CAR HIRE PRICES DROP BY UP TO 37%¹ ACROSS KEY EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS

Explore destinations by road this Summer

Renting a car abroad might be cheaper than travellers think. Travel search engine Skyscanner has reported a drop in average car hire prices across a number of key European destinations this August. A recent Skyscanner poll showed that nearly half of travellers (41%²) decided against exploring their destination by car as they believed the price to be too high, but with prices dropping across a number of destinations by up to 37%¹ now really is the best time for travellers to hit the road.

When looking at destinations offering the best value for car hire, Dusseldorf tops the list with an average saving of 37%¹ and with average flight prices to the City also dropping by 8%³, followed by Bucharest showing a 34%¹ saving on average car hire, plus 9%³ drop in average flight prices. Vienna is proving great value for money with car hire prices dropping by 25%¹ and average flight prices dropping by 18%².

Lisa Tyndall, Senior Growth Manager, Skyscanner comments: “We were surprised by how many travellers have been put off exploring their destinations by car as they expected prices to be too high. Our car hire data insights have shown that this August there are many great European destinations where car hire prices have dropped by a staggering 37%. By hiring a car rather than taking costly excursions or being limited to the local transport times and routes, travellers can discover so much more and at a fraction of the cost. We have some other hacks to help travellers save even more money when hiring a car, for example, different car hire companies have different prices for extras such as unlimited mileage, second drivers and insurance excess, so make sure you check out more than one provider. Also check out where's cheapest place to collect your car hire, you may find it costs more if you collect your car from the city centre than it is at the airport.

It is also important that travellers read up on the rules of the road for the country they plan to explore, for example, if travelling in France, be aware that 'drivers of all motor vehicles and motorcycles must carry a French certificated breathalyser'. And in Norway, trams always have right of way – even if they're approaching from the left.”

Skyscanner has the following tips to help travellers cut back on car hire prices:

·       Take your own child seat. Most airlines allow you to take them for free. For slightly older children who require a booster seat, consider purchasing a booster seat which also doubles as a backpack to store their toys ·       Consider taking out an annual excess waiver insurance policy which can cost as little as £40 for driving in Europe ·       Most car hire companies let you add a driver for just part of your rental period, so consider when you need that extra pair of hands on the wheel ·       Always ensure you don't go over your 24 hour rental period ·       The best fuel policy for all car hire companies is to return FULL, which incurs no charge. But when returning your car, do remember to allow enough time to find the nearest petrol station, as you will be charged if it's not returned full. To help navigate travellers way through car hire purchases, Skyscanner has pulled together this guide to hidden charges (https://www.skyscanner.net/car-hire-help/guide-to-hidden-charges.html)

August car hire and flight deals currently available on Skyscanner – more available upon request:

Corfu: Car Hire for 7 Days £193 (£27.57 per day - 16% drop on average car hire day prices5). Details here. Flights from Manchester from £140 (42% drop on average flight prices4). Details here

Thessaloniki: Car Hire for 7 Days £174 (£24.72 per day - 33% drop on average car hire day prices for August5 ). Details here. Flights from Luton from £163 (28% drop on average flight prices for August4). Details here.

Girona. Car Hire for 7 Days £67 (£9.57 per day - 55% drop on average car hire day prices for August5 ). Details here. Flights from Newcastle from £61 (52% drop on average flight prices for August4). Details here.

Dussledorf. Car Hire for 7 Days £106 (£15.17per day - 49% drop on average car hire day prices for August5 ). Details here. Flights from £20 (79% drop on average flight prices for August4). Details here.

**Prices are valid at the time of publication on 16th July 2019 and are subject to change and availability**

Skyscanner searches 100s of car hire deals to help travellers find their perfect drive at a low price. Travellers just have to enter their destination, pick-up and drop-off dates and Skyscanner will provide deals from the top car rental companies for travellers to compare and book.

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For more information, please contact Emma Wiseman on 07747 343233 or emma.wiseman@skyscanner.net 

¹ based on Skyscanner car hire data prices at the point the traveller exits the site to purchase. Prices based on data collected between 1st January 2018 – 9 July 2018, for hire in destination listed in August 2018, comparing prices to the same periods in 2019.

² Twitter Poll carried by Skyscanner in July 2019. 110 respondents

³ Based on Skyscanner flight price data for adult, economy return flights, recorded at the point of exiting the site between 1st January 2018 – 9 July 2018 for travel in August from the UK to destination listed, departing and return to the UK, comparing to the same period in 2019

4 Based on Skyscanner flight price data for adult, economy return flights, recorded at the point of exiting the site between 1st January 2019 – 9 July 2019 for travel in August from the UK to destination listed

5 Based on Skyscanner car hire data prices at the point the traveller exits the site to purchase. Prices based on data collected between 1st January 2019 – 9 July 2019, for hire in destination listed in August 2018, comparing prices to the same periods in 2019.

• Skyscanner is the world's travel search engine, saving you time and money by finding the best travel options wherever you want to go, including flights, hotels, trains, and car hire 
• Founded in 2003, Skyscanner helps over 80 million people each month to find their travel options
• Skyscanner is available in 30 languages
• Skyscanner's highly-rated free mobile app has been downloaded over 80 million times
• Skyscanner employs over 1000 staff and has eleven offices across the world: Barcelona, Beijing, Budapest, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Miami, Palo Alto, Shenzhen, Singapore and Sofia
• Skyscanner is part of the Ctrip group

For more information, please visit www.skyscanner.net