I keep getting stuffed by booking the cheapest car rate offered. And by using a debit card - you need to use a credit card to book to get the FREE Collision damage waiver (CDW). Then you may have to pay for a full tank of fuel (hence the syphoning thread). Last time we used Firefly (AKA Hertz!) and had a 45 minute wait in the cue with other punters. Next time I will book a more expensive company and forego the queuing.
I have been looking at car hire at Alicante for next May. Looking at hiring a car for 4 days coming in at around £60 which is great but seems most of them now force you to buy a full tank but you don't know how much per litre until you get to the desk! In the small print it mentions that fuel will be dearer than the local fuel station!
Rent a Car - Javea Car Hire - Costa Blanca - Alicante airport - Valencia airport you could give these a try...........they have in the past let you return a full tank rather than paying for a full tank and not using it all.......
holiday autos are pretty good comparison site but the thing you have to look out for are all the extras and the fuel return policy which will differ from each company. stay way from gold car imho. they are the ryan air of car hire and are slow, hateful, scamming bastards i have often found that if you join hertz gold car scheme or europecar privilege it ends up being cheaper (or only a couple of quid more expensive) and less hassle than using the comparison sites as car will be prepped waiting for you when you land so no pissing about in the airport for hours and their will less likely to be any little tricks like selling your overpriced tanks of fuel (both these compaines will doe either full to empty or full to full your choice) or silly and expensive damage waivers that 'reserve' 1500 euro on your credit card etc etc
