While you still can choose to book your car hire the traditional way with your local travel agency or book your car directly on the telephone with one of the multinational car hire agencies they tend to be more expensive than the prices offered by the majority of the local car hire companies in Malaga or internet brokers, although not always. If you travel for leisure you may be better of using one of the internet brokers who offer a wide choice of cars from both multinational companies and local car hire companies alike.

Many of these brokers have a price comparison tool which makes it much easier to choose as not always the websites of the individual hire companies do clearly list all the additional fees they make. Apart from that not all car rental companies have an instant online booking facility which makes it hard to book a vehicle online, specially if it is a last minute reservation or you want to rent a car out of the normal office hours of the agency.

Malaga is a city which combines tradition and modernity. Its position as capital of the Costa del Sol makes it one of the most important tourist destinations in Spain, thanks to its mild climate, its beaches and the excellent golf courses available. The province invites you to tour the Costa del Sol with its towns of considerable tourist tradition, such as Benalmadena, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella or Estepona.

If you want to book cheap car hire in Malaga you will find a large list of rental companies to choose from. Use an online price comparison tool to check which company offers the best deal. If you do want to check the prices yourself try to compare at least four to five different car hire agencies in Malaga if possible. Also, if you book well in advance it will help you to save money. Of course, you can also look for offers at your travel agency.

Other popular holiday destinations in Spain such as Alicante, Mallorca and Murcia have also been badly hit as car hire companies have been forced to reduce their fleet sizes significantly in order to decrease costs in the face of the credit crunch. Due to the recession many mayor car rental companies in Malaga as well as smaller companies cut back on vehicles which leads to inflated costs for holidaymakers.

The shortage of stock in the car hire industry in Malaga is down to a number of factors, all of which are tied to the current recession. Many car hire companies on hte Costa del Sol have been hit by a lack of affordable finance from banks, which prevented them from buying new stock. Other companies in Andalusia have been selling nearly-new cars to pay off loans, but are unable to replace them without finance.

“Many regular visitors have been left without a rental car this summer”, says a spokesman of a group of local car hire companies in Malaga. “In previous years our customers used to book a couple of days in advance, or arranged the car hire on the spot.”

The largest companies may have stock, but at a price. Local companies often have better prices, but if you leave it late many will be out of stock. Things have changed dramatically this year, and in case people find a car for the summer the price will be at least double the price they paid last year.

“The only way for local car hire companies in Malaga to guarantee availability over peak periods is working together. Collaborating will enable the individual companies to optimize there occupancy figures which in the end is beneficial for everyone. We must learn to see other companies as a possible solution for our customers in case we do not have availability and not as a competitor.”