Irish holidaymakers are being warned to be aware of the “snowballing” cost of car hire extras ahead of hitting the slopes for their winter ski holidays in mainland Europe.
Irish insurer Carhireexcess.ie studied six rental companies – Avis, Budget, Sixt, Europcar and Hertz – in six European ski destinations (Barcelona, Turin, Grenoble, Geneva, Sofia, and Innsbruck) to hire a medium compact car – for example, a Volkswagen Golf – for a week from December 27 to January 3.
The average cost of a week’s car rental for a New Year ski trip varies by over €500, costing €714.71 in Geneva compared with €212.10 in Sofia.
It is the extras, though, that can cause the cost of car hire to “snowball”. A driver could double their bill if they purchase theft and collision damage excess waiver from the rental company for €277; an extra driver on the policy for €127; a sat nav for €188; a child’s car seat for €84; winterisation costs for €98; and a ski rack for €75, adding up to €849 and making the final total cost, including the week’s rental, more than double at €1,563.
Christian Bennett of Carhireexcess.ie said: “Irish holidaymakers are already facing the pinch without the added worry of a blizzard of extra and unnecessary car rental costs. Company sales representatives are incentivised to throw ‘extras’ at you, which can lead customers to feel that there is no option but to buying excess protection at the rental desk. Avoid the additional expense and the hassle of the hard sell by purchasing car hire excess protection in advance of your trip from an independent specialist such as Carhireexcess.ie.”
“You can also save by avoiding putting multiple drivers on the rental policy and bring your own sat nav or use your phone to navigate,” he added.
Common Car Rental Pitfalls Irish Consumers Should Be Aware Of
Hire car drivers should also watch out for high starting excess protection values. The average damage excess is over €1,509, however it is almost €2,808with Hertz in Geneva, and with Europcar in Turin it is around €2,700. Without an excess protection policy, travellers are responsible for the first part of any insurance claim for theft or damage up to this excess amount, even if it is not their fault.
Car Hire Excess Protection: When driving in wintry conditions, it’s important to consider protecting yourself against high excess charges. Buying excess waiver protection from the rental company can be expensive, and significant savings can usually be made if a stand-alone policy is bought in advance from a specialist provider, like Carhireexcess.ie.
On average, in this study, excess or waiver protection will add €191 to a hirer’s bill if bought from the rental desk. This is €27 a day which is more than the cost of a whole week’s policy from Carhireexcess.ie which costs just €24.434. In addition, a Carhireexcess.ie policy covers vulnerable parts of the vehicle, like the tyres and windscreen, which are often excluded from rental company policies.
If you are planning to hire a car more than once in a twelve-month period, European Annual Cover costs €48.99 and may work out to be an ever-better value option.
Winterisation: This is preparing the car with snow tyres, snow chains and snow socks. The study found that where winterisation is mandatory, this is included in the rental charge. Where is not mandatory, it is usually an extra fee and costs on average €56, but €91 on average in Grenoble.
Ski Rack: An essential piece of kit for many skiers.Budget for around €60 for a roof rack, although in Barcelona rental companies charge around €78.
Sat Navs: The most expensive place to hire a sat nav is Geneva where the average price is €137. Across all locations, the average charge was still a hefty €105 so take your own or use a smartphone (maybe with the maps already downloaded to avoid signal loss in the mountains).
Extra Drivers: Often a necessity for a ski group, the most expensive place to pay for an extra driver is Geneva, where travellers will pay around €109 for each extra driver. Sofia is the cheapest place, adding around €30 to the bill. Expect to pay around €73 across the destinations or nearly double, €139, if it is a young driver (under 25).
The Best Value Destinations for Car Hire This Winter
The best-value destination for skiers across the board is Sofia, with an average car seat cost of €38.40; Sat Nav €63.25; and €30 for Winterisation.
