London Car Rental

London Car Rental – Some Important Tips

Driving in the hustle and bustle of one of Europe’s most congested and busiest cities can be a challenge. Anyone that’s even been stuck on one of London’s ring roads know exactly how frustrating and slow it can be. If you want to hire a car in London then there are a couple of things you really need to consider otherwise it will cost you. Here are a few useful tips to help you save money.

1. Pickup and Drop Off
Where you pick up your hire car and where you drop it off is a big deal. Getting from one end of London to the other can take a couple of hours on a bad day and if you are in a hurry with a car on the clock, then you need to take this into account. Many of the bigger car hire companies have multiple locations across London which can be very handy if you need to pick up in one place and drop off in another. Pickups and drop-offs at the airports is very handy and you need to make sure that you can indeed do that before you get the car.

2. Congestion Charge
The mayor of London introduced The Congestion charge several years ago in an attempt to reduce congestion and improve public transport. Basically, there is an “invisible” boundary around central London and as soon as you drive into this zone your number plate gets tagged and you need to pay the charge. Its currently 8 pounds per day and you can pay over the phone or at any of the pay stations at Newsagents. If you get a hire car you need to make sure that the charge gets paid. The fines are very heavy and since the car rental company has your credit card on file, you will be liable for this charge.

3. Size Of Car
Unlike American cities, London streets are narrow, parking spots are small and overall its much more difficult to drive in. To make matters worse, cars are right hand drives so I would suggest you get a small and compact car to enable you to move around easier. Small cars are usually much cheaper and will allow you zip around much easier in the busy London streets.

I would not recommend exploring London in a car. If you need London car hire to get out of the city, then here’s one more great tip: find car hire outside the city center. Depending on the direction you are traveling in, once you move just outside the city center you will be able to get a car for cheaper and it will enable you to get out of the city in a flash.

Electric Car Hire In London

While electric cars and the so-called green revolution has been very much a hyped up FAD, its really come to its own in European cities. Many businesses have taken it upon themselves to do something for the environment and are offsetting their carbon footprint in innovative ways. Since cars take up and use up so much resources its one of the areas of focus and when it comes to driving in and around London there is most certainly a lot of incentive for going Green.

A few innovative car rental companies are introducing electric cars to their fleet and if you are looking for London car rentals then maybe an electric car can be a very viable solution for you. The first and most obvious saving is that you will save on fuel and the rising petrol costs. If y plan on driving a lot then this can be a significant saving.

The second, and probably the biggest advantage of renting an electric car is the fact that you don’t have to pay the Congestion Charge. As you may or may not know, there is a charge to drive your car into the city of London – very much like a toll, but this charge gets waived for electric cars as an incentive from the city for people to start using electric cars.

Another massive advantage is the fact that you can get free parking at several of the city car parks. Although you need special permits, many of the car rental companies can help you out with this. Parking in London is a big deal. Not only is it very expensive but it can be impossible to find a spot. With an electric rental car it all changes and that in itself can be enough to convince you to dish the old gas guzzlers for something small, quick and electric.

The actual cost of the rental is not any cheaper but rather it’s the additional savings that makes it worth it. Saving on parking, fuel and the congestion charge can quickly add up and after all you will be doing y bit for the environment. I would strongly encourage you to check out Avis, Hertz and National to see what they have to offer in their fleet of electric car rentals.

Alternative Car Rental In London

Living in a city these days rarely justifies the expense of owning a car. Living in London most certainly does put a lot of limitations on car owners. Parking for one is a real issue and then there is the ever looming congestion charge that’s enough to put everyone off driving into the city. There is however the need for a car every now and again. With short term car rental from major companies like Avis being so expensive its hardly worth it.

This gave rise to a new trend in car hire for people living in cities and London was one of the pioneers. Its basically a car sharing scheme and there are a few companies that currently offer different variations of the service. Basically you pay a monthly fee to be part of the scheme and with a certain amount of cars in you neighborhood, you get to use them without the usual hassle or expensive or traditional car hire.

Each car is tagged and logged and you can just log in to a website to book or find a car. Obviously there are restrictions on the use, but for anyone ho just needs a car on the odd weekend, this is perfect. Its quick and easy to use. Its inexpensive (compared to normal car rentals) and it offers you a lot of flexibility. Because everybody else in the scheme are probably in the same boat as you, the service works really efficiently.

The cars are typically small urban cars and are ideal for weekends away or for running errands that requires a car. If you need something more heavy duty for moving or if you need transport to and from the airports then you are probably better off looking for an alternative. This is more of a shared ownership than it is a rental though.

One of the downsides is that you are usually restricted in your pick up and drop off zones but if you are a local just using it randomly then its probably not a big deal. These car sharing schemes are really catching on and allows you access to a car without the hassle and expense of owning it.

So, if you live in London or any other big city and you find yourself renting too many cars too often, then you should seriously look into shared ownership or long term rental plans. It’s a very cost effective an dconvenient way to have access to a car.

3 Great Ways To Save On Car Hire

These days everybody seems to jump straight on to the internet when looking for car hire. The assumption that its the cheapest and although it probably is, there are some great alternatives and ways that you can save big. Online car rental is probably the most convenient way to do it, but the good old fashioned "picking up the phone" can get you some great deals. There is nothing like actually speaking to someone who can tell you exactly what's best and what you need to look for.

Many online travel sites like Expedia, LastMinute and Travelocity allows you to look for great package deals where your car rental is included. his is very convenient and often times you can find some great deals. What I want to focus on here are some tips that you've probably not thought of before:

1. Corporate Discounts
If your trip has any form of work attached to it you can make use of corporate discounts. If you are flying over to London to attend a 2 seminar and intend to take the family along for a 3 week trip around Europe, why not make use of your company's corporate discount? Corporate discounts with international companies like Avis, Hertz and National works all over the world and can help you save a large chunk from your car rental expenses.

2. Travel Coupons
Coupons aren't nearly as popular as they used to be but what most people don;t realize is that trade magazines are still full of them. There are a number of travel magazines that are full of exclusive offers every week. Even the travel sections of your local newspaper has some great deal to offer and you can find car rental coupons in virtually every issue.

3. Airports
Picking up a rental car at the airport is probably the most expensive option there is. Although its very convenient, you really do pay for this convenience. Since public transport to and from airports are really efficient in virtually all countries, its not that big a deal to do your rental pick-up in the city. It can save you quite a bit and depending on where you stay, it can be just as convenient. Airports charge and tax car rental operators and this extra charge gets passed on to you.