excess waiver

Imagine this scenario - you are enjoying a scenic drive through Madrid and manage to graze the side of the hire car against a barricade. Having accidentally damaged you’re now responsible for paying a sizable excess fee to the hire company for the repairs.

As damage to hire cars is a common occurrence, hire companies know they can persuade you to take out an excess waiver. This is an on insurance – an additional expense which means in the event of damage, the excess fee is waivered (you won’t have to pay). However, this add on is expensive at around £20 per day.

To save money, opt for a standalone car hire excess insurance policy from an independent provider (like ReduceMyExcess).

This cheaper alternative typically offers better coverage, at a daily rate closer to £2!

Over your typical seven-day holiday, this is likely to save you around £186.

Refuse the hire company's tyre, glass, and undercarriage protection

Existing damage to tyres, glass and the undercarriage of the car often go unnoticed at the point of collection – allowing hire companies to charge you at drop off, even if you didn’t cause the damage.

Many car hire companies use this to upsell even more add-on’s to cover these types of damage.

The good news is, if you’ve purchased a standalone car hire excess insurance policy this will often include protection against damages to the tyres, glass and undercarriage at no additional cost, allowing you to refuse these add-on's too!

This could save you another £17 across a week trip.

Bring your own car seats

Car hire companies charge a significant amount to hire child seats...shocker...What’s more, they know that there is a legal requirement for children to use a car seat, and that if you don’t have them with you, to leave in a hire car or a taxi, you’ll have a choice between buying them at a premium in the airport or renting them through the hire company.

However, most airlines don’t charge for you to bring a child car seat on your flight as they don’t take up much room. So bringing your own car seats is an easy way to save another £87 on your holiday.

Personal Possessions Cover

Some car hire companies also charge extra to cover your personal belongings in the event of an accident, or theft. However, despite the additional cover, the excess on personal belongs is typically quite high. Meaning that in most cases, there will still be a sizable excess to pay despite the add on personal possessions cover! To save on this, standalone products like those from ReduceMyExcess have bundled this cover into the standard excess policy.

Smartphone navigation - your handy assistant

Using an app will save you from paying extra for the car hire company’s sat nav, which they offer on average at a staggering £74 for a week.

All you need is a mobile phone holder, your choice of navigation app, and you are set! No need to worry about getting lost when the world is at your fingertips.

Unnecessary additional roadside assistance

ReduceMyExcess’ standalone excess policy will cover lost keys, misfuelling and recovery costs. This means you can refuse the car hire company's additional roadside and key cover, saving you close to £55 on average, over a week. If your hire car breaks down for any other reason, then the hire company typically recover and replace the vehicle for you for free anyway!

Pay online and in advance

Pre-paying for your hire car booking online will save you £18 on average, versus paying on collection. Car hire companies offer a discount for online booking as it mitigates losses in the event of delays and cancelled flights and puts money in the bank faster.

The benefit to you, aside the discount, is that it is much easier to refuse all the adds-on and extras if you’ve already paid up front for what you. As a bonus, you can also save you time at the hire desk.