High prices for rental cars are unlikely to go down until the end of the year.
That's according to motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert, who was responding to a surge in rental car demand.
She told The Hard Shoulder there are several reasons for this.
"Essentially what we have here is a classic supply [shortage] - very little supply, huge demand.
"It goes back to March 2020... when travel shut down, car rental companies basically sold off most of their fleet in order to just survive.
"Now when they try and replenish that stock, second-hand car prices have gone through the roof because of the global chip shortage, new cars are in short supply.
"So we have all of these people excitedly returning to travel, and a very limited number of cars - and we have these crazy prices".
How to keep prices down
But Geraldine says there are some tips to try and keep the price down.
"I did a bit of digging myself - and I suppose the old adage of 'shop around' still holds true.
"There are really high prices, we know that - the average seems to be, that people are quoting on Twitter certainly at the moment, about €500."
She says she went to one price comparison website, and managed to spot a bargain.
"I had a look at Skyscanner.ie... and I actually managed to get a car, for a week in July - a VW Polo - for €743.
"I also checked Spain, France and the UK - just to see how we compare.
Rental cars are seen in a car park in Malaga, Spain in November 2019. Picture by: Jose Pedro Fernandes / Alamy Stock Photo"Spain is obviously the cheapest place to hire a car, and everywhere else was cheaper than Ireland.
"The other thing as well is the size of the car matters; so if I can make-do with a hatchback do, and don't bother with your SUVs.
"Whatever's the most popular is going to be the most expensive.
"The earlier you can book a car the better - but also collecting at the airport is always the most expensive option.
"I know Dublin Airport isn't the best-served in terms of public transport, but if you can collect somewhere else... you will actually notice a drop in prices.
"So there are a few things you can do - you're not stuck with those ridiculous prices".
But Geraldine says this problem is likely to continue almost into next year.
"This is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, in the same way that the global chip shortage [sic].
"There's a bit of a breakthrough with it at the moment, but it's still expected to persist till the end of the year".
She adds: "I saw another tweet for seven days in July at over €4,000 - €4,148 for seven days.
"You'd nearly think you could buy a car for that".
