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Picking the right sized rental car is important. The cost of rentals on top of a holiday for a family often means that people opt for a car that is somewhat smaller than they would usually buy, but is this the right move and what elements should you consider when renting a holiday vehicle?

What size?

Depending on where you are from and where you are going there will be a large fluctuation in the size of car that you opt for, but it is worth noting that the smallest and the largest are often not the best. When travelling to America, for example, you will probably want to opt for a larger car because that is what everyone drives. Sydney car hire, however, is different because there is no need for a monstrous vehicle and petrol prices will make fuel efficiency far more of an issue than it is in the United States. When considering size there are several key questions that you need to ask yourself:

• What are my needs? Basically you need to know how many seats you require and how much space you will need because cramming a family of fiveand suitcases into a tiny Sydney airport car hire will not improve your enjoyment of arrival.
• How much power do you need? How much power you will need depends entirely on the type of holiday you are opting for. If you intend to drive to the Blue Mountains from Sydney, for example, there is no doubt that you will want a more powerful machine. If you intend to stay in the City, however, then something with a 3.2 litre engine is just excessive.

Laws and Legality

Once you know what you need it is important to determine what you can actually drive in your chosen destination. There are huge variations between driving laws across different countries and there are restrictions about what you can drive in different areas. If you are under 25 then this is of great significance, but mostly the variation between manual and automatic vehicles is the biggest issue.

Insurance

The size of your rental car will have a great impact on your insurance and this is really worth considering. In many situations there is little doubt that it just isn’t worth opting for a bigger vehicle because of the premiums. Particular elements of insurance which need to be considered are that of the excess and exemptions. Sometimes rental excesses will stretch to thousands of dollars, meaning that you will only actually be covered for the most serious of accidents.

EarlyBooking

One element of car rental that will make a huge difference is early booking. By booking early for your holiday you will be able to ensure that you get the best vehicle and that you get the best deal. There is a large variation between costs at different times of year and within different periods, so be sure to take advantage of early bird deals because it can make a large difference on what is affordable for your budgets.