GLOBAL SUMMER CAR HIRE STUDY SHOWS PRICES ARE 27% CHEAPER THAN IN 2023 AND 42% CHEAPER THAN IN 2022

A 12-country study of car hire costs worldwide reveals that prices have almost fallen back to pre-pandemic levels. A week's car hire worldwide is now 27% cheaper than in 2023 and 42% cheaper than in 2022. Hiring a compact family car (e.g., a VW Golf) this summer will cost £380 a week on average, which is getting close to the 2019 cost of £310. This is significantly lower than in recent years when prices spiked post-pandemic. The average rental price in 2022 was £652, and in 2023 it was £520. Conducted by iCarhireinsurance.com, the survey looked at the costs for a week's hire from 27 July to 3 August 2024 in 12 countries worldwide (Australia, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and the USA) and compared the costs from the six rental companies of Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. Australia (£297 weekly rental average), Spain (£306 weekly rental average), Germany (£311 weekly average rental) and Turkey (£360 weekly rental average) are the cheapest places to hire a car this summer, and Italy (£446 weekly rental average), Switzerland (£460 weekly rental average) and France (£523 weekly rental average) the most expensive. Although the main rental prices have fallen, one area where customers are still faced with significant charges are the optional extras that are offered at the rental desk, including car hire excess protection** (often referred to as theft and collision damage cover) £168, tyre and windscreen excess cover £33, an extra driver £64, a sat nav £71 and a child's seat £67. If all extras were selected, they would cost £403 in total, pushing the average price to £783 for a week's hire. Table of average rental company costs to hire a medium, compact car for a week in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Six rental companies' costs were compared - Sixt, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise and Europcar. Average price for a week's rental hire / Country of hire Average Car Rental Price* in 2019 27 July - 3 Aug 2019 Average Car Rental Price in 2022 30 July - 6 Aug 2022 Average Car Rental Price* in 2023 29 July - 5 Aug 2023 Average Car Rental Price in 2024 27 July - 3 Aug 2024 Germany (Munich) £212 £378 £365 £311 USA (Florida) £231 £650 £406 £362 Croatia (Dubrovnik) £289 £806 £421 £342 Spain (Barcelona) £258 £609 £433 £306 Turkey (Dalaman) £292 £299 £444 £360 Portugal (Faro) £428 £784 £517 £375 Australia (Sydney) £229 £500 £550 £297 Greece (Crete) £460 £775 £563 £417 UK (London) £183 £743 £577 £366 France (Nice) £417 £731 £599 £523 Italy (Milan) £364 £617 £650 £446 Switzerland (Geneva) £353 £933 £711 £460 Average Cost £310 £652 £520 £380