Aspect Car Rental BlogNews and views about car hire and rental world wide.

With all the doom and gloom forecasts for the UK tourist industry this year, will the car hire companies lose out? Probably not, because they have also downsized their fleets due to the economic downturn.

But what exactly does this mean for those of us wanting to hire a car in the UK this summer? The ‘book your car hire early’ advice still stands because with smaller fleets, a reduced demand won’t necessarily mean that cars will be available to hire if you wait to book.

This is particularly true of high profile locations like the major UK airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham to name just a few.

Although many of the travel companies like Thomson are reporting a huge boost in sales for overseas trips from the UK, it doesn’t mean that demand for car hire in the UK will see a related drop.

For those who are staying in the UK, hiring a car is often the way they travel to their destination, especially if they have a small car but want to take a lot of luggage.

People also choose to book a hire car if they want something a little more powerful, if for example they want to tour the mountains of Scotland or Wales where an 1100cc engine carrying a full load would strain to get up the hills!

So check car hire prices as early as you can and get the car you want not the one that’s left!

If you’re coming to the UK and you book a car hire, you need to be aware of the law as it may differ from those you have at home. Remember when you book your car hire UK you will be required to leave a deposit, usually in the form of a credit card ‘hold’ (where the deposit is not taken from your credit card but is held back from your available credit by your credit card company).

There are two main reasons for this, one is to cover damage you may incur to the vehicle, the other is to cover any motoring offenses you may commit whilst using the vehicle.

When you book car hire in the UK you may decide that you don’t like wearing seat belts, however if you’re caught there is a fine of up to £500 which if you’ve left the country before the fine is issued, can be deducted from your credit card.

Speeding is another offense that many car hire drivers think they can commit without penalty, again, this is not so as the car hire company can take the fine from your credit card. Depending on the speed and road you commit the offense on the fine can be as much as £2,500!

Then there is drink driving, I think most of us agree that drinking and driving do not mix, yet still, so many people refuse to act sensibly and still drink and drive.
In the UK the limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood and whilst the police cannot randomly stop you whilst you are driving, they can administer a breath test if they have other reasons to stop you. They can also administer breath tests whilst you are in a stationary vehicle on a public place (road, pub car park, garage forecourt etc), that is whilst you are in control of the vehicle, so it’s no good being parked in your hire car, on the side of a road with a bottle in your hand!!

Just because you’re not driving does not mean you can’t be charged! The penalties can be up to six months in prison, £5,000 fine and disqualification if you hold a UK licence.

So when you book your car hire in the UK remember to check on the driving laws, you can download a PDF of the UK highway code from

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/index.htm

That way you can always be sure of the latest laws and regulations.

It’s the holiday season and you may be wanting a last minute car hire in the UK, what’s your best best bet? This time of year many car hire locations will have no fleet availability so if you do want a last minute care hire in the UK you’re better off trying some of the less popular locations.

Airports are always going to be busy so unless it’s absolutely necessary for you to hire your car at an airport, try a city location, even think about paying the delivery fee to get it at the airport if you really need a car and can’t get one at the location of your choice.

The financial climate has has an effect on car hire companies who’ve reduced their fleet, which means at busy periods cars are in short supply, pushing the prices up.

So if you want a UK hire car then book as early as you can, if you want a last minute booking, be prepared to either pay a delivery fee or, take a car that is in less demand, even if that means paying a little extra.

After all, better to have a car than be without!