Christmas rush for car hire anticipated

Based on the latest report released by Sixt, one of the leading car rental companies, it is recommended that customers looking for car hires for Christmas and New Year in London book in advance, as car rental agencies are already reporting a shortage in cars due to high demand.

Based on data received from resorts in exotic places such as Cannes, Rome, Faro and Alicante, most suffered from an overwhelming demand of rental cars in August. Resorts had run out of cars and travelers were left stranded or had to use expensive taxis to get around.

A few customers who were lucky enough to get them were struck by the high costs they demanded, sometimes as high as three times the normal price. Due to the ongoing recession, most car rental agencies had expected a lower hire rate. Due to the predicted smaller demand and the non-buying of much needed new cars, car rental agencies were not able to meet the unexpectedly strong consumer demand.

This year, the sizes of the fleets of cars has remain unaffected and car rental agencies such as Sixt are sending out advisories also based on the newly emerging trend where people are choosing to hire cars rather than buy or use a second privately-owned car.

As the recession has forced consumers to tighten belts, many are looking for ways to save mileage and fuel and maintenance costs. Added to this, the normal holiday rush where people visiting friends and family from out of town and tourists will add an extra burden on the agencies.