The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has commented on the new traffic law, and advises drivers to check the Comune di Milano website for more information. “In an attempt to reduce levels of pollution in Rome, the City authorities occasionally introduce traffic restrictions,” the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website states. “This involves only allowing the circulation of traffic on alternative days, linked to the vehicles’ odd or even number plates.”

Rory Sexton, MD of Economy Car Hire, is unsure of how the new congestion charge will affect Milan’s traffic problem – but hopes that the city centre will be a cleaner, quieter place as a result.

“Although initially this is only a trial for 18 months, many are hoping the traffic will be significantly reduced in the area,”

Rory says.

“According to the figures released on the first day of the congestion charge’s operation, cars entering the zone fell by 40%. Does this mean that those areas just outside of Milan city centre will be flooded with cars, all vying to park as close as they can? Happily, it seems not – already it appears that people are turning to public transport.

“Petrol prices have been on the rise across Europe recently. Could the introduction of this charge be the final nail in the coffin for the residents of Milan, or will the streets become cleaner and quieter, making for a more relaxed day for everyone?

“A congestion charge has been in operation in central London since 2003, and was extended further during 2007. Whilst the residents of London are at loggerheads as to whether the charge is beneficial or not, it’s only the start for Milan and its success has yet to proven.”

A good idea to help you get a great deal on car hire is to use a price comparison site as these will do the hard work for you when seeing which company has what you need at the cheapest price.

Here is a roundup of 5 of the most popular car hire companies across the globe to help you make your decision:

Budget Rent a Car

First opened in 1958, Budget Rent a Car is a long established car rental company that has a brand name recognised around the world. The company boasts a large selection of cars, vans and trucks available for rental in more than 3400 locations across 128 different countries. As is stated in the name, one of Budget Rent a Car’s aims is to keep costs down for its customers by constantly reviewing its prices.

Europcar

If renting a car in Europe, Europcar holds the title of Europe’s leading car hire company with 180 different locations in the UK and a further 10,000 branches across 180 countries worldwide. Europcar also offer the service of having your hire car delivered straight to your door, this can prove particularly convenient if you are in a rush to get your break off to a flying start. Another well respected name that has been offering reliable car hire for many years.

Hertz

Another big name in the car rental world, Hertz has over 8000 locations in all major cities, towns, airports and even specific holiday resorts. If you are looking for something a little bit more exciting in your rental car whilst you are on holiday, Hertz offers a ‘fun’ range of cars with models including a sporty VW Scirocco and the small but speedy Fiat 500, perfect for driving during city breaks. Hertz also offer their ‘Green’ collection, so if you are looking for a car with low CO2 output they can direct you to the right model for you.

Avis

Another familiar name in the car hire industry, Avis claims to have opened the world’s first airport car rental location in Willow Run Airport, Detroit in 1946. Since then it has expended to over 4000 locations in 114 different countries. To save you the hassle of taxis or public transport to the airport when travelling overseas for your holiday, Avis offers a service where they drop the hire car at your door, allowing you to drive yourself to the airport at your own pace and leaving it at their airport branch.

Holiday Autos

A relative newcomer in the world of car hire, Holiday Autos was founded in 1987 with goals of revolutionising the car hire industry by becoming the first company to offer fully inclusive pre paid car hire – and they achieved this. Since then they have caught up with the longer established car hire companies and has also become a recognisable and trusted name in the industry. The world’s largest leisure car rental broker and part of lastminute.com, holiday autos rather the rent the car themselves, negotiate prices with other car hire companies and passes the savings on to its customers.

These days there are various car hire comparison sites and independent sites such as Cheap.co.uk.  These sites list various prices from differing suppliers for the destinations and dates you specify.  However overlooking a few details in the terms and conditions could leave you paying more money on arrival. There are a large number of complaints online from disgruntled people who unknowingly had to fork out money for additional fees on arrival.  More often than not these people have overlooked the terms and conditions or have read one set of terms but unbeknownst to them have then moved on and selected a different car from a different supplier without realising the terms have changed.

The fact is not all suppliers have the same terms and when looking for car hire on the internet it is extremely important to see what is included in your quotation.  When using comparison sites you need to ensure that you visit each site independently to check the terms and if you are using a brokering site, the terms might change according to which car you choose.

In addition to varying terms you have to watch out and be wary of advertising which can be misleading.  More often than not, car hire companies choose their cheapest rates from the lowest season  and use that as their leading price on adverts.  This price of course doesn’t usually include the cost of extras.  Therefore if you require extras such as, sat nav, snow chains, roof racks and child seating, you should be looking for quotations that provide you with these costs and don’t just go by the daily car hire price.

Check Your Inclusions

For true like for like quotations, ignore the daily cost and get a full quotation and make sure you know the pricing on policies of the following:

Fuel

Various suppliers have differing fuel policies and some instances suppliers will charge you for a fuel tank of fuel upon arrival and ask you to return it empty.  If you don’t use the full tank of fuel you will be left feeling you have paid more than you should have.   Therefore make sure when you are comparing car hire quotes, all quotes abide by the same policy.

Mileage

Another thing that might bump up costs is exceeding your mileage allowance.  Many suppliers offer unlimited mileage but some will charge additional fees when you return the car having exceeded their limit.   Ensure you aren’t left paying more and look for car hire quotes with unlimited mileage especially if you plan on doing a lot of driving.

Insurances

Insurances are most probably the most confusing part to compare.  Some quotations will come with insurance included but you need to check what you are covered for.   In most cases you will only be covered for the basics and there are various insurances such as: collision damage waivers; Theft protection cover; damage excess cover and more.  Some companies rename and repackage their insurances making it harder for you to compare them.  Therefore making sure each quote offers the same level of protection will be the most difficult and time consuming aspect.

Note: It is also important to note that most insurance policies which are bought from your car hire supplier do not cover you as a driver or injuries to passengers and other people.

Additional Drivers

It is nice to know that you can hand the reigns over and let someone else drive every once in a while if you get tired.  However not all policies allow additional drivers so if you want to share the driving please check if there are extra costs to name additional drivers on your policy.

Young Driver Fees

Sadly most suppliers apply a young driver’s fee if you are aged 25 years old or under.  These fees are also different depending on where you go and which supplier you choose.

Credit Card Charges

Lastly as a final consideration ask your supplier if they charge for using credit cards.  A credit card fee of 2.5% on a week’s rental will soon bump costs up and this fee is often overlooked by many.

Overall finding a cheap car hire deal is easy, checking what each deal includes is the difficult part.  Sites like  Cheap.co.uk aim to make things easy, but it is extremely important to compare like for like quotes to ensure you aren’t left paying more than you originally thought.  To summarise you should check the costs of driving extras, check to see what inclusions you have and what additional fees you will have to pay on arrival or on returning your car.

The US is the land of the car. With wide freeways crisscrossing the country, you don’t need a better option than a car to explore such a wide territory in total freedom. Roads are built straight and perpendicular to each other in the cities with plenty of amenities in between each and you can find yourself exploring the Pacific Highway or the infamous Route 66 on a road trip to remember.

Australia

If the USA is big, Australia is even bigger. Unlike the US however, Australia is not as evenly populated throughout. Most of the population live along the coast as the interior is a scorching desert. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to see beyond the cities. With car hire you can start exploring  the real Down Under. From Sydney to Melbourne, from Perth to Brisbane, you will find your car will become your best friend. And venturing into the outback, your vehicle becomes a life saver.

Mauritius

Going down is size now is the tiny island of Mauritius. Why would you need a car for such a small piece of land in the middle of the ocean? The island may be compact compared to Australia but public transport will slow you down and is often inexistent beyond the towns and villages. The only public transport is the bus which doesn’t run after 8 pm. So if you want to visit attractions in the countryside or stay out late at night, rent a car or spend a fortune on taxis.

UK

Unless you are going to stick to London throughout where you need to pay a congestion charge to enter the centre, you are much better off with your own means of transport. Although public transport is highly developed in this country, there are a number of disadvantages that offset it. Overcrowding, rush hour, expensive, confusing range of tickets, unmanned stations, chronic delays, all this will contribute to make your journey memorable for the wrong reasons. Take to the road and stay in charge of your itinerary.

Highlands, Scotland

Going up north is Scotland and north in Scotland is the Highland, a land bereft of anything but nature, rolling hills and stunning views. The Highlands are best explored by car simply because there are few other means of transport. You also want to be able to explore any nook and cranny of this land in freedom and stop to take pictures at any time.

Provence, France

How can you immerse yourself in the Provence of France, discover traditional old-fashioned farms, vineyards, lavender fields and olive plantations? In your own car of course. If you are travelling from within Europe, you could well drive all the way to France but save yourself starting your holidays feeling stressed and fed up with driving. You’re better off taking the plane, landing in one of the airports such as at Marseille or Aix-en-Provence and hiring a car at the airport.

Coasts of Spain

Let’s leave inland and head to the coast, this time to Spain. Spain is the number one tourist destination and most tourists flock to its resorts along the coast. Costa Brava, Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, there are plenty of popular resorts to choose from among these famous coasts. But what if you want to leave the overcrowded concrete rsorts behind? There are still miles and miles of quiet coastline to discover away from the crowd. Get in your car, leave behind the tourists on their overcrowded stretch of beach and drive along the coast to discover quiet stretches of coastline or small villages. Just be sure to keep them to yourself afterwards!

Wilderness of Canada

Canada’s public transport is well-developed, that is, if you stick to the main urban developments such as Vancouver, Toronto or Edmonton. Stray away into the wild and you’re on your own, a bit like the Outback in Australia. But the wilderness is one of Canada’s main attraction if you seek adventure.  But don’t forget your snow chains, these will help keep you on track in icy and snow conditions and all good suppliers will offer these at an additional cost.

UAE, the great oil-producing countries

Why not? These countries literally see the black stuff coming out of the ground for free. So if you ever need to move around, grab a car and don’t shy away from a gas-guzzling monster. Petrol is cheap there.

Mongolia

Mongolia is a vast country expanding over 600,000 sq miles and sparsely populated.  Moreover this great landmass north of China and south of Russia isn’t your typical tourist trap;  it’s infrastructure and transportation isnt as developed as you find elsewhere.  Therefore if you are heading over to this fascinating country the best way to get around is by car, the only problem is there are fewer well known car hire suppliers, so be mindful of who and where you hire your car from.

By searching online to find the cheapest car rental deal will not only help you save money, but will ultimately allow even those who consider it an unnecessary expense to add an entirely additional dimension to their holiday and enjoy the benefits.

Before You Rent a Car – Things to remember

One of the first things you should do when renting a vehicle is to decide just what you’re car rental requirements are. Try answering some of the following questions to help you:

1. Are you intending on using it for short trips around a city or for an extensive journey?
2. Are you travelling with four or more people?
3. Where and what type of terrain will you be driving?

Read more about choosing the right hire car

Finding the Right Deal

So now you have in mind what type of vehicle you would like to hire for your holiday, you will want to find the best deal at the right price.  Going for the cheapest daily car hire rate isn’t always recommended as you can be hit with hidden car hire extras such as fuel charges, extra mileage and insurance.  Be sure to compare like for like packages rather than just the cost of car hire.  Total up all costs to find which the better deal is.

Choosing the Right Pickup Location

For most people the answer is simple and book car hire at the airport they fly into.  Though this solves the problem of how to get to and from the airport it can mean waiting around in long queues to collect your vehicle.  Be aware of the fact if you have booked from the airport many others will have done so also.  Therefore be prepared to wait for a wait to collect your rental car.  Bear in mind if you have just endured a long haul flight it might be that you don’t want to hang around.  If this is the case ask your rental provider if they can deliver the hire car to your hotel whilst you use an airport transfer service and relax.

Choosing the Right Supplier

Try and avoid companies which you haven’t heard of to negate possible bad consequences. Meanwhile, if you are unsure of hire companies, ring accommodation at your destination where hotel staff will be usually be more than willing to offer advice over the best firms to use.  You might also want to check out car hire reviews from trusted review sites. It is also important to remember that just because a car hire price is vastly cheaper than another company it isn’t necessarily better. You may encounter all manner of problems with cheaper firms, so make sure you do your research first and make an informed decision.

As a final note, book well before you need your vehicle. There is nothing more stressful than trying to rent a car at the last minute, when you have family, friends and bags in tow only to discover that there isn’t a suitable car. By booking well in advance you can not only sort out paperwork and ensure you have an appropriate vehicle, but will often be able to take advantage of online offers and discounts to get a cheaper deal. And as long as you consider your options well, you’ll be able to find a great car hire deal that will allow you a driving holiday like never before.

Overall the benefits of renting a car on holiday are obvious, with car hire comes freedom and the chance to explore at your own pace and free will.  If you are travelling with your family you could actually save money by cutting on costs of buying tickets for public transport per each family member.  Though some of you might think it is expensive by searching online for a cheap deal you can actually enjoy the same benefits.  But before you book you will need to find the right deal for you and first consider your requirements and think about where is best to collect your hire car. However with little reaserch and consideration, you could be enjoying the benefits of car hire on your next holiday.

In order to combat this, the ABTA – The Travel Association have now set up a programme which offers tourists Road Safety advice for when they hire a vehicle. This will enable visitors to truly understand local driving laws and enjoy the landscape and scenery on offer instead of stressing about the roads.

This has come after the ABTA acknowledged the amount of incidents which occur when visitors to foreign countries hire vehicles. Nikki White, the head of destinations and sustainability at ABTA, stated that

“although the chances of being involved in a road traffic accident while on holiday are small, serious collisions can and do occur.”

The introduction of this Road Advice scheme hopes to cut out these major accidents. As travellers will be more aware of foreign laws, this should prevent any hire-car damage and human injury.

Some differences which can occur are right hand side drive, speed limits and motorway lane use. As these can be stressful and dangerous activities even if you understand the rules, being unaware can lead to the “serious collisions” which Nikki White speaks of. She also states that the ABTA only advise tourists to use reputable and large companies in order to avoiding receiving a faulty vehicle which could leave the driver with unforeseen problems. Also purchasing travel insurance will cover these problems which you may not have seen coming.

After the ABTA have revealed that thousands of UK tourists are injured and killed on foreign roads annually, it is little wonder that they are introducing cautionary measures which will prevent such accidents from happening in the future. Drawing back packers’ attentions to changes in driving rules across countries will make car hire a less stressful and dangerous experience and allow tourists to enjoy the experience of travelling

North America’s largest car rental firm, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, unveiled last week that they will be using the Nissan Leaf all-electric cars in their Los Angeles base. This comes after Hertz, the world’s largest car rental company, gave a statement a few months previously saying that were planning to bring the Nissan Leaf to destinations around the USA and Europe. These will include such popular tourist spots as Washington, San Francisco and New York.

As two of the most popular car hire companies begin to develop their electric range and offer a greener way of travel, this indicates a spark and change in car travel and rental businesses. Both companies already are using the hybrid models, Toyota Prius, within their range and the shift into offering all-electric vehicles indicates a green development which fits with present people’s consciousness regarding the state of the planet.

Despite this optimistic green trend which both influential companies are showing, there are still a few hiccups which both Hertz and Enterprise Rent-A-Car are yet to answer. As the price for electric cars will be higher than gas-burning vehicles, there may be less of an incentive to hire the greener option. Whilst no exact prices have been made, there have also been no statements regarding the price comparisons. The only enlightenment on the subject is when Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise, stated that “the details are still being worked out”.

Alongside the higher price of the electric cars, there are also a few other problems which are being ironed out. If you rent a car and return the vehicle with a depleted battery, the customer will have to pay a fixed penalty. This may put people off the electric car due to the hassle and extra costs. There are also problems for the customer when it comes to recharging a vehicle due to the high amount of time it takes. For a Nissan Leaf, the battery must be charged for eight hours at a charging station or twenty hours from a home outlet. Also if a car does not come back completely charged (due to travellers running out of time), the car will be out of service whilst the rental company charge it themselves; making it late and unavailable for the next customer.

Whilst this electric development may suit people who are adamant about making the planet greener, the companies may have problems shifting the average customer away from the normal gas burning cars on offer.   The higher price, fines which could occur and timely electric charge-ups could mean that efficiency and cheap costs will win the day over an electric greener way of travel.

The City Car Club has placed 10 low emission cars around the Welsh capital in designated car parking spaces. Firstly people must join and become a member online in order to use the cars. Then customers will be presented with a personalised card which will unlock the hire vehicles around town. Then typing in a pin code will release the car keys from a security box.

As Transport Chief Coun Delme Bowen told the South Wales Echo that just one car hire can

“take away the need for up to 20 privately owned vehicles”,

the City Car Club scheme hopes to reduce congestion on the roads by encouraging families to rely on only one family car. Whilst its main aim is to be an alternative to car ownership for people who inhabit the areas surrounding the city centre, there are also other uses for the hire cars. It encourages people to use the vehicles for smaller journeys and commutes around the city. Another great use is for business journeys; it is ideal for people who do not wish to use public transport yet still want to reduce the congestion problems.

This £120,000 scheme will be starting in October and Transport Chief Bowen again tells the South Wales Echo that “the car club is another important part of our work to keep Cardiff moving”. There are also other initiatives taking place in the Sustainable Travel City scheme such as the free bike hire company which has recently been introduced to help cut down the number of cars on the road.

As the system has worked in such places as London, Bath, Bristol and Edinburgh, the City Car Club has a good chance of survival within Cardiff. Despite the failure of the Free B shuttle bus due to lack of use, this hire-car idea appears to be a more realistic option as it offers city-goers the luxury and personal space of their own vehicle alongside the knowledge that they are helping reduce Cardiff’s problem.

Gridlocked and nowhere to go!

Aren’t you glad you aren’t caught up in a traffic jam? Recent news has reported China’s capital Beijing has turned into one giant car park.

Gridlocked and nowhere to go, drivers have been stuck in a 10 day traffic jam spanning 62 miles outside of Beijing.  According to China Real Time the state media have estimated the optimum driving speed in Beijing could drop to 15km per hour by 2015 due to residents buying approximately 2,000 new cars each day.  A staggering 7 million vehicles are estimated to be on the roads of Beijing by the year 2015.  This would bring the travelling speed back down to a time when people were riding bicycles.

Imagine how annoyed you would be if you had been trapped in a traffic jam like the one in Beijing costing you £25 a day rental fee.

If you are hiring a car and want to avoid busy traffic it is better to avoid rush hour traffic and travel before or after rush hours.

View Photos of the traffic Jam

Have you ever been caught in a Jam? Leave a comment and tell us

In a bid to clamp down on congestion and inner city pollution in London, Boris Johnson’s hire a bike scheme is being launched this Friday with over 6,000 bikes available across the capital.

According to Mark Prigg writing for thisislondon.co.uk a bike hired using the new scheme could cost as much £50 for a 24 hour rental period while a day’s car rental from Streetcar will cost members £49.50.

However he then continues to write that both schemes require initial membership fees and with Streetcar membership costing £49.50 and Boris’s bike scheme ranging from £1 to £45.  On top of this the first 30 minutes of bike hire is free, so if you only need to embark on a short journey you won’t have to pay a penny.  Moreover the article doesn’t mention the running costs of hiring a car in London, you might hire a car for £50 (the same price as a bike) but you need to add fuel to go anywhere, pay for parking and also pay congestion charges.

Though the bike hire scheme is expensive over a long rental period, it is still going to be cheaper than hiring a car for the same period, that is unless you don’t go anywhere in your hire car.