Shocking increases on Christmas car hire

Many Irish car rentals firms are imposing shocking price hikes over Christmas, The Irish Independent reports. The cost of a small budget rental such as a Ford Fiesta will more than double over the Xmas period with big name firms such as Argus, Hertz and Avis, leaving many Christmas visitors to the Emerald Isle seriously out of pocket.

“Companies will charge what they think the market can bear and prices do seem to increase during the busiest periods” commented consumer advocate Ann Fitzgerald, while government spokesperson Brendan Ryan described the move as “profiteering plain and simple”.

Our advice? Use an online car hire portal which will give you access to a range of prices from various car hire companies, large and small. You might still end up paying a little more over the holiday season but at least it’ll only be a little more!