Hiring a car for festive getaway? That’s £1k extra
CAR hire companies are cash in gin on families desperate to reunite over Christmas by increasing their prices seven-fold.
With socially distanced rail services close to selling out, many travellers without cars have resorted to hiring vehicles so they can see their loved ones.
Such is the demand over the five days of Christmas when up to three households can meet, many rental firms appear to have run out of vehicles. And the few cars that are available are listed at sky-high prices.
The cheapest option available at Avis’s London Victoria branch from December 23 to 27 is £1,230.
The cheapest car over the same period a week earlier, December 16 to 20, is £165 – a seventh of the price.
Sixt car hire appear to have run out of vehicles in London during the crucial five days over Christmas. The closest branch with available cars is at Southampton airport.
Hertz and Avis also have extremely limited availability in London and at locations across the UK. Many branches are closed.
Europcar’s prices are 91 to 400 per cent more expensive over December 23 to 27 than they are the week before.
At Manchester airport, Christmas rates begin at £304 – an increase of 163 per cent on the cheapest cars available a week before at £115.
Higher prices over the Christmas period could be seen at some Scottish branches too.
Sixt was hiring a car for £159 from December 16 to 20 from its Edinburgh Waverley Station branch, but the price for the same car rose to £315 from December 23 to 27.
At Sixt’s Aberdeen Airport branch, a car could be hired for £151 from December 16 to 23 but it cost £212 between December 23 and 27.
Martyn James, of complaints site Resolver, accused rental firms of ‘profiteering’ during the pandemic. He said: ‘Train companies are doing a fairly good job of keeping their prices relatively fair and balanced so people can see their loved ones.
‘But the high prices charged by rental companies leave a very unpleasant taste in the mouth. There is no excuse for this level of profiteering, particularly given the pandemic.’
Under travel restrictions, trains are only able to carry around 45 per cent of their usual passenger numbers to allow for social distancing.
The Department for Transport has agreed to run more trains on Christmas Eve, while rail operators have promised to lengthen carriages.
Councils are also being urged to lift roadworks after the AA warned of the potential for local snarl-ups.
An Avis spokesman said it had reduced its fleet due to lower demand. Europcar said high-peak periods such as Christmas ‘are likely to see prices rise nearer to the booking date’. Sixt was approached for comment.