How Long Does It Take To Get An International Licence? When hiring a car in another country you are often required to have an international licence. The reason for this is that your licence may be in another language therefore it’s hard to identify for the car rental company if the information on the licence is correct. If your licence is from inside the EU then its fine.

One of the problems we often find with this is that people are unsure whether they actually need one or not as the confusion is caused because you don’t actually need an international licence to drive in the UK but in order to hire a car, you do and several of these unsure people leave it until the last minute to call us.

With so many people leaving it until the last minute the worry turns to whether you can actually get an international licence in this short period. One example we had was a Kenyan customer arriving into Heathrow who left it until the last minute, he applied for a licence and got it that day, although this was an exceptionally quick return and on several locations it takes longer than this but it’s often not as long as people think.

We suggest that you check on your countries government website as they have several FAQs about applying for international licences, one of which is the time it will take to apply and receive your new international licence.

In order to be able to pick up a car if you aren’t based inside the EU or a country which has a driving licence written in English then you need to present your valid driving licence for your company and a valid international licence.

Despite the turn around time being quite quick we urge you to get your car booked as soon as possible so we can sort any possible issues well in advance. If you have any questions about international licences or just car hire in general then please ask our experienced reservation agents on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us at sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.

We realise that people often use car hire as an in between, a temporary solution for when your car breaks down until you make the transition of buying a new one. Therefore we feel it’s important to convey a bit of advice for our customers who are in the market for a new vehicle, new cars are one of a few very big purchases we make in our lives and it’s integral that you make the right choice when picking your vehicle. So what car do you go for when buying a new vehicle?

In recent years people have had to watch their budgets a lot more so than in previous times, so it’s important that you account for a few factors in order to keep motoring costs low. So what is it you should consider?

Insurance Group
Be aware of the insurance group of the car or you may be in for a nasty fee, if you are wanting to save money you should be aiming towards a 1-5 insurance group which you will usually be able to achieve with buying a smaller vehicle 1.0-1.4. There are also other things that bring your insurance down such as having adequate safety features like alarms.

One of the cheapest cars to insure for example is the new model Ford Ka. It’s worth doing a fair bit of research to find out the best model suitable for you.

Pass Plus Course
An optional course you can take after passing your driving test, it teaches you to drive on your own and it can reduce premiums on some occasions upon successfully completing the course. However this can be expensive to take in its self and you still have a chance of failing the course, so it may not be the best option.

Tax
The cost of taxing your vehicle can fluctuate depending on its emissions, which also directly relates to the engine size.

As long as your vehicle is registered after 1st March 2001 it will be given a tax band, A to M which is based on emissions, the further the letter in the alphabet the higher the cost. Tax band A does not have to pay for Tax as it has emissions below 100 g/km.

For cars that are registered before the 1st March 2001 those under 1549cc have the 12month rate of £140.00 and those over £225.00.

Other Methods
It may be extreme but moving somewhere with lower crime levels also will decrease the cost of your insurance. You could also commit to driving a lower annual mileage as this will also give you some extra saving.

Oh and don’t worry about the car hire in between as we will always fix you up the best price possible no matter what!

We got asked a very interesting question the other day about toll roads in Switzerland and if our cars came with a Vignette. The answer to this unfortunately is no, Vignettes are however compulsory in Switzerland so it is essentially that you buy one which you can do at any petrol station. Basically the Vignette is a sticker on the front of your car which indicates you have paid for the toll roads which are all 1 and 2 class roads, the Grand St. Bernhard Tunnel and Munt la Schera are not included, essentially the Vignette is road tax. (more…)

Picture this, you wake up one morning get out of bed and get ready for work just like every other day but only to find when you step outside you are greeted by a car covered in frost. You have a few options but you decide upon starting the car and going back inside for a cup of coffee whilst waiting for the car to defrost only to find upon your return your vehicles been stolen. You get on the phone to the police and insurance company, you won’t be shown any sympathy however and you may not even be covered for a claim as insurers consider this not to be left with reasonable car. Moral of the story is you shouldn’t leave your car unattended whilst running! (more…)

When you are driving through a tunnel it can potentially become a hazard, added danger comes when you haven’t travelled through the particular tunnel before as it is unknown to you. There are a number of hazards you may have to tackle on your travels so here are some tips to keep you and your passengers safe on any journey that may be riddled with tunnels. (more…)