The Two Distinct Meanings of Car Hire

The term “car hire” has two distinctly different meanings: one meaning, which is widely used in Europe; and another meaning which is used in the United States, but not as frequently. In Europe, car hire usually means to pay to borrow a car. In the United States, this is usually called a car rental; whereas, the term car hire is usually used to refer to hiring a driver with a car, such as a limousine.

What are some of the bigger car hire services available throughout continental Europe and the United Kingdom? Europcar, Intl has ballooned in recent years, hiring cars from over 2,000 locations throughout Europe, including Belgium, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Europcar offers rentals on both cars and trucks – and has secured special relationships with airlines to bring higher quality service to prospective customers.

Another one of the bigger car hire services available in Europe is Holiday Cars Direct. Holiday Cars Direct operates in Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK. Depending on the car you hire – they range from two-door compact cars to large minivans and trucks – you will pay between 70 and 240 Euros per day.

The last car hire service you may want to check out is Avis, a company that originally started in the United States, but now has locations in virtually every country in the world, including all continental European countries and the United Kingdom. Avis offers comparatively low rates and offers world-class, uniform services to customers.

Regardless of what company you select, you will have a number of different ways to contact and work with them. If you prefer to make reservations ahead of time, so you can secure the car of your choice, you may want to call a few days before your trip. But if calling ahead of time isn't such a big deal for you, you may want to consider making the call from the airport, since many airports now offer direct lines to rental companies.