I recently booked cars for my next three trips. Am I alone in thinking that they have now become VERY expensive?

Car rental is now a significant cost in having a holiday home in the Algarve and there seems little you can do to avoid it. We have never been ones to stay at home and we always enjoy trips out most days so would always want a car. Car ownership seems expensive and still leaves you with the problem/cost of either airport tranfers or finding parking near the airport.

I think for many visitors the cost of renting a car is such that they will either not rent at all or perhaps for just part of their stay which will mean that rental firms will see a fall in revenue. Perhaps they would do better to cut prices in order to increase business but that doesn't seem to be the Portuguese way.

It seems to depend on how you book them.
I went to book a 2 week hire from TravelRent, and was quoted what I thought was an excessive price. When approached, they refused to discount.

I then approached Economy hire, and they quoted me a price for the same period for 50% of the TravelRent price.

When I got the invoice, the hire company providing this far cheaper car, through Economy hire?? TravelRent!!

For the last couple of years, the hire companies have been unable to meet the summer demand. Take a look at the warning at the top of the Algarvedriver homepage. Why should they feel the need to discount prices?

if you know and are friendly enough with another person who is on holidays at the same time you might consider sharing. I rented this year for a couple of days in Feby, week in April, week in June but in August/Sept we share a car . Holidays are overlapping by 11 days in the 'middle'. I pick up the car, then a few days later pick up our friends at airport, 11 days later they leave me back to the airport and few days after that leave they car back with travelrent. Hire company have no problem with that (we did it last year) and it saves a few bob and the car is there for either party when required. I notice the Travelrent site now has price on enquiry but it used to give the rates. On my last visit my flight was changed from 3pm to 6.45 am and when I contacted them they only added €5 for the extra 9 hours (up to €110 from €105 for the 7 now nearly 8 days) Best deal are cheaper through Atlas Choice so it must be a policy of these companies to sell cheaper to an intermediary.

laserblazer wrote:For the last couple of years, the hire companies have been unable to meet the summer demand. Take a look at the warning at the top of the Algarvedriver homepage. Why should they feel the need to discount prices?

Because the summer is only 16 weeks long & cars sit idle for the other 36 !

Out of season you can rent for €10 a day which I think is very reasonable. Drive4fun seem to me to be the best available from Faro airport.

I dont think they are too much more expensive than before...high season is the challenge to keep it low. Whilst I agree in supporting Algarvedriver we now use economycarhire.com they are a broker for surplus and offer better packages and quality of cars. Keep an eye on the site it fluctuates with supply and demand and can be cheaper a day after you first look and so on.

Also look at the pickup and drop off places. We were quoted £850 for a month in july/august delivered to Cvo, pick the same up at Faro and drop off there with 3 days extra £550 for the same car including all insurance, no excess and a decent motor. It just means I have a quiet drive on my own after the rabble and the mother in law get on the minibus...

Out of season we have had £30 for 5 days through the same, brand new fiesta all in...