Wherever you’re heading on holiday this year, picking up a hire car is a great way to maximise your enjoyment. Besides providing a convenient means of transporting the family and luggage to and from the airport, a holiday hire car provides complete freedom to explore your destination, removing the worry of having to rely on local public transport.
There are plenty of ways to save money on hiring a car for your holiday; reputable and established international rental companies often offer promotions and discounts, and booking a suitably-sized vehicle online well in advance of your holiday can also help you to grab a good deal.
Whilst finding and arranging holiday car hire at the best possible price is a great start, there are also ways you can also save money on running your hire car, and this can become significant if you’re planning to get out and about and make the most of your holiday destination’s highlights and activities. With that in mind, here are some handy tips to help you get more miles for your money from a holiday hire car.
Wherever you’re heading on holiday this year, picking up a hire car is a great way to maximise your enjoyment. Besides providing a convenient means of transporting the family and luggage to and from the airport, a holiday hire car provides complete freedom to explore your destination, removing the worry of having to rely on local public transport.
There are plenty of ways to save money on hiring a car for your holiday; reputable and established international rental companies often offer promotions and discounts, and booking a suitably-sized vehicle online well in advance of your holiday can also help you to grab a good deal.
Whilst finding and arranging holiday car hire at the best possible price is a great start, there are also ways you can also save money on running your hire car, and this can become significant if you’re planning to get out and about and make the most of your holiday destination’s highlights and activities. With that in mind, here are some handy tips to help you get more miles for your money from a holiday hire car.
- Travel light
The simple rule is that the heavier your hire car is, the harder the engine will have to work and the more fuel it will burn. Resist the temptation to consider the boot as handy extra storage space for suitcases, duty-free goods and anything else that will add weight to the car – leave everything but the essentials in your hotel room instead.
- Use air-conditioning sparingly
Few people realise that running a car’s air-con slightly reduces engine performance and increases fuel consumption. Of course, if you’re in a country that’s baking hot you may not be able to do without air conditioning whilst you drive, but turning it off during cooler periods such as early morning or night time will help you squeeze a little more mileage out of your holiday hire car.
- Keep an eye on tyre pressure
It’s the kind of detail that’s easily overlooked, and particularly when you’re on holiday, but if you suspect that the tyres on your rental car are under-inflated it’s worth checking if the opportunity arises: under-inflated tyres can increase a car’s fuel consumption by between 3% and 5%. - Don’t drive with the windows open…
… and particularly if you’re running the car’s air-con. It’s fine to have the windows open when you’re parked up and admiring the view or letting in a little fresh air. When the car is moving, however, open windows increase drag, which in turn increases fuel consumption.
- Plan your route before setting off
Taking the time to find the most efficient route from A to B is a sensible precaution and can prevent those occasion when what appears to be a short cut somehow turns into a large and costly detour. Be sure to take a good road map as contingency if your route needs to be changed due to, for example, unforeseen road works or an accident and bear in mind that if you are using a sat-nav this may not necessarily direct you along the most fuel-efficient route. - Maintain your speed on highways and long, straight roads
Once you’re travelling at speeds greater than 60mph, fuel consumption can increase rapidly. If you can afford the time and maintain a constant but slightly slower speed, your fuel will go further. Cruise control, if available, can help with fuel economy on long journeys provided that the route is flat but should be avoided where the terrain is hilly.
- Check and double-check your holiday hire car’s petrol cap
A damaged, ill-fitting or improperly-replaced fuel cap (or worse, a fuel cap that is missing altogether) will result in the evaporation of fuel from the tank, resulting in the need to refuel more regularly.
- Don’t use your holiday hire car for the sake of it
It’s an obvious point, but if getting to the beach from your hotel is the choice between a five-minute drive and a ten-minute walk, take the walk. After all, that’s ten extra minutes of tan-topping sunshine each way that you won’t enjoy inside the car.
