I was just reading a pretty interesting article over at timesonline recently about how many car hire companies are struggling to get finance for new cars in the present economic climate. Indeed there are a number of factors at play here but i suppose the main one is the ability of these smaller companies to get finance for their fleet. Indeed you could find that on the continent that alot of the cars may be older or even in a bad state or repair.

Its hard to tell if the same situation is going to happen in Belfast Northern Ireland or not as it is a different market in a number of ways but i suppose in some it is the same. Car hire is a very seasonal service and im sure many providers struggle in the off season for rentals. I suppose its the nature of any type of tourism service that when there is some type of downturn that many of the smaller providers will be the first to suffer. Still i think the market is still quite healthy in Belfast despite whats going on across Europe.

Im also pretty interested to hear what experiences any of my visitors have had with renting a car over here both good and bad. I know from my own experiences that some of the companies can have some pretty excessive clauses in their contracts to get extra money. For example when i hired a car out recently from Enterprise in Belfast just before i got the keys i was asked to take out extra insurance cover. Now the tactic they used was that if i had an accident and even if it was not my fault that i would have to pay the minimum excess unless i took out this full special cover. Given that the excess was £300 this was a very daunting thing. Now i don’t know if it was explained wrong to me or not but this seems like a very cheeky way to scare people into paying more than they planned for the car. Given that the extra insurance cover worked out at £60 for the 2 weeks is quite a sum of money for them to be making on the side. With so many car hire companies competing with each other these days its not surprising that they are trying to insert extra costs wherever they can. Its one thing to see the price of a rental in Belfast on a website but quite another what the actual price will be when you go to hand over you cash.

Im sure there are other clauses i have yet to see too with these companies to if you have any yourself be sure to let me know and i may feature it on the website so others can be warned to look out for it. There might even be people who have had positive stories too! But its hard to know without a wider selection of the market. I suppose its still very hard for most people to weigh up the pros and cons of different car hire companies when you have never used any of them before. Maybe this goes to explain why when someone has a good experience with one firm they go on to use them again. It should be a lesson to rental companies too that they really don’t want to be alienating returning customers and especially in todays troubled financial climate.

read comments (0)

So i thought i would make a quick list of a few tips i have picked up that should allow you (in theory) to save a few pounds off your next car rental in Belfast. The first is to pick the most popular model, in most cases this will be a standard 4 door saloon. Next you need to be very careful about the rental times ie when you tell them you are going to bring the car back. Most rental firms will have a time eg 11am when you will have to have the car back on their premises. Its important to realise that the price for being late might not just be another days rental but there could be a fine also. It may seem harsh but you should realise that they may already have this car scheduled to go to someone else.

Booking at low periods isn’t just true of flights and hotels but also of car hire companies. After Christmas is usually very quiet so if you are planning to book then you can expect a very good deal. It is also possible these days to get discount coupons from both websites online and from many tourist offices. For example in Belfast there are a few of the visitor centres that have promotional vouchers from time to time. Its unlikely that the discount will be huge but every penny counts.

Also when you do pick up the car it is important to check that there are no dents or damage anywhere on the car either on the inside or out. I know that there are a few dealers in Belfast that will get you to rush this process by getting you to sign as quickly as possible but don’t be put off. Remember you will be responsible for the any accidents to the car even with full insurance as there is usually a £75 excess. So any minor scratches or bumps are going to cost you. There are some car hire companies now who will give you total cover. This means that even if you cause the damage yourself there will be no excess and you will never have anything to pay. However you need to weigh up the pros and cons of this as the total cover can be quite expensive at around £65 for 2 weeks in most places. I suppose you have to weigh up the price against the peace of mind of not having to worry about any small accidents that could happen to anyone.

read comments (0)

Ok so some may not have thought about it and i suppose maybe even a few have not even heard of it believe it or not. But sat nav really is a must for anyone no matter how long they are planning to hire the car for. For some it may not seem like a necessary extra especially if you are only renting the car for a day and planning on staying in Belfast. However don’t underestimate just how complex and confusing some of the traffic systems are in Belfast and the surrounding areas of Northern Ireland. It can be very easy to get lost especially if you are in the countryside with the many small towns and villages many of which linked only by small minor roads.

You really cant underestimate the peace of mind of being able to plug in a postcode of your destination into the sat nav and have it direct you to within a few feet of your goal. If you do choose not to have sat nav with your vehicle or it is not available then you can be reassured that all locals will be more than happy to point you in the right direction as Northern Ireland is renowned for is friendliness.

If you do plan on travelling around when you visit the province then i can definitely recommend a trip to the wonderful seaside town of Newcastle in Co Down. Here you will find many beautiful cafes and restaurants which overlook the golden (although often cold) beaches. So as you can see there are many reasons to acquire a good sat nav when you hire a car so you can see all Belfast and Northern Ireland has to offer.

read comments (0)

Choosing to hire a car can be a difficult decision for anyone especially if you have not done it before and even more so if you are in a strange country. This is not just true about hiring a car in Belfast Northern Ireland but of cities everywhere. I suppose the first thing you have to consider about hiring a car is the type of car that you need. It is worth noting that an estate can be as much as £50 extra a week compared to a smaller hatchback like a Corsa or Ford Ka. While the extra space of an estate or people carrier may be a bonus for most people if you are not going to actually use that space then its really a waste of money.

Another factor that far too few people think about when booking a car to hire is fuel economy and its not something people actually factor in when choosing a hire car. For a start diesel is probably the best bet as even though its more expensive than petrolthe mileage you are going to get out of the vehicle is always better. Its also worth noting that many of the prestige vehicles that you can rent have a very low mpg particularly with BMW and Mercedes.

At the other end of the scale it can often be tempting to go for a really cheap rental like a VW Polo for around £27 per day. While if the one hand this is really cheap for a budget rental it is not an ideal car in my opinion for long journeys across country. It can feel quite cramped especially if you have more to than 2 people in the car. For many people renting a car in Belfast is a ticket to go an explore the rest of Northern Ireland but if this is really the case i feel you could be much better served by a four door car such as a Mondeo which you can pick up for around £40 per day and which is only £10 extra but in reality a much better car to drive and travel in. As you can see there are alot of options for car hire in Northern Ireland

read comments (0)