European Car Hire Prices Showing Decrease When Booked in Advance

Figures released by CarHireExcess.ie show a drop in European car hire prices for people booking well in advance in 2025.

Experts at the company compared prices across seven popular destinations in the region  focusing on a week-long rental from July 26th – August 2nd this year. 

The prices this year have dropped by over 7% on average compared to last year. The average cost to hire a medium compact car from one of the six biggest operators  across the seven destinations for that week came in at €450, compared to €485 in 2024.

The greatest savings were to be found in Dalaman in Turkey and in Nice in France.

Travellers booking this time last year for summer 2024 would have paid, on average, €516 for a week’s hire in Dalaman, whereas for those booking this year, the average price in the summer week is €403. Similarly, in Nice, the average weekly summer hire price was €592* in 2024, compared to €496 this year.

Christian Bennett, CarHireExcess.ie spokesperson, said: “With the prices to hire a car coming down across Europe, it’s a great travel option. But it’s best to book your hire car as soon as you book your holiday to ensure you get the car you want. 

“Significant savings can be made by buying car hire excess protection from a specialist insurance provider, like CarHireExcess.ie, rather than the waivers sold at the rental desk.

“To avoid any costly surprises at the car hire desk, look at the prices of any extras that you may need. Each driver added to the rental agreement comes with additional cost, so only add an extra driver if you plan to share the driving. You can save money by bringing your own child car seat or sat nav. Also check if you’re using a car hire agency that offers free cancellation so you have the option to take advantage of any last minute offers.”

The most expensive of these is car hire excess protection which protects a hirer from having to pay the excess amount if the hire car is damaged or stolen, which can be as high as €2,418, according to this study. The rental companies charge, on average, €178 for a week’s super damage excess policy and €39 for a tyre and windscreen excess policy, costing €217 in total. 

Other extra charges include paying for an extra driver, costing  €68*, on average, renting a sat nav, costing  €81*, on average, and hiring a child’s car seat, costing  €76, on average.

Booking car hire early ensures you get the car you want and if you do find a better deal closer to travel use the ‘free cancellation’ option if available. 

As well as shopping around for the best car hire price, savings can also be made on extras bought at the rental desk.

Buying a standalone car hire excess insurance policy from a specialist insurance company, like CarHireExcess.ie, before you travel, costs from €24.75** for a week’s protection (from €48.99*** for an annual policy) and includes damage, theft, and tyre and windscreen cover – this is over seven times cheaper than buying from the rental company.