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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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