HOL CAR HIGHER

All-in break ‘less than renting motor’

A HOLIDAY hire car can now cost more than an all-inclusive sunshine break, new research has found.

The cost of renting a motor has rocketed by an average 40% to £500 a week – or £944 once extras are added.

The study looked at the cost of hiring a medium-sized car for a week in August compared to the same week in 2019 in seven European countries, with six rental firms. It found basic car rental rates ranged from an average £388 in Barcelona to £655 in Crete.

The Greek island was where the basic price was highest, up from £460 from 2019. With extras added – like excess insurance waivers, an additional driver, a child’s car seat, a satnav and a 40-litre tank of petrol – Geneva in Switzerland was the costliest spot, with drivers paying on average £1,091.

At Nice airport in France, total costs were £994 – up from £841 in 2019.

Hire firms at Faro airport in Portugal charged an average £928, up from £902.

In Crete, total costs including upgrades were £974 – up from £729.

In contrast, an all-in seven-night break in Fuerteventura, Spain, from August 26 came out at £194 per head – £774 for a family of four.

Rental firms blame the pandemic for extra costs such as enhanced cleaning.

August Med and Canaries holiday prices are down as much as half on 2019.

Ernesto Suarez of iCarhireinsurance. com, behind the study, said: “There’s always a lot of variation in prices, heavily influenced by supply and demand.”