Car Rental News

Thrifty Car Hire has announced their plans to offer vehicle rentals in the US which are completely smoke free. The policy will bring the car hire giant in line with other travel industry providers States who offer 100% some free services.

To ensure the smoke free policy is upheld by all car hire customers, Thrifty has announced that any customer who is found to have smoked inside a rental vehicle will be hit with a hefty fine. All vehicles will be issued with a large no smoking sign inside to remind customers to adhere to the new policy.

If a car is returned to Thrifty and a customer is found to have smoked inside, the vehicle will be immediately taken out of the rental fleet to be thoroughly cleaned. The car hire provider will have the vehicle expertly cleaned to ensure all traces of tobacco smell are removed. Any customer found to be in breach of Thrifty’s new non-smoking policy will be hit with a $250 fine.

The car hire provider say the new non-smoking policy will enable them to maintain the high standards expected of them from car rentals customers in the US. Offering cars which have not been the subject of smoking passengers will enable Thrifty to offer vehicles which are maintained to the highest standard.

Every year car hire company Thrifty Car and Van Rentals honours one franchise with a coveted customer service award for their performance over the last 12 months. This year, the accolade was awarded to the Irish franchise who have excelled in customer service over the last 12 months.

Thrifty Car and Van Rentals analysed the feedback from hundreds of car hire customers from franchises across the company to find the best performing region. The Irish franchise came out on top having “set the standard” in terms of superior customer service practice within the Dollar Rentals company.

The Irish branch of Dollar Car and Van Rentals were praised for maintaining outstanding levels of customer care, despite the current economic climate which has been a challenge for the car hire industry as a whole. But despite the problems faced by the industry which included a sharp drop in customer numbers, the Irish franchise ensured standard of customer service didn’t slip.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Thrifty Car and Van Rentals team, Chief Executive Colm Menton praised his staff for the award who worked hard to ensure an excellent standard of customer care across all Thrifty Car hire locations in Ireland.

Leading car hire experts, Hertz, and Eithad Airways have joined forces in order to offer their customers an integrated land and air travel service.

Kicking off the partnership in true style, Hertz and Eithad have launched an exclusive competition. Any customer who flies with Eithad Airways and rents a vehicle with Hertz will be entered in a prize draw to win a luxury package holiday courtesy of the two companies.

The lucky winner will win two return flights tickets to either a European destination or Australia where they’ll also receive 5 night’s accommodation in a 5 star luxury resort, plus use of a vehicle from Hertz’s Prestige Collection for the duration of their trip.

The three year contract between Hertz and Eithad will offer airline and car rental customers the opportunity to integrate their air and road travel needs. Eithad customers will be given the chance to book car hire with Hertz through the airline’s main website, or through any Eithad call centre. Plus customers will also be awarded bonus 500 guest miles with every Hertz car rental, and receive a special priority booking service for Hertz products.

Hertz and Eithad say the new partnership will offer their customers “superior access” to their products, as well as an exceptional service which is focused on value for money.

Car hire giant Sixt is leading the way with green car rentals in Portugal having recently launched a fleet of electric powered cars for hire in the country.

Sixt has joined forces with Mitsubishi Portugal to offer travellers to the popular European holiday destination the option of hiring an eco-friendly vehicle.

From January, Sixt will have several Mitsubishi i-MiEV models available to hire from their Lisbon rental centre. The electric powered Mitsubishi vehicle produces zero emissions making it an ideal rental vehicle for those who are concerned about their carbon footprint.

As well as the reduced emissions, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV model also offers car rental customers the chance to save money on fuel costs as the electric vehicles offer savings of up to a third on fuel costs compared to petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

The electric vehicle will only be available to hire from Sixt’s rental centre in Lisbon initially, although if there is sufficient demand, the electric Mitsubishis could be rolled out to a variety of other rental centres in Portugal during the year. Rental rates for the electric Mitsubishi start from €59 a day.

Sixt is one of the Europe’s leading vehicle rental companies and is renowned for leading the way with innovative services.

There’s good news on the horizon for car hire customers as experts are predicting cheaper rates in the New Year as the industry recovers from the effects of the economic downturn which has been hampering services over the last two years.

As car rental firms struggled to get financial backing from the banks to purchase new vehicles for their fleet, the number of hire cars available was heavily reduced, which pushed up the cost of rentals as there was still the same amount of demand, but not enough cars to go around.

The cost of car hire in certain holiday hot spots rocketed by as much as 500% as a result which hit holidaymakers hard.

However as the car rental industry starts to emerge from the gloom of the recession, the after effects are also paling in significance. Many operators are now able to obtain the backing of the banks, which means they are in a position to add to their fleet of rental cars.

This spells good news for car hire customers as there will be an increase in the choice of rental cars available which will in turn, help keep rates competitive between car hire providers.

The advice being given by car rental experts to those planning to book car hire is to do so as far in advance as possible in order to take advantage of early booking incentives being offered.