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Automatic V. Manual Car Hire

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Khandro | 10:03 Tue 23rd Sep 2014 | Motoring
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Can anyone explain the large difference in the price of the two.
For example, a Ford focus for one week at Heathrow costs £177. and a manual version costs £273. As there is less chance of damaging the engine/g.box of an automatic I would have thought the opposite might apply. In the USA an automatic seems to be the norm.
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Maybe it is because they have a lot of American tourists, unused to a manual, giving it a try, and driving in first all week ?
I have just visited Budget rent a car at Heathrow site and an auto is coming in at roughly double the costs of a manual, not 100 per cent sure but will guess your figures are the wrong way round.??
The extra cost of an automatic gearbox is significant on a small(ish) car. Furthermore I suspect that the depreciation is higher on small autos - people tend to buy small cars on initial cost and running costs, so they are less desirable when used. Rental companies only tend to keep cars for a few months, so they are always under warranty and the automatic being potentially more reliable and less prone to mechanical damage caused by abuse is not relevant to their costs.
yes khandro, you're figures need reversing to make sense, I think. ;-/
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sorry yes of course, the auto version cost £273 - the point of my question.
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