Although the cost of a barrel of oil recently dropped ending months of escalating prices, the cost of fuel is still high and maybe putting people off driving long distances.
We we at Automatic Car Hire hope to give you a few tips to save some money and allow you to do the thing rental cars were designed for – drive!
Petrol, Diesel or Hybrid…
This is a complicated equation to balance with the following rules applying:
1) For rental costs the Hybrid is the most expensive, followed behind by the diesel an then the petrol versions.
2) Hybrids are normally only found in larger vehicles especially 4X4’s. Of course Diesels are available and guaranteed right down to an economy sized vehicles.
3) Hybrids are the most fuel efficients followed by the diesel and last the petrol engine. This is of course based on equal sized vehicles- you should refer to the manufacturer’s websites for accurate readings.
4) To fill up the cheapest is petrol due to the higher cost of producing Diesel. Of course the Hybrid should be cheaper than a standard Petrol due to it’s higher efficiency meaning less pump visits.
Our advice to you as well is to watch your speedometer and rev counter. Try and keep to a sensible speed and revs, recent surveys showed the emergence of Hyper-Driving where the driver maintains the highest speed while keeping the revs as far below 2,000 rpm as possible. This style of driving will maintain your vehicle’s maximum fuel efficiency.
Less cars on the road – if you are a larger group bear in mind that we provide 7 Seater Automatic Car Hire with such models as the Ford Galaxy and Seat Alhambra available through many of our suppliers.
Plan ahead – Make sure you plan your trip in advance using local websites to gauge the shortest distance taking into consideration traffic and ease of journey. If you are caught in a standstill, switch off your engine while maintaining comfort for you and your passengers.
Air Conditioning – using your air conditioning constantly will seriously effect your fuel consumption. Try and use it only when necessary and first try the window down for comfort.
Use Automatic Car Hire – with our selected partnerships with top car hire brokers such as Holiday Autos and Auto Europe we can offer you the best choice and prices. This is by allowing you to search in only one click and bringing the vehicles suitable for your needs back in a clear and concise format.
If you have any suggestions or money saving tips of your own please let us know
Unfortunately we can not pour vegetable oil into rental cars as one person suggested. This is a growing trend for Diesel owners to either “top up” or substitute altogether vegetable or sunflower oil for diesel – the Automatic Car Hire advice is to check the taxation, possible damage to your vehicle and legalities before emptying your chip pan into your Ford Mondeo.