Car Hire | Car Rental Deals and Offers

Europcar rents thousands of vehicles out a day so expects the occasional late return or damaged vehicle. But a recent survey of its branches revealed some of the strangest reasons for damage to cars or late returns. Ranging from an afternoon snooze to a runaway cow!

The need for cost-effective, environmentally friendly, travel solutions is being addressed by leading vehicle rental provider, National Car Rental, at this year’s World Travel Market. Utilising its extensive global network, National is offering the travel industry a range of solutions that meet the needs of leisure and business travellers.

Hiring a car is a great, inexpensive way to make the most of a holiday. This summer, make renting a car even better value for money by following these tops tips from Holiday Autos.

Does driving on the opposite side of the road send your head into a spin? Does the continual beeping of horns put you into a blind panic? And do you shout at your petrified passenger that the fact you have just bumped the car is not your fault, but the bad habits of the other people on the road? Well – you may just be right.

Sienna Miller drives an Audi TT, Kate Moss loves her vintage MG and car mad David Beckham drives the latest open top Porsche. For the stars and their cars, it’s all about being convertible.

Following the success of last year’s “Snapped” competition, easyCar.com is once again asking the British public to get creative with their holiday snaps. Moving away from tired landmark pictures, easyCar is driving holidaymakers to use their imagination and become amateur travel photographers.

Europcar, the UK’s leading vehicle rental organisation is making it even easier to rent with its home delivery and collection service on both cars and vans. Customers can opt to have the vehicle delivered right to their door and if they choose, it can be collected again at the end of the rental.

Avis Rent a Car has signed a two-year contract to supply Alphabet, the multi-marque fleet funding company, with all its rental vehicle requirements. Avis won the business following Alphabet’s detailed review of requirements and a tender process.

Car Hire 8, a revolutionary new online car hire service, will launch in the UK on 8 August 2008, CarHire8.co.uk. Car Hire 8 provides car hire reservations from the leading rental brands like Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar Rent a Car and Europcar, all in one convenient online destination.

Europcar offers a wide range of vehicles, designed to cater for every occasion, but judging by the unusual items customers leave behind, the rental cars have strange stories to tell. In a survey of its branches, Europcar staff revealed the strangest items found in the back of returned vans and cars, ranging from furry handcuffs to a false leg.

Europcar, the UK’s leading vehicle rental business and the largest supplier of vans for daily rental has revealed a marked 15% increase in van rentals to consumers year on year. Whether it’s for a trip to the local dump, storage facilities, to collect or deliver online purchases, or for home moves, the rise in van rentals could be attributed to a growing ‘thriftiness’ amongst UK consumers as the credit crunch continues to bite.

Parents facing the prospect of cramped and cranky kids in over-packed cars this summer are being urged to leave the family run around at home and rent instead. Europcar, the UK’s leading vehicle rental operator offers its top tips for keeping the kids happy in the car and believes parents should be taking advantage of all the benefits of rental in the UK to ensure both they and the kids have a stress free start to the holidays.

Avis has launched its “3 Minute Promise” service, for Avis Preferred members, across approximately 500 European locations following a successful trial and implementation of the service in France and the UK. The customer service initiative has a current success rate of over 98%.

London may have a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities on the planet – but when it comes to car rental the capital doesn’t cost the earth. That’s according to a survey from CarDelMar, an innovative online car rental broker.

With tourists three times more likely to be involved in road accidents than locals, the Foreign Office is targeting mopeds as part of ‘Steer Clear of Trouble’ campaign. Over three quarters of Brits (82%) who have hired mopeds on holiday have put their own and others’ safety at risk, according to new figures released today by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Holidayautos.co.uk is slashing the price of overseas summer car hire offering seven-day rentals for a mere £99. The special £99 deal is available on hundreds of car hires in 20 key summer holiday destinations including the Majorca, Cyprus, Barcelona, Malta and Portugal.

In a first for the car rental industry, Europcar has launched a unique new customer service initiative for renters who become involved in an accident. Designed to provide drivers with one point of contact in the event of an accident, First Call is a 24/7 number available free of charge to all rental customers covered by Europcar’s insurance. It provides a single freephone number to call in the event of an accident, making the reporting process as easy as possible.

Figures from National Car Rental, part of Europcar UK Group, the UK’s leading vehicle rental organisation, suggest business drivers are planning road travel more carefully, triggered perhaps by heightened awareness of environmental concerns. The news follows the recent announcement that Europcar UK Group is the first rental company to provide average CO2 emissions for each car group to help drivers make more informed decisions about the vehicles they are renting.

Europcar and Sabre today announced the joint release of an “electronic voucher” service for car rental customers. The service aims to further enhance convenience and efficiency for Europcar and Sabre customers worldwide.

When it’s time to getaway for the summer, the only way to go is with Alamo Rent A Car. Temperatures are about to soar with Alamo’s grand summer draw offering three fabulous prizes. Customers simply need to sign up to Alamo’s Special Offers email programme to be in with the chance of a weekend’s drive in a Mini Cooper convertible, courtesy of Alamo’s sister company, Guy Salmon Prestige Rental.

Thousands of UK motorists have car accidents while abroad and driving on unfamiliar roads. At best this can cost travellers thousands of pounds in repatriation costs, at worst it can result in loss of life. Avis Rent a Car has issued this stark warning as many start the great summer getaway.

Avis China has been recognised as a leader in Service Quality at one of Beijing’s leading travel trade shows, COTTM 2008 - proof if any were needed that Avis’ ‘We Try Harder’ values translate into Mandarin Chinese as well as any other language. Launched in 2004, the prestigious CTW Awards are granted by an independent international jury and cover five categories: Service Quality, Product Development, Marketing, Internet/New Media, and Overall Performance.

Europcar International, the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle rental, today announced that it has received certification for its “Green Charter,” which formalizes its commitments in favor of sustainable development. It is the first such certification for a company in Europe by Bureau Veritas Certification in the fields of quality, safety, health, the environment and social responsibility.

It’s time for a REV-olution in summer holiday travel. Forget the drag of a coach bound fixed itinerary, free yourself from the confines of a hotel resort and let your mind escape from the trappings of public transport. Get behind the wheel of a car.

Due to popular demand, Avis Rent a Car is once again offering its customers the chance to guarantee a convertible this summer; at over 30 of its top locations! Hopefully this summer won’t be the wash out experienced in 2007; as the weather hots up, let your top down and become part of your scenery with Avis! Having already pinpointed the most beautiful drives on the wetryharder.co.uk blog, Avis can now reveal the best smelling routes for top down driving, and those to avoid.

Avis is guaranteeing customers across the UK and Europe lower than pump price fuel when they opt for the car rental company’s Fuel up Front service. Fuel up Front allows Avis customers to pre-pay for a full tank of fuel when they collect their car and then return it empty, without worrying about paying over the odds for the service as Avis will charge less than the local pump price per litre for the full tank.

Car hire customers no longer need to worry about heading in the wrong direction as car rental broker holidayautos.co.uk launches the first worldwide interactive road mapping service to its website.

Two thirds of Brits who have driven abroad have run into problems, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) research reveals today. With studies showing that tourists are three times more likely to be involved in a road accident than local drivers, an FCO survey has shown that when driving abroad, nearly a third (31%) have driven on the wrong side of the road and more than one in 10 have driven the wrong way round a roundabout.

The UK’s leading vehicle rental organisation, Europcar UK Group, has appointed Catriona Lougher as Consumer Marketing Director. With almost 15 years experience working with high profile leisure, motor and finance brands, Catriona Lougher brings a strong track record in brand building, communications and promotions focused on the consumer marketplace.