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More and more people are hiring cars on their holidays nowadays. It
means you can explore the whole island and our house in
Kalavasos is a great base to do just that.
Its only 30 minutes from Larnaca airport which means that even if you
come in tired it’s just a short drive to your accommodation.
We drive
on the same side of the road as the UK in Cyprus so if you are from
there you will feel very much at home. The roads are all excellent
nowadays and some great motorways have been built to join up the major
towns. The only problems you may encounter are in some out of the way
places but that is the case in any country you drive in.
Hiring a
car in Cyprus is easy nowadays. Just go online and you will find lots
of car hire firms vying for your business! The question is, are they
reliable?
In days
of old hiring a car in Cyprus was a nightmare, I remember as a child
visiting Cyprus with my parents when hiring a car was a big gamble. One
year my father hired a car which we used to go up to Troodos, on a very
difficult manoeuvre at the top a steep hill with a big drop below the
brakes refused to work. Luckily he managed to control the car and a
passing motorist helped us get down the mountain.
Another
year the gear stick came out in his hand while he was driving, another
the clutch went and so on. It was not because he was looking for the
cheapest car hire but because the cars were just unreliable, there was
not so much control of car hire firms.
Ever
since then we have been very wary of car hire and made sure to find a
reputable company and stick to it. Luckily things have moved on since
then in the Car hire business. There are now very strict licensing laws
and all car hire firms must hold a Transport department license.
I
have worked with a certain
car hire company
for 12 years now and their service and cars
are beyond reproach. They use new cars, changing them every 1 or 2
years and they will always change the car for you if it has a problem.
When
hiring you should make sure you are insured properly and the car comes
with fully comprehensive insurance, CDW (collision damage waiver) and
taxes. Always make sure what your excess is and never drive a car if
you are not named as a co driver. CDW does not mean you will not be
charged if you have an accident, it means that your excess will be less
than just having fully comprehensive insurance. Basically it lowers
your excess when you have CDW. Reliable companies have good cover and
are happy to explain everything to you.
Some car
hire companies charge you an extra CYP1 per person for passengers, this
is not common practice so if you are asked to pay this, use a different
rental company.
We all
know that there are car hire companies on site at the airport but you
don’t want to wait till you get here to rent a car as it may not be
possible to find a good car at a reasonable price at such short notice
and they will only have the more expensive car. If you are renting from
a car hire company from abroad make sure to check whether they intend to
put a delivery charge on top of your car hire price. Some will charge
you less for the actual car hire but then come back and ask you to pay
delivery and pick up charges from and to the airport. Again its good to
know the exact charges so that you can work out if it is a good deal or
not.
Most car
hire companies will deliver the car full of petrol and you return it
empty, in this case you need to be prepared to pay for the petrol in
advance.
Another
problem facing anyone under the age of 25 is that car hire companies are
reluctant to rent cars to anyone under 25 unless they are married with
children which proves that they are responsible drivers. So be prepared
to be disappointed or have a very high excess.
It is no
longer such a big problem to find a reliable car hire company but if you
are lucky enough to know someone who can give you a recommendation then
all the better.
Have a
safe trip!
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