REVEALED: Hire Car Hacks You May Not Have Known
March 29th, 2023
Waiting lists for new cars are still an issue, thanks to the many world events that have affected supply chains. Whether it’s a shortage of chips or new models not being ready, many noteworthy manufacturers are seeing waiting times of as long as six months for delivery.
Many motorists have been looking into alternatives which has caused the prices of used cars to skyrocket, with prices rising by as much as £4,000 as of November 2022.
Drivers might look to car rental as an alternative to car ownership. And there are a few ways that you can use rental cars that you may not be aware of.
In this article, we’ll pull back the curtain on some of these hacks and give you a rundown of some great ways to use hire cars that you may not have thought of to make life easier and cheaper.
Save on delivery fees & pick it up in-person!
Throughout 2020, we all had to get used to many of the items we wanted and needed being delivered to our doors. Not only did this come with an adjustment to our lives constantly tracking our parcels, but also meant having to budget our spending to include delivery fees. And depending on the size of the item you ordered or how much you purchased from a single retailer, that delivery fee is adjusted accordingly.
Many retailers now offer the option to have any items you order to be collected from a store. This means that if you have a larger item you’re ordering in, you could select the collection option and use your rented car to pick it up and bring it to your home. If you need to replace something big in your living space like a piece of furniture, it could be a helpful solution that saves you some money.
Travel issues? Road trip it!
Between 1 July and 30 September, a total of around 359 million passenger journeys were made on trains around the UK. Rail travel is one of the most popular methods of domestic travel in the country, which makes it ideal for when you want to have a getaway without getting on a flight. But with train fares forecast to increase by up to 5.9% in March 2023, rail travel might become less accessible than it has been in recent years.
For those of us still looking to venture to one of the many holiday locations the domestic isles have to offer, car rental and road tripping could be a welcome alternative. Not only do you get to sample some of the stunning views that many of the open roads provide, but you can curate your very own playlist and come up with games all to keep the driver and passengers entertained.
You can even schedule planned stops along the way to your destination to get the most out of your trip. Whether that’s parking off for an overnight camp under the stars or a quick pit stop at a service station for a bite to eat and stretch your legs. It truly reframes the trip from being solely about the destination and all about the journey. And in a rented car, you can pick the size and space available to make the trip even more comfortable.
Moving house
This is a fantastic solution to a life event that poses a lot of issues. Moving house is considered a major milestone in adult life and if you don’t own your own car, it can be a stressful experience. This is especially true for students, who may need to move between halls of residence and their first flat on their own, which can be a huge distance away from your original location.
Relevant reading
Three myths about car-sharing
Three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by road vehicles. And the average cost of owning a vehicle is £1,541 a year.Which means that, for anyone concerned about the environment or the costs of running a car, a car-sharing club like Co Wheels is the perfect solution.
Why Millennials Are In the Driving Seat of Car Clubs
In the last few years, the world has been changing at an incredible pace. From shifts in work hours and routines to other mutating life demands, there has been a lot to adapt to.