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Cancel and rebook your car hire this summer to save as much as £399
Car rental prices have dropped at many destinations in Italy, France, Greece, Spain and other holiday hotspots
Guy is an award-winning travel writer with 20+ years' experience. He runs a crack team of researchers, unearthing everything from the best beaches to the worst car hire companies.
Car hire prices have fallen by up to 53% in some key holiday destinations, so if you booked your summer holiday car rental early, it’s worth checking if you can cancel and rebook for a better rate.
Based on thousands of bookings from Which? Recommended Provider Zest Car Rental, we found that prices for a week’s rental during the school summer holidays in July and August had dropped significantly at dozens of key locations.
We compared summer rental bookings made between January and March 2026 with bookings made more recently in May. The most significant price decreases we saw were at Zurich, Bergerac, Bologna and Carcassonne airports, where cancelling and rebooking could save you more than £200 a week.
Find out which car hire companies you can trust with our tables of the best and worst car hire providers and car hire brokers
Where to find cheap car hire this summer
The table below shows the 20 destinations where prices have fallen the most dramatically. There are plenty more locations where prices have dropped, and some that will be pricier, but it’s always worth checking whether you can make a saving.
| Airport rental location | Weekly summer rate (booking Jan-March 2026) | Weekly summer rate (booking May 2026) | Average saving per week |
| Zurich, Switzerland | £759 | £360 | £399 |
| Bergerac, France | £600 | £302 | £298 |
| Bologna, Italy | £481 | £245 | £236 |
| Carcassonne, France | £584 | £383 | £201 |
| Zagreb, Croatia | £355 | £202 | £153 |
| Thessaloniki, Greece | £388 | £242 | £146 |
| Chania, Crete | £367 | £269 | £98 |
| Marseille, France | £463 | £379 | £84 |
| Seville, Spain | £289 | £208 | £81 |
| Zadar, Croatia | £372 | £296 | £76 |
| Corfu | £441 | £373 | £68 |
| Vancouver, Canada | £419 | £355 | £64 |
| Nice, France | £456 | £397 | £59 |
| Bari, Italy | £356 | £299 | £57 |
| Turin, Italy | £295 | £238 | £57 |
| Barcelona El Prat, Spain | £302 | £248 | £54 |
| Perugia, Italy | £412 | £362 | £50 |
| Larnaca, Cyprus | £218 | £173 | £45 |
| Paphos, Cyprus | £237 | £192 | £45 |
| Dubrovnik, Croatia | £334 | £292 | £42 |
Pricing data from Zest Car Rental, based on thousands of bookings made from January to March 2026 vs May 2026 for rentals during the six weeks of school summer holidays 2026.
Car rental prices are up in a handful of locations
While prices have dipped in many locations, they have increased on average in others. Of the 90 locations we looked at, the biggest price spikes were in San Francisco, USA (£317); Almeria, Spain (£230); and Zakynthos (£200).
These are averages, so it’s still worth checking the price if you have booked in these locations. And you can keep checking for price drops up until the week before you travel, as long as you booked with a car hire company that allows free cancellations.
How to rebook your car hire
Many brokers and operators allow you to cancel your booking without penalty a few days before the pick-up date. This means you can rebook the same car for the same dates, but at a lower rate.
Before you cancel, it’s crucial to check the prices with your provider (and elsewhere). While car hire rates have gone down on average, make sure this is true for your particular booking on your specific dates.
Check availability, too. Some cars, particularly more economical models, can sell out. If the car you want is available and the price is lower, cancel and rebook.
Which car rental firms let you cancel and rebook?
Many major companies have different terms and conditions (T&Cs) depending on where you hire the car, so check your booking confirmation for details.
All our Which? Recommended Providers offer free cancellation:
- Zest car rental (worldwide) – cancel for free up to 48 hours before the rental
- AutoReisen (Canary Islands) – cancel for free at any time
- Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental (UK) – cancel for free 72 hours before the rental
- Alamo (USA/Worldwide) – Cancel for free 72 hours before the rental (pre-pay)
Why have car hire prices come down?
The situation in the Middle East has understandably made consumers more hesitant to book their holidays. Slow and last-minute bookings often lead to car hire providers reducing their prices in an attempt to stimulate demand.
While a reduction in car hire pricing is good news for getting a deal, be aware that when prices are low, less reputable companies may look to recoup revenue through less transparent means. These could include mis-selling overpriced car hire excess insurance that you may not need, or charging for damage you didn’t cause.
What car hire scams should I watch out for?
There’s no end to the list of hidden extras and underhand charges that car hire companies can choose to apply when they want to boost their margins.
Late drop-off fees, refuelling fees, age-related surcharges and admin fees are all perfectly legitimate when they're applied fairly. But we’ve heard complaints from consumers that these fees can be over-officiously or even wrongly applied by unscrupulous companies.
Booking with a recommended car hire company or a trusted broker is your best defence against car hire rip-offs. But you should still be aware of the scams you might face and how to avoid them. For peace of mind, check our guide to avoiding car hire rip-offs before you book.
