UK Ferry Tickets

If you plan on hiring a car when you go on your next self drive then you might not put all that much thought into the rental car that you choose, but you should consider that you’ll actually be driving it around for anywhere between 7 and 21 days. If you think about buying a new or used car for everyday use then you’d consider every single aspect of the car. You’d take it for a test drive, see how the ride felt, consider how it handled, assess how well you can manage the size and so on. The last thing you would do is walk into a dealership and simply purchase a car without even trying it out for size. Well, you should put the same careful thought into the rental car you want to hire as well… but without the test drive of course!

Hiring a car is a straightforward process. You can just log onto a car hire website, select your car and away you go, but it really shouldn’t be that easy. A lot of people choose a car type that they have never driven before or splash out a little but you may want to choose a car that you know and trust. Say you drive a Vauxhall Corsa in your everyday life but choose a Ferrari when on holiday. How do you know that you’ll be comfortable driving the latter or even trust it? You don’t. A week is a long time to be driving a car you can’t handle or can’t get used to and this will undoubtedly affect the whole experience. It may even ruin your holiday.

Aside from detracting from your self drive experience, driving a rental car you have never driven before and are not comfortable with can have safety consequences as well. It increases the chance of you having an accident. This can of course be detrimental to your health if you get injured in an accident but can also cost you a lot of money if the car happens to get damaged. There is a clause in all hire car contracts that forces the person hiring the car to pay the costs of repairing any damage caused. Not only could you wind up in physical pain but you can also suffer financial pain as well!

Although you may want to try out a new car on holiday, the cons outweigh the pros so you are much better off sticking to a similar car to that you drive every single day. It may be boring but you will have peace of mind that you’ll be safe on the road and comfortable when driving around the beautiful landscapes of Europe. After all, that is what your holiday is for!

Guest Article by Louise Crowley

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009