Just now planning a trip back to England (from Sweden). It's about 1100 miles each way, plus maybe 400 driving around seeing relatives/friends etc. Normally I drive the pickup that gets about 28.5mpg at a steady 70mph all the way.
But I thought maybe I should hire a diesel car, like a focus/Astra estate, that uses less diesel, and maybe save enough on the fuel to pay for the hire. There is also the hassle factor, in that if I have a breakdown or accident along the way, it should be easier to sort out with a hire car, ie. a quick replacement, than with my own car, especially as I'll have dogs with me.
So will the numbers add up?
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'Snot man-maths, Dave - it's primary school maths. Your pickup does about 6 miles per litre, so 2600 miles means 430 litres. You might be lucky enough to find a car that can double that and still have room for the dogs, in which case your break-even point is the price of 215 litres of fuel (ignoring for the moment the small difference between petrol and diesel,) say £300. Cover your rental costs for less than that and you're ahead.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Mon 11 Jul 11 at 11:32
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The edit above is because my first attempt neglected to double Dave's 1100-mile one-way distance. I've been away from primary school for a while.
}:---)
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So will a Focus/Astra sized car get double the MPG, ie. 56mpg at a steady 70mph?
I've looked at car hire here and something like this will cost about £300 for the week.
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On paper, yes; in practice? I'd be surprised. And are you really going to be able to drive it at a steady 70?
One thing: your 1100-mile figure suggests you're driving from Sweden all the way to the Channel, rather than taking a ferry across the North Sea, so the price difference between petrol and diesel in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and/or France may work in your favour. My calculation assumes they cost the same.
Another thing: will your hire company let you take their vehicle out of its home country? And even if it would, would you get the same breakdown assistance once abroad?
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It won't be worth the effort. And you'd have to make sure any car hire didn't have mileage limits or restrictions on where you could take it.
I'd take your car and travel more slowly. A steady 60 mph would probably work out cheaper in your car than hiring another. Plus if you're taking dogs remember you have return it in decent condition. If the dogs decide to make a mess then any potential savings will disappear!
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Off the top of my head, 28.5mpg is >20mpg, ergo there's nothing significant to be saved by driving a more fuel efficient car.
<20mpg gets pricey but not worth messing about for something that does nearly 30mpg.
(not tongue in cheek btw, the difference between 25mpg petrol and 40mpg diesel for 2200 miles is ~£170)
Last edited by: Skoda on Mon 11 Jul 11 at 14:42
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Agree with most of the posters I would take my own car.If taking the price difference into account for hiring a car.
One of the cheapest crossing at the moment is Duinkerken to Dover about two hrs crossing,which I will be taking in a few weeks.
Where are you crossing the border in the Netherlands if you don't mind me asking?
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Man maths/MPG/Saving money - WillDeBeest
