Travel article: How to Avoid the Car Hire Rip-offs

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In 2006 the car hire industry received almost as much bad press as Lindsay Lohen’s drinking and Britney Spears’ marriage. However, while I’d personally love to sweep the two pop sensations of their feet and put them back on the straight and narrow I know my limitations… so I’ll just show you how to beat the car hire cowboys instead!

If you’re looking for cheap car hire there’s actually only one place to go. Forget scanning around all of the well-known providers, from Europcar to Hertz and back again… instead stick to one website – travelsupermarket.com.

Travelsupermarket.com is a travel price comparison websites that compares rates on fields such as flights, package holidays and hotels, searching provider websites to return the cheapest deal to the user. However, it’s on car hire that this website really comes into its own – because the car hire companies are now offering CHEAPER rates through travelsupermarket.com than they are through THEIR OWN websites.

The issue has garnered press attention with Fred Mawer of the Mail on Sunday reporting that in EVERY instance his research team investigated, travelsupermarket.com beat the provider’s own websites. Here are the examples Fred Mawer gave:

· From Faro Airport - Through bmibaby.com £104.44 with Europcar, through Europcar's own website £96.81, through travelsupermarket.com £79.99.

· From Pisa Airport - Through ryanair.com £144.54 with Hertz, through Hertz's own website £158.18, through travelsupermarket.com £122.81.

· From Nice Airport - Through easyJet.com £148.82 with Europcar, through Europcar's own website £130.34, through travelsupermarket.com £114.70.

These are massive savings. So next time you’re looking for cheap car hire, beat the cowboys at their own game and secure yourself the cheapest price with one quick search. Then you can drive away with a smile on your face!

About the author of How to Avoid the Car Hire Rip-offs

Paul Lucas is a UK-based journalist who has written for more than 30 local and national newspapers and several US-based publications.