People blown away after discovering 5 hacks to save money on car rental

DRIVERS have been blown away after discovering five hacks that will save them money on summer holiday car rentals.

Holiday hire car costs have more than doubled at many destinations in the past year or so, and experts are predicting that prices will remain high for the time being – as global car shortages mean hire firms are paying more money for new models.

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Handily, holiday experts at SmartTravel have provided five tips to save money when renting a car this summer.

Don’t overpay for fuel

Most rental companies expect you to return the car with a full tank, often allowing you to prepay for fuel.

According to the experts, this is a terrible deal. They recommend using an app to find the cheapest petrol station and fill the tank yourself.

Also, drivers should factor in that petrol stations near the airport are more expensive.

Take photos or videos of your car during inspections.

The experts say drivers should take pictures of any scratches on the car during the initial walk round.

You don’t have to report these issues to the rental company as soon as you see them, but it gives you documentation just in case they want to charge you for damages you didn’t cause.

Join a loyalty program

Become a member of your favourite rental company, and you’ll enjoy immediate benefits such as skipping the line at rental counters and access to member-only deals, even if you’re not a frequent customer.

Get a better rate even after you’ve booked

Some rental companies give you the option to book a car without prepaying, allowing you to cancel or change the reservation later if you find a better deal.

If you don’t have time to shop around after you’ve made the reservation, there’s a helpful website called AutoSlash that will do it for you.

It allows you to make the initial booking through their website or put in your existing reservation code from the car rental company.

And AutoSlash will then notify you when a cheaper rate becomes available.

Get a one-way rental for free

One-way car rentals are notoriously expensive, as the company charges a fee to cover the cost of getting the car where it belongs.

So it’s worth asking the company if they will give you a discount for driving the car to where it needs to be.

That’s the premise of Transfercar – which lists vehicles that need to be moved from one destination to another.

If you’re willing to do the driving, you can rent a car for a reduced price.

This comes after a man who has owned a Tesla Model 3 for just two days says he already hates his EV.

Plus, a car expert revealed a little-known tip to improve your car’s fuel economy this summer – and it could save you hundreds of pounds.