CarDelMar, the online car rental broker, has discovered that British holiday-makers spend more time on the road exploring their destination during the summer than other Europeans. In a customer study comparing the habits of European rental drivers, British tourists come out ahead with an average rental time of 10.4 days. Germans spend less time renting a car, only taking themselves away for nine days. The French were not far ahead either at 9.4 days.

CarDelMar also compared the popularity of European holiday destinations and it was Spanish resorts that came top across the board. The Brits flock to the beautiful medieval port of Alicante, on the Costa Blanca whilst the Dutch head for the bright lights of Barcelona. The French settle for Seville, the 2000 year old capital of Andalusia, famed for its cultural and artistic heritage and the German’s favourite place is Palma on Mallorca, the vibrant capital of the Balearic Islands.

CarDelMar’s research also reveals that the French are more likely to cancel their summer holiday car hire than any other nation. The most reliable car renters in Europe are the Germans, who are least likely to cancel. In winter it was discovered that the British cancel their car hire the most, while the French redeem themselves and actually cancel the least. Proving that what goes up, must come down.

“These results are illuminating and fun,” said Carsten Greiner, managing director, CarDelMar. “It doesn’t surprise me that British holiday-makers are the most adventurous and hire their cars for longer than anyone else. Their desire to explore and use their cars for discovery is what CarDelMar is all about. More than 750,000 British people now live permanently in Spain, making it an obvious choice with many visiting friends and family for their holidays.”

“With the flexibility and freedom that wide-spread car rental offers, the adventures of the open road are now easily accessible to all. There’s so much of the world to see, it’s important to make the most of the local area and discover new sites.”

The analysis from CarDelMar’s customers over the past year shows that there are differences in holiday choices and behaviours from across Europe.