Business Hire News Stories

Tips for lifting and carrying heavy items

If you're hiring a van from Europcar to move something heavy or awkward, it's important to know how to lift and carry safely. To avoid injuring your back, legs or arms - or tripping over - we've compiled a checklist of lifting and carrying tips...

What to check before you lift

• Test the weight of a large object by lifting a corner, can you lift the load safely by yourself or do you need help?
• If the load is too heavy or awkward can you break it into smaller parts?
• Check how far you have to carry the load and if the path is clear of any possible trip hazards. Open all doors in advance.
• Once you are carrying the load will it block your view as you are walking?

Lifting a heavy item

• Wear gloves to protect your hands and provide better grip.
• Before you lift a heavy object make sure you have a firm footing and a good handhold.  
• Stand close to the object and centre yourself over it with your feet shoulder width apart, squat down to the ground.
• To lift, straighten your knees and rise from the ground in a smooth, steady motion. Never bend your back to pick something up.
• Keep your back straight and let your legs do the lifting - focusing your eyes upwards will help.
• Once upright do not twist or turn your body, keep your head up and look straight ahead.

Carrying a heavy load

• Hold the object close to your body and keep it steady with your arms bent, the further the object is from your body the heavier it will feel.
• Keep your feet about shoulder width apart, take short steps and move slowly.
• Change direction by turning your feet in the right direction first.
• If you're straining or feel tired put the load down and rest for a few minutes.
• To put the load down, place your feet shoulder width apart, tighten your stomach muscles and bend your knees in a smooth and steady action. Release your grip when the load is set down on a firm surface.

Using a lifting aid or trolley?

Always push rather than pull and use your body weight to help you control the load.

Tie the load down to secure it, if possible.

Hiring a van from Europcar

• Van hire by the hour, day or weekend
• From £5.99 an hour for car-derived vans and £6.99 an hour for transits
• 50% more tail lifts on our fleet
• Wide variety of vans to hire from most of our 250+ locations
• One-way hire
• Delivery and collection available across the UK

Terms and conditions:

• 1. One-way hires not available on hourly pricing.
• 2. Damage and theft excess is £600
• 3. Hourly hires are available from 8am on a Monday to Midday on a Friday
• 4. Vehicles must be returned by Friday 2pm

Why use Europcar for your short-term and corporate car hire

Why use Europcar for your short-term and corporate car hire

Your business can really benefit from using Europcar for your corporate vehicle hire. You'll get to choose from a large fleet of different car and van types and select flexible car hire options to suit your company. Read on to find out more about short-term and corporate car hire with Europcar... 

Top 5 reasons Europcar vehicle hire is better than a car club:

1. Wide choice of vehicles - so you can choose a car or van that's fit for purpose.
2. Each vehicle has a safety and maintenance checks and a professional clean before you get it.
3. Cars and vans can be delivered to your home or business.
4. The longer you hire, the more cost-effective it is.
5. There's no maximum mileage or membership fee.

Top 5 reasons Europcar vehicle hire is better than a fleet of company cars:

1. You don't have to worry about how much the car will be worth in a couple of years - just hand it back.
2. We do all the maintenance, servicing and valeting.
3. We check all cars on a weekly basis - increasingly important because of the changes to the corporate manslaughter legislation.
4. You can vary the size of you fleet, upscaling or downscaling where necessary.
5. Your travel costs will be based on actual demand, not predicted demand.

Europcar benefits to your business

We offer a wide range of solutions to help businesses large and small manage their hire use and spend. These include:

• Full service hire company

Europcar is a full service company, so we give you a wide choice of vehicles - cars, vans, specialist and prestige - and a good network of locations, including airports. 

• Large fleet and size of network

With over 200 locations, one-way hires and Delivery & Collection service, we provide wide coverage and you're on average just 20 minutes away from a branch.

• Online booking

Online reservations, e-vouchers, e-billing, online management information and online customer service - all designed to make your life easier.

• Choice of reservation routes

You can reserve cars by phone, fax, email or online - or using a combination of them all.

• We support your company's policies

It's important to us that you meet your corporate policies and guidelines for vehicle hire - in terms of duty of care, the environment and costs. Hire policies are automatically applied and driver profiles pre-filled for online bookings - this speeds up your booking.

• Delivery and collection

Our Delivery & Collection service covers home or business addresses, so hiring a car can fit conveniently into your working day.

• One-way car hire

The ability to collect a vehicle from one location and return to another can be invaluable if your business makes many one-way trips. Unlike many smaller providers, Europcar has enough branches to offer this time-saving service.

• One hour, one day, one month - as long as you need

We offer flexible options for medium-term hire for both cars and commercial vehicles. This may be a more cost-effective option in the case of new recruits, and employees on fixed-term contracts. We also offer hourly car hire.

• Preferential leisure rates

We can offer your employees competitive holiday hire rates for top tourist destinations - a great staff benefit at no cost to your business.

Rates and services for SMEs

SME? The Europcar corporate car hire service is flexible and cost efficient. You can:

• pay fixed rates tailored to the needs of your business
• choose from a range of high-quality cars, fully maintained and with 24/7 breakdown cover included
• include extras in your rate such as one-way hire or delivery and collection
• include Europcar insurance or use your own
• speak to our dedicated telesales team for advice

Call us on 0870 243 0105 to see what we can do for you.

Very small business with occasional car hire needs? Ask us about our new service, Business Advantage.

Greener driving tips

When you hire a car for business you're looking for the best car hire deal you can find. To help you save further, Europcar has put together these top tips for cutting your fuel consumption. As well as saving you money, greener driving is good for the environment too...

• Drive smoothly: try to avoid harsh acceleration and braking. Pulling away too fast can use up to 60% more fuel.

• Change gear smartly: check the rev counter and try to change gear at 1,500-2,500 rpm. This can save up to 15% on fuel and reduce your CO² emissions.

• Concentrate on the road ahead: you'll brake and accelerate less if you look ahead and anticipate the road conditions and other drivers' actions.

• Only make necessary journeys: short journeys on a cold engine use up to twice as much fuel as a warmed up engine - and produce more emissions.

• Don't rev your engine: this wastes fuel and increases harmful emissions.

• Limit your speed: keep to the speed limits and stick to 70mph on the motorway - driving at 80mph causes considerably more emissions.

Electric vehicles for hire from 2010

Good for the environment and coming soon from Europcar and Nissan...

There's been a lot of discussion over whether electric cars can really rival standard vehicles. Soon, Europcar will bring you the chance to form a first-hand opinion about whether electric cars are a cost-effective solution for your company, as Europcar and Nissan will be offering them for hire from 2010.  

The electric cars will be available for hire in the UK plus:

• France
• Germany
• Belgium
• Spain
• Italy
• Portugal
• Australia
• New Zealand

The electric fleet will be rolled out across other countries later.

Committed to improving the environment, this adds to the many environmental initiatives implemented by Europcar Group under its Green Charter.

Rafael Girona, Europcar Group's Chief Operating Officer, said:

"We will give our customers the option of exploring a new means of mobility through the experience of using an electric vehicle in order to encourage them to become better eco-citizens".

Key to the Europcar/Nissan partnership is their shared belief that the introduction and expansion of electric vehicles is one of the best solutions to sustain the growing need for mobility across the globe.

Latest business hire trends - save money by getting the most out of your hire car

Make sure your company travel doesn't cost more than needs to with our handy tips...

• Make sure the vehicle is fit for purpose - from fuel efficient cars to the right size vehicle for the job, Europcar does it all. The most fuel efficient cars on the Europcar UK Group fleet are:
• ToyotaPrius 1.5
• Renault Clio 1.5 DCi Dynamique
• Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi Zetec

• Move staff to smaller vehicles where possible. Do they really need such a big van? Take advantage of the fuel efficiency of smaller vehicles by restricting access to certain vehicle groups where you can. Also look at how you could reduce unnecessary journeys.

• Switch from a company fleet to pay-as-you-go, and you'll stop losing money on the cars sitting in the car park. Instead you'll have vehicles only when you need them.

• Encourage employees to share journeys rather than travel separately to the same destination. If necessary rent a larger vehicle to provide this capacity.

• Make the most of management information, which can provide comprehensive data and reports on every aspect of vehicle usage. This is vital for your business to monitor and manage costs. The reports allow you to make comparisons and spot trends including working out the carbon footprint for each hire.

• Use a hire provider that offers hourly hires, so you respond to actual rather than predicted demand.

• Don't get caught out by the corporate manslaughter legislation. If your employees use private cars for business, consider encouraging them to use hire vehicles for business trips - this not only provides peace of mind in respect of your corporate responsibilities but will ensure the vehicle being used is fit for the purpose.

Book your holiday hire car when you buy your flight

Summer offers for customers as Europcar extends its partnership with easyJet.

Flying with easyJet? Make booking your holiday that bit smoother by reserving your hire car at the same time you book your flight.

Europcar and easyJet - exclusive partners since 2003 - have extended their partnership to the end of 2011.

This is great news for customers as it means:

• Competitive car hire rates
• Guaranteed car availability
• All the latest models with minimal CO² emissions
• Priority service and check-in on arrival at the Europcar airport desk when you pre-register online
• No hidden extras and unlimited mileage
• Collision damage waiver, theft waiver, airport surcharge, local taxes and VAT included
• Add-ons such as ski racks and baby seats available at competitive prices

To celebrate the extension of the partnership there are special summer offers for all easyJet routes around Europe and the Mediterranean, including:

• Discounts when you pre-book
• Discounts on arrival at the airport or any of Europcar's 2,500 European locations
• Free additional driver and upgrades when you book online

Great rates on luxury car hire for special summer events

Choose an Audi TTS, Mercedes CLS or many more cool wheels...

Turn heads and inspire envy this summer with a sleek and stylish set of wheels hired from Prestige from Europcar. The fleet includes executive, luxury, performance, convertible and 4x4 vehicles.

A luxury car is the perfect finishing touch for this season's weddings, parties and sporting events. It's also the only way to travel for a memorable break on the coast or in the stunning UK countryside with sun filled days and balmy nights. Whatever the occasion, Prestige from Europcar makes the smallest occasion a really big deal.

With Prestige from Europcar it's now easy to get behind the wheel of a car that exudes style and status. Choose from:

• the smooth and sexy Audi TTS
• the sophisticated grandeur of the Mercedes S Class
• the luxurious all-terrain 4x4 - the Range Rover Vogue
• and many more