Knowledge pays when driving abroad

David Williams

renting for a week varies by hundreds of pounds.

Car hire in Cyprus — where unleaded petrol is cheapest at 98p — rates as best value. Researchers calculated the cost of a week’s car hire there at £377, based on picking a vehicle up from Larnaca Airport and including sat-nav, wi-fi, additional driver and a tank of fuel. In comparison, renting a c ar at Faro Airport in the Algarve would cost 60 per cent more, at £604.

Spain looks relatively good value at about £457 for a week’s rent al in Majorca and £476 in the Costa del Sol. So does France (£463), where three in 10 Londoners say they will hire a car and Italy (£472), where a quarter will drive. However, they will not fare so well in other countries. Drivers face paying almost £200 more in Germany than in Cyprus (£523) and that cost escalates to £586 in Switzerland.

There are pitfalls to avoid when renting abroad. Drivers hiring c ars in Europe could face excess charges of up to £1,489 if they have an accident or the vehicle is stolen. But 56 per cent of Londoners questioned did not take out excess waiver insurance, which would reduce that charge to zero (see left).

“Once the cost of extras is added, car hire can become expensive so it is understandable that many motorists opt for the cheapest rate,” says Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money. “But the consequence could be a much higher bill if you have an accident or if another driver hits your car and leaves without giving their details.”

Holiday motorists should check the latest regulations to ensure they know the rules, too. Post Office research found that Londoners are more likely to be stopped for driving infringements than motorists from anywhere else in the UK. One in seven were stopped in Spain, where regulations have been tightened in recent years. A quarter of this group were stopped for speeding, for which fines vary between £85-£513 at current exchange rates. In France, 11 per cent of Londoners were stopped by police. The most common reason was speeding (38 per cent) with fines of up to £1,282.

Check out the rules for motoring overseas at: http://bit.ly/1NDM0E1.