In summer 2009 there was a considerable shortage of rental cars in Portugal (and Spain) and there is speculation that the same problem may occur in 2010. The car hire shortage occurred because rental companies had to reduce their fleet sizes during the recession and then demand outweighed supply. The bad weather in the UK also caused a surge of last minute bookings in Algarve holidays, which further contributed to the problem. Many last minute bookings in car hire could not be fulfilled, local companies did not have the fleet sizes to ease the situation and Faro airport and many of the popular tourist resorts in the Algarve were affected.
Car hire companies are now warning that there is a possibility of the same situation occuring in summer 2010, so they are advising booking Algarve car hire as early as possible to ensure getting a vehicle, at the best possible price. Last year if last minute car rentals did become available, prices were sky high.
Now is also a great time to book car hire because the January Sales are in full swing, and there are lots of offers available such as low deposit schemes and discounts. So if you want to avoid disappointment, check out our Algarve Car Hire, where you can find all the top car rental companies and price comparison sites!