Words About Things

Just a quick heads-up for those looking to make their summer holidays a little cheaper (aren’t we all?) Here are some summer car hire discount codes for easyCar. Enter these codes at www.easycar.com for up to 15% discount on summer car hire. I think this covers all areas but I have only checked car hire from Aberdeen airport and car hire at Heathrow airport so far. This discount depends on the month – the earlier you book the cheaper it is. Codes are entered in the ‘get a quote’ section of the site. These end at midnight tomorrow (22/06) so you will have to be quick!

5% off all cars in July – promo code HOT

up to 10% off in August – promo code HOTTER

up to 15% off in September – promo code SCORCHIO

easyCar Car Hire

easy tiger!

Last week I wrote about the emerging trend of hiring a car rather than owning one. The idea being that if you just rent a car when you need one (which might be less often than you think) it will work out cheaper and better for the environment in the long run.

Apparently this idea is taking off and a recent Guardian article I just found has some stats to back it up. The average family spends over £2500 on their car each year including insurance, upkeep and fuel. The AA has predicted a rise in insurance premiums this year so that figure may rise. Another estimate puts the average annual spend at £2749 compared to around £700 to join a car club or use a normal car hire company such as easyCar.

Car clubs are mostly popular with those who only use their car occasional such as those who live in the city and commute by train, bike or on foot. The ecologically conscious are also turning to car hire as a way to reduce their carbon footprints. While they are still using a car, they only do so when necessary.

There are other benefits to choosing car rental over owning a car as well. If you drive to the airport when going on holiday there are parking cost to be considered. Use airport car hire and you don’t have to worry about that, you can even use a different drop off point for one-way trips.

For some owning a car seems like an increasingly bad idea. The outgoings (tax, insurance, m.o.t etc) can outweigh the benefits for those that use their car less often. If you can get to work without the car is it worth paying to isure it for the 5 days a week it sits on the driveway?

There are ethical reasons for deciding against owning a car as well, the temptation to use the car for small journeys may be too strong. If you only had your car when you really needed it your carbon footprint would be reduced.

Various companies are now offering car hire by the hour. Some schemes allow customers to have a key to a shared car to use whenever they need it like a pay-as-you-go car. This approach can be more flexible than owning a car. Even hiring by the day is a good option if you can find a company who offer cheap car hire.

Need to move house? Hire a van.

Money getting tight? Don’t use the hire car this month.

Going abroad? Airport car hire.

Romantic getaway? Rent a car with two seats.

Family holiday? Hire a people carrier.

This is all dependant on prices of cource, there is no point hiring a car once a week if it costs as much as buying a used car and only using it occasionaly. But as car rental becomes cheaper the need to own a car seems less important.